Scarboro Missions is a society of Canadian priests, motivated by the Spirit, who dedicate themselves to the person, teaching and mission of Jesus Christ as expressed in his words:
"I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." (John 10:10)
Founded by Fr. John Mary Fraser as the China Mission College in 1918 to train and send priests to China, the society grew quickly and evolved, and became known as Scarboro Missions, a society whose members served not only in China, but elsewhere in Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Canada.
The prophetic vision of Vatican Council II reawakened the baptismal call of all Catholics to actively participate in the mission of Christ. It especially revealed the vital witness of laity and the unique gifts that they offer to further God's Reign in the world. Beginning in 1974, single men and women, as well as married couples, were invited to join with Scarboro priests as global missioners for Christ and His Church.
At this time in our history, we find ourselves at the frontier of letting go. In a profound spirit of openness and acceptance as we diminish, we look to others to bear the flame and grow into the new stewards of God’s mission, called to love and share all that we have and who we are, as we accompany the outcast, the stranger, the invisible and those of other religious traditions who have become our friends. While letting go of more active ministries, through prayer and companionship we are entering into a more profound reflection of the movement of the Spirit. We believe that our mission is not finished, it is simply being transformed into a new reality, a continuing work of God’s Spirit.
In a letter dated November 2017 to our benefactors and friends we wrote: “As you may already be aware, Scarboro Missions, like many other religious communities, is undergoing many changes to deal with the impact of our aging and declining membership. As a mission society, we have continually promoted vocations and invited others to join us. Yet in recent years, there have been very few inquiries for both priesthood and lay missionary vocations. We have had to take a hard look at our limited possibilities of giving a good formation to candidates as well as providing new candidates with a peer group for ongoing support and community life. That is why, after discernment and guided by the Holy Spirit, we have taken a decision to not accept candidates for the priesthood or for the lay program.”
At our 2017 General Chapter, we celebrated our legacy in prayer and song, we rejoiced at how the Spirit of God has transformed us along the way, is present to us and is calling us into the future. Mission today requires creativity under the guidance of the Spirit. We support all new initiatives that are faithful to the teaching of Jesus and the mandate given to disciples everywhere.
We will continue to live the Gospel wherever we are, for we are pilgrims in all parts of our journey. In the face of this new reality, the words of our Scarboro Prayer of many years continue to inspire us: “God of life and goodness, we are a pilgrim people, frail and weak, and yet we are the work of your hands...We pray that we may walk joyously into the unknown...(and) always be ready witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus, with a profound love to hold all peoples in our hearts.”
We invite you to browse this site to learn more about who we are and what we do...
Read about our Mission, Values and Vision...
Read our Ecological Mission Statement...
Read the Scarboro Missions Interfaith Statement...
Learn about our founder, our history, and our deceased members...
Read about areas of mission...
View Scarboro's organizational structure...
Find out about Priest Missioners...
View videos on Scarboro's history of mission and what mission means today