One sacred community

In the journey of mission we glimpse the unfolding of God's plan for all creation

By John & Jean MacInnis
October 2005

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In 1974, the Scarboro Foreign Mission Society began to accept laity to serve with its priest members in cross-cultural mission. Since then, some 100 people from across Canada, men and women, married and single, couples with children, have participated in missionary life in another culture and land. Those that have returned from overseas continue to live their lives motivated by their cross-cultural experience as Scarboro lay missioners, as you will read in the feature, "Where are they now?"

Missioners are often understood as people who go out to distant lands and peoples to spread the Gospel and to give. As you read our missioners' stories, more often than not, they will describe how the experience of mission is also about receiving. In fact many missioners will say that they receive more than they give. Their faith is strengthened by the faith and hope of people whose daily lives are filled with hard work and the struggle to survive.

Scarboro laity have served in Peru, the Philippines, China, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Guyana, St. Vincent, Mexico, Brazil, Hong Kong, Panama, and here in Canada, most often in collaboration with other mission communities and organizations. Missioners have been involved in various ministries in these countries, such as adult literacy, teaching, catechetics, bible study, pastoral work, health projects, community organization and education, construction projects and, most significantly, presence... accompanying the people in their daily lives. The work varies with their talents, yet what is most significant is the friendships that develop from their encounter with people in these lands. Through these relationships, every missioner comes to appreciate and reverence the truth of God's presence in the "other."

After two terms of mission in Guyana, we returned to Canada to coordinate the Lay Mission Office, the lay component of Scarboro Missions. The office works together with other departments to promote mission awareness and to invite Canadians to participate in cross-cultural mission. The work of the office entails responding to all enquiries, arranging interviews with applicants, overseeing the four-month preparation program, placing lay missioners overseas, maintaining contact with all Scarboro lay missioners, keeping in contact and involved with other mission groups – both Canadian and international, and updating the lay section of Scarboro Missions' webpage and web newsletter.

We are thankful to have Sharon Willan facilitating our January to April 2006 preparation program. We are blessed with eight candidates; two couples and four single women. They are a source of new life for Scarboro Missions. One of the candidates, a Sister of Sion, has chosen to fully participate in our cross-cultural preparation program to prepare her for mission to Nicaragua with her own community.

Our very sincere thanks to Kathy VanLoon as she gathers, edits and creatively captures the essence of these stories, experiences and pictures to produce this issue of Scarboro Missions magazine. Each story reveals a unique experience of God. This issue offers us glimpses of hope in God's Spirit at work in the process of bringing all creation into the closeness of one family.

The cover art for this issue was created by Sr. Mary Southard of the Sisters of St. Joseph of LaGrange, Illinois. We received special permission to reprint this beautiful image. Entitled "Gathered in love in the family of life, we are one sacred community", the image speaks of our journey as Scarboro missioners.

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