The call to mission

In whose hearts is the Spirit instilling the desire for mission today?

By Fr. Ron MacDonell, S.F.M.
November/December 2008

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article

The call to priesthood is a mysterious one: God plants in one's heart the desire to be a compassionate servant. The call to mission is also mysterious: certain individuals feel compelled to serve sisters and brothers of other cultures. Growing up in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, I felt both calls. I was eight years old when I received a magnificent present: an atlas. I was fascinated by the world map, which showed many coloured countries with unpronounceable names. "I'm going to visit all of them!" I announced to my parents.

Fr. Ron MacDonell (back row, 3rd from left) with seminarians from the Diocese of Roraima. Fr. Paul Mota (front row, middle) was ordained in 2007 and Fr. Pedro Porto (back row, far left) on November 9, 2008.

The desire to travel eventually gained a religious character. My devout parents led us in praying the rosary each evening and participation in the local parish was an integral part of our life. My mother often spoke of her priest uncles; both left Cape Breton to serve in Western Canada, one in Calgary Diocese, the other in Victoria Diocese. My grandmother subscribed to Scarboro Missions magazine, and Fr. Buddy Smith, a Scarboro missionary from my hometown, was a family friend.

As a teenager, I would read in the local paper about Antigonish diocesan priests serving in Honduras. In college, I became involved in justice issues concerning Latin America. Eventually I joined Scarboro Missions, first as a lay missioner among the Tzotzil in Chiapas, Mexico, and then as a priest in Brazil's Amazon region. Currently I work among the Makuxi and Wapichana native peoples of Roraima Diocese.

Missionary priesthood is the greatest blessing of my life. I have been privileged to enter people's lives at sacramental moments: sharing their joy at a wedding or a baptism, grieving with them as they bury a loved one, humbled by their vulnerability in confession, touched by their yearning as they receive communion at mass. I have also partaken of people's struggles for justice: accompanying the Tzotzil who organized a coffee-producers' cooperative; meeting with Amazonian riverside communities as they defended their lakes from over-fishing; living in solidarity with the Makuxi who seek their land rights.

God has blessed me immensely. I have been ordained 22 years now. Yet I am still the last ordained Scarboro priest. I cannot help but reflect: Will I be the last Scarboro priest? Where is the Holy Spirit leading our Church? In whose hearts is the Spirit instilling the desire for mission?

Betsy MacDonald visits with young Wapichana mothers in Roraima, Brazil. The cousin of Scarboro missioner Fr. Ron MacDonell, Betsy spent two summers in Brazil. The second summer she was involved with the Children's Pastoral Commission, educating young mothers about children's nutrition.

In my prayer, I have found inklings of answers to these questions both here in Brazil and in Canada. In Roraima Diocese, there are several young men studying for priesthood. Josimar Lobo (front row, far right), is 25 years old and studies theology in the regional seminary. He is the youngest of six; his working-class parents live in the poor part of the city of Boa Vista. When asked about his vocation, Josimar says: "My greatest joy is the certainty of God's love for people in the communities, especially the poor, and knowing that I can contribute to the building of God's Kingdom, already present in our history, whether as a priest or as a baptized Christian." Josimar recently participated in summer courses for training in television and other media. "Jesus is God's greatest communication to humanity," he said. "My formation in the area of communication can help develop PASCOM (the Communication Pastoral Commission) in creating spaces for peoples' human and spiritual development."

In Canada, I perceive the missionary call alive in the person of my cousin Betsy MacDonald. While working on a B.A. in Anthropology and Development Studies, Betsy spent two summers with us in Brazil. The second summer saw her involved with the Children's Pastoral Commission, educating young mothers about children's nutrition. Betsy spent another summer on an ecology exchange with students from Costa Rica and she is now completing an M.A. degree in Social Justice and Equity Studies. Betsy is typical of many young Canadians who are concerned about people in other lands and respond in a compassionate manner. Young Canadians may not be seeking a traditional missionary vocation, but God's Spirit is acting through their love and compassion for the suffering of the world.

So, will I be the last Scarboro priest? Only God knows! The good news is that Jesus' message is being lived in various ways, through young people like Josimar in Brazil and Betsy in Canada. May God bless them and other young people who respond generously to the Holy Spirit's call to the mission of building peace and justice in our world.

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article