Celebrating 90 years

On November 9, 2008, Scarboro Missions celebrated its 90th anniversary still guided by the missionary spirit of its founder, John Mary Fraser

By Mike Traher, S.F.M.
November/December 2008

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Ninety years ago, Fr. John Mary Fraser, a Scottish Canadian missionary in China, came home to Canada motivated by the urgent quest to recruit and train missionary priests for China. On November 9, 1918, he succeeded with the enthusiastic support of the local pastor in Almonte, Ontario, the support of Archbishop Gauthier of Ottawa, and the Sisters of St. Joseph who allowed their local convent school to become his fledgling China Mission College. At a time when the Church in Canada was still receiving missionaries, the success of this enterprise would require lots of hard work and much faith and trust in God. But in the mind of Fraser and his pioneering vision, "Nothing is impossible for those who believe."

Monsignor John Mary Fraser, centre, his brother Fr. William Fraser and Fr. Ramon Serra to his right, Fr. Paul Kam to his left, with the Chinese Catholic community at the start of the building of a church in Lungchuan, China (1928).

Some of our older generation may recall that Fraser's first ordained priest was Irish born Fr. Dan Carey who, after a brief experience in China, returned home in the early 1920s and subsequently became the founding editor of the BC Catholic. They will also remember the wise and caring witness of the Grey Sisters who served in China with Fraser and the other Scarboro priests until the early 1950s when the Communist revolution expelled all foreign missionaries. From the mid-1930s the Grey Sisters assisted Scarboro priests in developing an apostolate to the Chinese community in Vancouver. For the next 40 years, the Sisters taught the Catholic faith to the children of St. Francis Xavier parish, which is today a lively, thriving parish community and a wonderful testimony to the persevering missionary spirit of the priests and sisters.

We celebrate on this 90th anniversary the missionary ideals of Fr. Fraser. Outstanding among them was his passion for building up the local church with native vocations and lay leadership. That ideal has remained with every Scarboro missioner who would follow in his footsteps. The positive results of such a vision can be found in the thriving churches wherever Scarboro missioners have served; in the Philippines, Japan, the Caribbean, Latin America, and recently in Africa and Thailand. And in spite of many obstacles, the Church in China today is also experiencing amazing growth as it evangelizes its own people. The foundations in the faith laid there by missionaries like Fr. Fraser are bearing much fruit.

We celebrate the involvement of laity with us in mission. Since 1974, more than 100 lay missionaries, men and women, single and married have been prepared and sent overseas. They have come with us in mission not as volunteers but as Vatican II proclaimed, "to be fully missionary in their own right." Though small in numbers, Scarboro missionaries, priests and laity, have served together over the years in nine countries, witnessing to the Gospel in a variety of ways. Interestingly because of our laity, new missions were opened up in the mid-90s in Thailand and in Malawi, Africa.

Arriving on a damp, chilly day, guests were warmly greeted and offered refreshments as they mingled with old and new friends.

Today, after 90 years of missionary commitment, the original spirit of John Mary Fraser continues to guide Scarboro Missions toward new challenges for evangelization. Where then do we find the Spirit leading us to witness to the reign of God today? How do we bring the light of the Gospel message in a manner that is genuine, humble, and forthright as Jesus did in his day?

Surprising as it may seem, one of the greatest opportunities for a Christian faith witness is through interfaith dialogue with people of other faith traditions, each of us learning to listen and be open to the other. There is such a great need to come together and to listen to one another's experience of God. Pope John Paul II wrote prophetically in his missionary encyclical, Redemptoris Missio: "Through dialogue the Church seeks to uncover the 'seeds of the Word,' a 'ray of that truth which enlightens all...' Dialogue is based on hope and love, and will bear fruit in the Spirit." (RM 56) In his ministry, Pope John Paul II spoke of the Church in the new millennium, as looking forward to "a new springtime for the gospel" and he personally anticipated it with eagerness until his death.

Never before in the history of the world have the major religious traditions felt a common desire and the need to listen to each other, to share together one another's experience of the Divine. In all of this, God's Spirit is slowly but surely helping us to discover that we can all find unity in God even as we experience the diversity of our religious traditions.

Jesus proclaimed again and again, "The kingdom of God is near to you and among you." Is this not the goal of mission, to witness by word and action the kingdom of God? Pope Benedict XVI writes in his book "Jesus of Nazareth", that the kingdom of God is embodied in the person of Jesus. We who have received the gift of faith in Jesus, by our relationship with him help to mirror a glimpse of God present in the world around us.

Liturgical songs sung in English, Spanish, and Japanese helped reflect Scarboro's outreach to the world. Missionary Sisters of St. Theresa of Columbia, who had been living at Scarboro while studying in Canada.

At our 2007 Chapter, Scarboro delegates highlighted another set of ideals and priorities through which we are committed to witnessing the Good News today: Integral Human Development, Social Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation. A reflection of these ideals is evident in Scarboro's support for cross-cultural learning programs among Canadian Catholic high school students. For many years now school groups from across Canada have been going to the Dominican Republic and other countries in the Caribbean and to Central America to briefly immerse themselves in learning and working on projects with people in rural communities. Through their involvement in the daily lives, faith, and cultures of the people the students often discover to their surprise that each can make a significant difference in the lives of the other. Might we not conclude that this activity is due to the Spirit of God preparing young people to have missionary hearts to witness God's presence in the world?

Authentic witnesses

To be missionary today calls for authentic witnesses, men and women, priests, religious, and laity who are willing to immerse themselves in service to the needs of others, to advance the basic needs of humanity. Such actions reflect the heart of Christ and the kingdom of God. Advocating justice for the oppressed, healing for those wounded by conflict and ill with disease, upholding the weak and vulnerable – all of these are the essence of the kingdom of God. The hungry, the homeless, the refugee, those enslaved today in global sexual trafficking need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ which affirms their dignity and belovedness before God. We know from the teaching and witness of Jesus that our God earnestly seeks that they be freed from their captivity and oppression. Everyone just by being born on earth is a child of God and inherits the right to share in the gifts of God. Our mission is to live and promote these Gospel values that reflect the heart of God to others.

Members of the Toronto Japanese-Catholic Community sang in Japanese. L-R: Ayako Keogh, Frank Keogh, Roy Sakaguchi, Kei Chicoy-Daban, Misako Chiba, Etsumi Sakaguchi, John Meehan, and Fr. John Carten, main chaplain for the group, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in June 2009.

Mission for this 21st century requires all Christians to be open to seeing the world with new eyes and with a new understanding of things as they are. The new missionary will require a ready heart that is intimately linked to the person and teaching of Jesus Christ, whose Spirit is actively inviting us to be involved in mission to our world. Such was the mind and heart of Fr. John Mary Fraser as he opened the doors of his new missionary enterprise that grew and produced much fruit from its humble beginnings in Almonte, Ontario.

Today, though still a small mission Society, Scarboro Missions looks towards the future again in faith and trust, praying in faith for God to raise up new Canadian missionaries both priests and laity who will join us in mission. The urgency of witnessing the Gospel in the world is as important today as ever. In the words of the late Scarboro missionary Fr. Robert (Buddy) Smith:

"There is so much at stake now, that we are talking of a total giving, where there is no turning back. The mission of Christ is worthy of a lifetime. Now is the time to look over the horizon to the world that awaits us, and to see things another way as Jesus did."

Missioners in the past often heard the Latin words at departure ceremonies, "Ad multos Annos" (for many years). We all look forward to serving the reign of God for many years to come. To all who have supported us over the years, we continue to offer our prayers and deepest gratitude.

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