Who me? A missionary?

By Martha O’Connor
May/June 2011

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W hen asked by my Aunt Noreen, a member of Our Lady’s Missionaries, to write something about mission, I agreed right away, but now, with a blank page in front of me, I wonder, What was I thinking? Where do I begin? Is this supposed to be about the meaning of my life? My Aunt made the article sound like it would be simple to write. Maybe it would be easy for her because of her many years as a missionary overseas.

Mission for me is not so clear-cut. Yes, I made a commitment in marriage even though I was young and naive at the time. Making this relationship work is part of my mission.

Next came the children. They too are my mission. When they were young, they were a huge mind-boggling responsibility and I loved them with every ounce of my being. I think I would have killed to protect them. Later, as they matured, mission became appreciating, encouraging, and valuing them as adults.

When I retired from work and my children were well launched into adulthood, I told people my new mission was to be a contemplative-in-action, sending out positive vibes into the universe. I figured that eventually I would be off to a third world country doing volunteer work. That hasn’t happened and I now realize that my mission is to be a positive influence wherever I am. I want to make the people I touch feel a little bit better about themselves and their lives.

Having three sisters and seven brothers gives me plenty of opportunities to do this: housing a nephew who needs accommodation while he is working at a summer job; driving a sick brother to the doctor; taking my mother grocery shopping; babysitting my grandson; hosting family holiday celebrations. The opportunities are endless. Yes, like my Aunt Noreen, I too am a missionary—by being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, sister-in-law, cousin, aunt, and even a niece.

Mission in my life is

…my everyday living. It’s the sum total of prayer, work, and play done lovingly with and for others.
Sr. Suzanne Marshall, OLM, Toronto

...presence and relationships nourished by community life and personal prayer.
Sr. Rosemary Williamson, OLM Toronto

...trying to love with compassion and to respect individuals who are suffering physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Sr. Norma Samar, OLM, Toronto

...to be kind to those I meet and always find something to be grateful for.
Mina Velasco, OLM Associate Toronto

...to be open to God’s plan and try to listen, live, love, and share this plan among God’s people.
Gemma Labitan, OLM Associate Toronto

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