SPECIAL CALENDAR ISSUE
Witnessing to the Reign of God
We are happy to present this calendar issue of our magazine. We do so with a profound sense of gratitude for our call to God’s mission and for the many blessings we have received since our founding in 1918 by Monsignor John Mary Fraser. Our ministries are rooted in “presence.” Jesus took time to be present to people by listening, sharing meals, and healing the sick. His love was so great that he gave his life so that all may have new life, and he continues to be present to us today in the Eucharist, in our gathering as community, in our prayer, and in each other.
Scarboro missionaries are called to live out Jesus’ mission of loving presence, to live in solidarity with the poor, accompanying them in their efforts to better their lives. We are also called to pastoral ministry, such as parish work and Christian leadership training in small communities, and attention to health care. We remember the Scarboro priest and three lay missioners who are dedicated to these ministries in Guyana, South America; the lay missioner doing adult education in China; the Scarboro priest working with the Asian bishops in reaching out to the many cultures and religions of the region; and the Scarboro priest involved in indigenous ministry, particularly language and culture rights, in Brazil.
Here in Canada, Scarboro missionaries are called to announce the Reign of God through mission animation at our Mission Centre; through interfaith dialogue and the work of the Interfaith Department; and through the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Office. In his encyclical, Laudato Si, Pope Francis counsels us that all Christians need “…an ‘ecological conversion,’ whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them. Living our vocation to
be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.” (LS 217) These are strong words! We can live this conversion in our daily lives by becoming more involved in issues like climate change and sustainable living, working with a local community or parish group, and even simply by following the three Rs—reduce, reuse, and recycle.
On behalf of Scarboro Missions we thank you, our benefactors, for your very generous support. Our ministry of presence is possible because of you. We remember you in our prayers, and we wish God’s many blessings for you and your loved ones in 2017.∞