In the past few weeks, I have received numerous phone calls from a priest friend in Philadelphia, Monsignor Vincent Walsh, who has been very supportive of the work I have done in Africa throughout the years. His spiritual support remains a big part of my life. During our recent phone calls, he’s asked me many questions about my conversion and my calling to missionary work. His current goal is to publish a book about my mission adventures. As I was sharing with him, one particular story came to my mind. It was a time that I felt like I was personally witnessing the “poor widow’s mite” (Mark 12:41-44) from the Gospel.

Can you believe that January 2021 is nearly at an end?! As I was brainstorming a topic for my first blog of the year, the words “a fresh start” kept coming to my mind. This thought brought back many memories of how I felt at one point during my time in the missions. It was a time where I had experienced feelings of nervousness and discouragement, sometimes even feeling as if my work as a missionary would be short lived. Let me elaborate.

Christmas is within days, and while the hustle and bustle is not quite the norm this year due to COVID-19, many of us are preparing with hopes of a bright, healthy New Year. During a recent trip to the grocery store I could hear the joyful holiday music playing. One holiday song in particular houses lyrics that I hold dear to my heart. The lyrics to this song bring back the memories of my first mission journey to Africa, which took place during the holiday season. Sung by the group Band Aid, “Do they know it’s Christmas?” was performed in 1984 as a fundraiser to support relief for the 1983-1985 Ethiopian famine.

With the holiday season upon us, being a missionary celebrating the holidays away from family and loved ones can be difficult. Missing familiar foods, aromas, and cultural traditions can leave you questioning God’s will for your mission calling. Although poverty certainly exists in many places around the world, not all missionaries leave their homeland to serve the poor. During this Thanksgiving Season, let us remember our roots in the United States, in particular where there is suffering within our Native American communities.

 During this World Mission Month of October with its theme rom Isaiah - "Here I am, send me!" - I started to reflect about my own faith calling. Everyone's calling is unique.

And to put my story in perspective, I go back to a mission experience "after the call." 

 Let me start with the obvious: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world and rewritten what we consider “normal.” Every part of our lives has been impacted to some degree: how we live together and interact with each other on a daily basis; how we work and communicate; how we shop; even how we eat, drink, and enjoy our leisure time. During these times, I felt as if I was starring in the film Groundhog Day, reliving the same day over and over again.

 Throughout my years working in the African missions I have come across many families who have a strong devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To my surprise, as poor as these families were, they would somehow have a picture of the Sacred Heart in their homes. Although they were without food, drink, furniture, clothing, they were not without a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

 Mother's Day is observed around the world with most cultures setting aside a day to honor mothers. Some see the carnation as the official flower of Mother's Day, perhaps because Anna Jarvis, when she organized the first official celebration in the United States in 1908, distributed 500 carnations as the flower was her own mom's favorite. Carnations, and their various colors, then have become symbolic of this day here at home. The colors red/pink are used to represent those fortunate enough to have their mother physically with them to celebrate this day. Oppositely, the white carnations represent those mothers who may not be here physically, but are celebrated spiritually.

Last year, more than 37,000 people were welcomed into the Catholic Church in the United States at Easter Vigil Masses. This year, that joyous moment was postponed due to the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19. That fact gave way to reflection for me, as I thought back on that personal experience in my life 21 years ago, and about all it meant and continues to mean for me.

“And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring (the) good news!’” (Romans 10:15).

Missionaries from around the world have many stories to tell – joyful events, as well as sad, even fearful times. Here’s a story from my missionary service that happened one Holy Thursday that reminds us of the power of words – and the Word.