On Wednesday, June 10 2020, MSSP Lay Missionaries from Australia and the Philippines gathered together for what we hope will be the first of many encounters. Our deep, shared desire to unite in the spirit of our founder, Joseph De Piro, allowed us to transcend all that divides us, including distance, language and time difference. Indeed, it was hard not to see the irony: that it was our current pandemic, which compels us to be socially distant, that in fact paved the way for us to become creative in our desire to gather as one family! Love, it seems, always finds a way!
So it was that twenty-four of us united in prayer and shared reflection to celebrate how we can grow more in our faith as MSSP Lay Missionaries. We commenced the meeting with time for introductions as each person shared what had drawn them to becoming part of this growing Paulist family. For some, it was their encounter with Fr Lonnie Borg at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) located in Santa Mesa, Manila, where the MSSPs provide ministry. For others, the invitation to attend a retreat at the Paulist Retreat Centre in Wantirna or their encounter with MSSP religious within the parishes of St James the Apostle or St Bernadette’s introduced them to the missionary charism of Joseph De Piro. And for others still, it was attending a Mission Immersion trip to Manila and Bataan that first ignited their desire to know more about our missionary charism.
Regardless of the starting point, the yearning to deepen our faith, to unite with each other and our MSSP family throughout the world and to hear the voices of those too often pushed to the margins was palpable. Our shared prayer time which concluded our meeting reminded us that the Gospel is indeed Good News and that God enfleshed makes the impossible possible.
Regardless of the starting point, the yearning to deepen our faith, to unite with each other and our MSSP family throughout the world and to hear the voices of those too often pushed to the margins was palpable. Our shared prayer time which concluded our meeting reminded us that the Gospel is indeed Good News and that God enfleshed makes the impossible possible.
This gathering of MSSP Lay Missionaries brought to life the resolution at the MSSP General Chapter 2018 in Peru: “… the MSSP encourages and entreats all those who share the missionary charism of Joseph De Piro to take their place in the life of the Society, in particular mission, worship and leadership.” We look forward to other opportunities to gather with our MSSP Lay Missionaries from Malta, Peru and other parts of the world.
Mrs Mrs Geralyn McCarthy is the MSSP Lay Delegate from our Australian Province.