From left to right: Susanne Beentjes, Jana Schiemenz, Victor Artaiz, Maria Corazón Angeles, Dorothy Ritter, Elizabeth Canales Almanza, Ray Almanza, with kids Solomon and Siena Almanza, and James Pawlowicz.
Maryknoll Lay Missioners will formally commission its newest cohort for mission service following the completion of its eight-week Orientation & Formation Program in El Paso, Texas.
The extensive program culminates in a Covenant & Sending Ceremony for the eight missioner candidates on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. MT at Holy Family Church (900 W. Missouri Ave.), with a live-stream available at mklm.org.
“With gratitude and anticipation, Maryknoll Lay Missioners welcomes these new candidates into a global family committed to love, justice, nonviolence, and compassionate presence,” says Elvira Ramírez, Executive Director of Maryknoll Lay Missioners.
Like all Maryknoll lay missioners, the new class is preparing to commit to serving for at least three and a half years.
The Class of 2025 includes:
- Elizabeth Canales Almanza – Bolivia
- Ray Almanza – Bolivia
- Maria Corazón Angeles – U.S.-Mexico Border
- Victor Artaiz – Bolivia
- Susanne Beentjes – Tanzania
- James Pawlowicz – Brazil
- Dorothy Ritter – Kenya
- Jana Schiemenz – Tanzania
The Orientation & Formation Program is a rigorous blend of theological study, cross-cultural preparation, spiritual development, and practical training designed to prepare new missioners for international service. Held each fall in El Paso, the program combines classroom learning, immersion experiences, and ministerial fieldwork, grounding participants in Maryknoll’s history, values, and global mission.
The formation begins with an introduction to Maryknoll’s legacy and mission heritage, including presentations from the Maryknoll Society, Maryknoll Sisters, Maryknoll Lay Missioners leadership, and scholars of global mission. Early sessions focus on community building, storytelling, Catholic Social Teaching, and spirituality, while candidates begin weekly “Ministry Days” in local organizations along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Throughout the eight weeks, missioner candidates explore pressing global realities shaping contemporary mission—migration, inequality, nonviolence, anti-racism, interculturality, global solidarity, and ecological justice. Workshops cover Pope Francis’ vision of missionary discipleship, nonviolent communication, restorative justice, community organizing, and transformational anti-racism. Maryknoll’s Office for Global Concerns leads sessions on global justice issues, while Maryknoll Lay Missioners’ Nonviolence Committee and Anti-Racism Task Force guide reflection and dialogue.
Practical skills are woven throughout the program, including conflict resolution, community mediation, pastoral reflection, dignified storytelling and ethical volunteerism, operations training, and administrative preparation for overseas assignment. Participants also receive inoculations, undergo stress and trauma training for mission settings, engage in liturgy planning, and meet with Maryknoll Lay Missioners board members.
A multi-day Commitment Retreat invites candidates into deeper discernment before making their final commitment. The program concludes with covenant preparation and area-specific mission studies.
By integrating prayer, community life, ministerial practice, and academic rigor, the Orientation & Formation Program ensures that missioners are spiritually grounded, culturally prepared, and fully equipped to accompany marginalized communities across Maryknoll’s global mission sites.
“This period of formation offers them the tools, support, and spiritual nourishment needed to live out the Gospel in solidarity with those on the margins,” says Daniel Lizárraga, Mission Services Manager for Maryknoll Lay Missioners. “As they move toward their future assignments in Bolivia, Brazil, Kenya, Tanzania, and at the U.S.-Mexico border, we celebrate the diversity of experiences and gifts each candidate brings.”
MEET THE CANDIDATES
Elizabeth Canales Almanza – Bolivia
Elizabeth Canales Almanza of Colton, California, has spent 16 years accompanying low-income, first-generation students in Arizona and Southern California—work funded by state and federal grants that helped families (often Spanish-speaking and mixed-status) navigate college access, persistence, and graduation. A bilingual Salvadoran American with a B.S. in Behavioral Sciences (University of La Verne) and an M.A. in Higher Education (University of Arizona), Elizabeth sees education as a path to dignity and systemic change, and her own story of being first-gen continues to shape how she walks alongside others.
Drawn to Maryknoll Lay Missioners at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, she and her husband Ray long envisioned serving as a family with their two children Solomon and Siena; after a recent cancer diagnosis and treatment, that call deepened into a grateful, wholehearted “yes.” Rooted in a simple, intentional lifestyle—a cozy 700-square-foot home, a one-car household—Elizabeth connects faith with justice, eco-spirituality, and hospitality. She is part of the online Visitation Village faith-sharing community and hopes to continue those gatherings while in mission.
Known as kind, funny, and generous, Elizabeth brings Spanish fluency, a gift for relationship-building, and a nonviolent, restorative approach to parenting and community life. She loves reading, travel, and puzzle-solving, and cheers for African and Latin American teams during the World Cup. She says she will miss her parents most, but looks forward to serving in Bolivia with her family—living the Gospel through presence, solidarity, and joy.
Ray Almanza, of Colton, California, brings more than a decade in ministry and theological education to Maryknoll Lay Missioners. Holding M.A. degrees in Philosophy and Theology from Loyola Marymount University, he has served as a director of catechetical ministry and vicariate coordinator in the Diocese of San Bernardino, taught adult faith formation and youth ministry, and contributed to national initiatives such as V Encuentro and the Synod on the Family. Most recently, he helped lead young adult outreach in Maryknoll’s Mission Formation Ministry—work that expanded his view of mission across cultures and deepened his call to serve.
Rooted in the Catholic social tradition and liberation theology, Ray accompanies communities through a “see–judge–act” pastoral lens—bringing scripture into dialogue with lived reality, racial justice, and nonviolence. Spanish-speaking and a seasoned facilitator, he has led immersion groups to places like El Salvador, Mexico, Bolivia, Jamaica, and Guatemala, emphasizing solidarity, listening, and mutual transformation.
Ray’s spirituality took shape early through the Gospels and has been animated in recent years by Pope Francis’s witness to joy, mercy, and a “culture of encounter.” He describes community as a garden—nurtured by what we invest rather than what we extract—and hopes to keep celebrating joy as a form of resilience and fuel for justice.
A reader, cyclist, and traveler with Chihuahua roots (including Tarahumara heritage), Ray is known by friends as intelligent, authentic, and kind—with a quiet sense of humor that surfaces among close companions. He and his wife, Elizabeth, look forward to serving together with their kids Solomon and Siena, grateful for the supporters who make this vocation possible and eager to live the Gospel alongside the people who will welcome them.
Maria Corazon Angeles – U.S.-Mexico Border
Maria Corazon “Cora” Angeles, originally from Quezon City in the Philippines and now rooted in Burbank, California, brings to mission a lifetime of compassion, legal advocacy, and a heart shaped by her own migrant journey. A graduate of Maryknoll College in Manila and the University of the Philippines College of Law, Cora has spent four decades in solo legal practice, specializing in immigration law. In those years she has walked closely with families facing uncertainty, fear, and hardship—experiences that have deepened her commitment to justice, mercy, and the resilience of the human spirit.
Her long involvement with Handmaids of the Lord, a women’s ministry within Couples for Christ, has nurtured her faith for more than 20 years, offering a community where prayer, service, and mutual support flourish. Participation in Maryknoll immersion trips to the Yucatán and Kenya further awakened her desire to “witness” Christ’s presence across cultures and borders. She felt especially moved by Maryknoll Lay Missioners’ commitment to migrants and marginalized communities—issues that have been at the heart of her professional life.
Cora describes herself as entering mission with an open and humble heart, ready to offer her gifts—and ready to learn. A motherly presence with a deep sense of joy, she believes her own experience as a migrant gives her a unique perspective of empathy and understanding. Her spirituality is grounded in the Mass, the Rosary, Divine Mercy prayers, and a daily desire to do God’s will.
Friends know her as kind, patient, and true. Though she will miss her young grandnieces and grandnephews, Cora embraces this new chapter with the same hope-filled spirit that guided her throughout her life: to “do ordinary things with great love.”
Victor Artaiz, of Wallingford, Connecticut, brings to Maryknoll Lay Missioners a wealth of global experience and a deeply rooted Franciscan heart. After a long career as a director of international business in the specialty metals industry—work that took him to more than 50 countries across five continents—Victor felt called to a different kind of journey. He spent four years as a Franciscan lay missioner in Bolivia and has served in orphanages in Kenya, encounters that reshaped his understanding of accompaniment, simplicity, and the Gospel’s call to be with those on the margins.
Fluent in Spanish and grounded in a life of prayer, Victor is drawn especially to Maryknoll’s history in global mission and to the Cochabamba community, where relationships with Maryknoll missioners have been pivotal in his own discernment. He sees mission as the daily work of walking beside others with a listening heart—sharing faith, hope, and peace while receiving the wisdom and strength of the communities who welcome him. His ministry with men in prison, marked by humility and trust-building, reflects his belief that true encounter begins with vulnerability and openness.
A man of steady faith and contemplative rhythm, Victor finds nourishment in morning lectio divina, Eucharistic adoration, and time spent reading in nature. Friends describe him as loyal, selfless, and courageous. Though he will miss his son, daughter, and granddaughter—as well as the simple joy of watching sports at Buffalo Wild Wings—he hopes this next chapter of mission will continue teaching him to see Christ in every person and every circumstance.
Susanne Beentjes, originally from Purmerend in the Netherlands, brings more than a decade of experience in international public health, community development, and women’s empowerment—much of it shaped by her 10+ years living in Tanzania. A graduate of VU University Amsterdam with degrees in Health Sciences and International Public Health, she has worked across the sectors of pharmacy, human resources, and grassroots development. For the past six years, Susanne has served as a lay missionary with the Society of African Missions, helping lead the Lulu women’s empowerment project and co-founding a new initiative in Mwanza—the Work&Shop Creative Center, a collaborative space supporting young artisans as they build sustainable livelihoods for their families.
A native Dutch speaker who is also fluent in Kiswahili, Susanne is known for her calm, trustworthy presence and her belief in helping others “do it themselves,” walking alongside young women as they grow in confidence and agency. She draws strength from her Christian faith, her commitment to inclusion, and the Ubuntu wisdom that “I am because you are.”
Susanne and her partner are raising their children in Tanzania, where they enjoy hiking, swimming, and spending time by Lake Victoria. She says she will miss her parents, siblings, and grandmother back home—as well as brown bread and Dutch cheese—but feels deeply called to join the Maryknoll Lay Missioners community, drawn by its commitment to nonviolence, anti-racism, and solidarity.
James Pawlowicz, originally from Bolingbrook, Illinois, comes to Maryknoll Lay Missioners with a unique blend of experience in animal science, community engagement, and pastoral accompaniment. A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, where he double-majored in Animal Science and the Sociology of Law, Crime, and Deviance, James spent seven years working in animal control—an unexpected but profound formation in humility, equity, and compassionate service. His work brought him into every kind of neighborhood and household, teaching him to meet people where they are, to see their dignity beyond circumstances, and to show up with patience, respect, and presence.
Alongside his professional work, James has walked closely with migrants through parish-based ministry, accompanying individuals who have faced violence, displacement, and trauma. He also brings experience from LGBTQ ministry within the Church, where he has learned the power of genuine listening and the importance of spiritual companionship. Most recently, he has served in project management within his nonprofit, honing practical skills in organization, strategy, and collaboration.
James is deeply rooted in his Catholic faith and active at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Maryland, a community whose culture of belonging and mutual care has reshaped his understanding of church and community. Drawn to mission as an act of being “sent,” he hopes to continue growing in humility, joy, and nonviolence while offering his gifts of accompaniment, discernment, and perseverance.
An outdoors enthusiast, two-step dancer, avid reader, and gardener, James is eager to discover how God will work in and through him in mission.
Dorothy Ritter, of Fraser, Michigan, brings to Maryknoll Lay Missioners a lifetime shaped by compassion, justice-seeking, and deep spiritual reflection. A registered nurse for three decades and a certified spiritual director, Dorothy’s vocation emerged gradually—first as a young mother taking night classes, and later through advanced theological studies at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit. Her professional life has consistently woven together healthcare, pastoral accompaniment, and an abiding concern for people living on the margins.
Over the years, Dorothy has volunteered in communities from Appalachia to Kenya, served at the Detroit Catholic Worker for two decades, and participated in international peace teams in Israel/Palestine and Egypt. Whether offering spiritual direction to women in a guest house, teaching human development at an orphanage, or supporting environmental justice efforts with OREPA, she has sought out places where dignity is threatened and where presence, tenderness, and solidarity can restore hope. She is especially drawn to nonviolence, a value she sees reflected profoundly in Maryknoll’s charism.
Dorothy’s call to mission deepened after the death of her husband of 43 years—a loss that opened a new season of discernment and trust. She speaks of wanting to be “a conduit of God’s grace,” attentive to the sacredness of every person’s story and to the quiet work of healing and belonging. Her spirituality is nurtured by daily meditation, lectio divina, and time spent at her family’s rustic cottage along the Little Manistee River, a place where nature itself becomes prayer.
Known by friends as kind, loving, and adventurous, Dorothy says she will miss her children, grandchildren, and siblings most—and her mother’s baked cheesy spaghetti casserole. Yet she sees this next chapter not as departure but as continuation: another step on a joyful, hope-filled journey toward the Beloved Community she believes God intends for all creation.
Originally from Chemnitz, Germany, Jana Schiemenz brings more than 15 years of deep-rooted experience accompanying children, youth, and adults with disabilities—most of them spent living and working in Tanzania. Trained as both a pediatric nurse and a specialist in special education and rehabilitation, she has served in hospitals, early-intervention centers, children’s homes, and vocational training programs across Germany and East Africa. Jana helped establish the Tunaweza Centre for Youths with Disabilities in Mwanza, where she later returned as an advisor, supporting curriculum development, staff formation, and outreach to families.
Her years of volunteer service through Catholic parishes in Mwanza have shaped her spiritually and personally, especially her work with women’s sewing cooperatives and with people living with mental health challenges at facilities in Bukumbi and Igoma. Fluent in German and Swahili, she values simple living, mutual support, and the deep relationships that form when communities work together for dignity and inclusion.
Jana describes herself as loyal and curious. Drawn to Maryknoll Lay Missioners for its commitment to solidarity, mutuality, and nonviolence, she hopes to continue accompanying marginalized communities while learning from the wisdom and resilience of her local partners in mission.
Jennifer Tomshack is Maryknoll Lay Missioners' communications manager.
Looks like a wonderful group of new lay Missioner candidates.
They will be in my thoughts and prayers.