From National Catholic Reporter:
Liz Mach, left, and Mary Orth-Lauer, members of the Maryknoll Lay Missioners’ class of 1976, renew their commitment to living a life of mission during a Mass Aug. 16 at the Maryknoll Society Center in Maryknoll, N.Y., marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Maryknoll Lay Missioners. Mach and Orth-Lauer both served in Tanzania. (OSV News/Gregory Shemitz)
By Patricia Zapor
Maryknoll lay missioners from across the globe were invigorated by messages of hope during a weekend gathering in Ossining, New York, that culminated a yearlong 50th anniversary celebration.
Joe Loney, who has served in Bolivia for the Maryknoll Lay Missioners for 30 years, didn’t intend to join the reunion, Aug. 14-17. But a visit to his family in Michigan this summer was unexpectedly extended, enabling him to drive to New York for the events.
He told the National Catholic Reporter he enjoyed the chance to visit with “like-minded people” and to hear them “see hope in these times of despair and desperation and take the time to renew and reconnect.”
In an Aug. 16 keynote address, Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky, spoke of how Pope Francis frequently urged Christians to have hope in times of despair.
The very way of life of Maryknoll lay missioners reflects what Francis repeatedly referenced, he said.
Stowe also listed some of the disturbing and difficult current events: wars in Gaza and Ukraine, “60,000 people incarcerated because of our broken immigration laws,” nuclear weapons threats, reversals of environmental protections, “militarization of our borders and now of our cities,” cutting off aid to people, threats to scientific development and vaccines.
“All the while being cheered on by so-called Christians,” Stowe said.
“That’s why you give me so much hope,” he said. “Because I know I don’t have to convince you too much about all of that. I know you’re here because you have been on mission. … Your vision has been so expanded by what you’ve seen, what you’ve heard (and) the people with whom you have related.”
Compelled by faith to engage with people across cultures and ethnicities, Maryknoll lay missioners live, love and work with communities on the margins to promote active nonviolence and healing.
