Thank you for joining in our mission of working for justice, compassion, and dignity for all creation in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. All of us at Maryknoll Lay Missioners wish you a joyful Christmas & abundant blessings in the new year!
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all …. (Lk 2:14)
Dear friends,
This year’s Christmas card features artwork by Mary Southard, a Sister of St. Joseph whose paintings express the deep interconnectedness of creation and our Earth’s sacred community of life — with all its beauty and pain, its passion and mystery. Christ’s birth gives hope to our battered planet, to all people, and to all of creation.
Living in 95% Buddhist Cambodia, Maryknoll lay missioner Julie Lawler writes, “Christmas is not a holiday that our local community celebrates, [but] being in mission here has led me to dwell in the richness of Christmas and to be reminded of the true focus, which is on the birth of God’s son, Jesus. He invites us to encounter people who are not like us and people who follow a different path from our own.”
It is in these encounters with other cultures and people that Maryknoll lay missioners discover and nurture new rays of hope, new sprouts of justice, and new births of peace.
We ask you to please keep all our lay missioners in your prayers and request special prayers for our newest missioner, Josh Sisolak, who is preparing to serve in Bolivia, as well as our veteran missioner Marj Humphrey, who will be returning to her beloved East Africa (first going to Uganda and then to Kenya).
During this holy season, we invite you to renew your own missionary discipleship and to explore new ways to encounter and increase God’s grace in your own community. We are grateful for your partnership with us in building a more just, compassionate, and nonviolent world. Please continue to join hands with us in giving glory to God and promoting peace on earth.
Please consider a generous Christmas donation to support Maryknoll Lay Missioners as we live, love, and work with communities on the margins to promote active nonviolence and healing at Christmas time and throughout the year.
May the hope and peace of the Christmas Season remain with you and your loved ones throughout the coming new year,
Elvira Ramirez
Executive Director
P.S. Please make your Christmas gift now by clicking on the button below.
Thanks to a team of our generous supporters, all online donations to MARYKNOLL LAY MISSIONERS through the end of 2024 will be matched 1:1 (up to a total amount of $50,000).
And if we may pray for you and for those you love, please add your prayer intentions here as well. Thank you!
Elvira Ramirez is Maryknoll Lay Missioners’ executive director.
