Priceless Souvenirs

On trips we make, we inevitably return with a remembrance of our experiences. Well the souvenirs I'll bring back from Ecuador, after this week there of participating in the third Missionary Congress for the Americas (CAM), won't take up any room in my suitcase, but they have increased to overflowing my continued enthusiasm for the Lord's urgent mission in our world.

You may remember two weeks ago when I wrote about this weeklong gathering in Quito, Ecuador. This missionary congress continues to reflect the late Pope John Paul's vision of "one America." CAM represents an invitation by the Universal Church to come together as a continental church to focus on our mission history, as well as our mission awareness and mission needs.

The opening Mass -- attended by some 16,000 people -- was truly an emotional experience. The remains of St. Therese of Lisieux, co-patron with St. Francis Xavier, of the Church's worldwide missionary work, were part of the procession. They were raised with reverence at several points. I remember thinking of what a blessed example of missionary zeal we have in St. Therese. Daily, she offered her prayers and her sufferings for the work of missionaries. She herself wanted to be a missionary, but her frail health -- she died at the age of 24 -- forced her to stay at home, in the carmel of Lisieux, and be a missionary through her prayers and sacrifices. There's something to bring back, an increased emphasis on the model for all of us found in St. Therese. We can be missionaries not in spite of our challenges but sometimes through them, because of them.



A missionary witness

of prayer

and sacrifice.


Faith and love.


Hope.


Priceless souvenirs,

indeed.



A number of the delegation representing the United States at CAM are directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies in their home dioceses. Two who shared their thoughts with me were Father Bill Holoubek of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Father Patrick Posey of Arlington, Virginia.

For Father Holoubek, his "souvenir" is the witness to our faith he saw in the words and actions of the family he has been living with during the meeting. (Delegates may choose to lodge at a hotel, or they may opt to live with families who open up their homes to meeting participants.) "Their love for Jesus is so simply put into action in their lives," Father Holoubek told me. "It's reflected in their prayers, and in the tender way they speak of Him. To see the power of the Lord's love in the life of this family is a profound gift."

Father Posey can't wait to bring back something from his Ecuador experience to Arlington, he told me -- and that "something" is hope. "The young people here have been amazing," he said. "They've been directing us to the right places, always ready to answer a question. Pope Benedict XVI talked about hope on his journey to the United States. I've seen that hope here, among the youth in Latin America."

A missionary witness of prayer and sacrifice. Faith and love. Hope. Priceless souvenirs, indeed.