What Is Family Missions Company?
by Frank Summers
We are an organized apostolate (”Family”) of Catholic laity dedicated to missionary evangelism. Jesus has called us to proclaim His Gospel to all creation, to the ends of the earth. Each of us is called to holiness of life. We find our “rule” for life in the teachings of the New Testament. As missionaries, we are called to live God’s Word as Jesus did, to proclaim it boldly to others, to work it into the fabric of human society and culture, to extend God’s love to all, especially to the oppressed and suffering poor. We accept our daily crosses and redemptive sufferings, in poverty, humility, and a sometimes hidden life. We are a people of praise, thanksgiving, and rejoicing, really happy to be among those sent out by the Lord.
We go forth to sow the seed of God’s Word, following the lead of the Holy Spirit, who is the principal agent of evangelization. We open our sails to the wind of the Spirit. As Catholic laity, we are formed by the teaching of our Church Magisterium, working in concert with the pastors. We accept our calling as it is presented to us in Pope John Paul II’s “Mission of the Redeemer”, and in the Vatican Council II documents on “Missionary Activity” and “The Apostolate of the Laity.”
Our life is lived in communion with God in personal and common Prayer, enlightened by God’s Word, nourished by the Sacraments, living in Community and Service. Our worship centers in the Eucharist. We practice regular confession, receiving forgiveness and counsel. Upon the earth today we have seen and heard the cries of multitudes of God’s children awaiting the revelation of Jesus Christ, to be visited, taught, healed, delivered, forgiven, and shepherded by Him. Jesus is the One Way to the Father. We have seen that the poor are very open and happy to hear the Gospel, to reform their lives and follow Jesus.
Yes, the harvest is great, but laborers are few. God is calling many, many Catholic laity and families to become missionaries - just as He first sent forth the missionary family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph to bring His Gospel into the world. Our missionaries come from diverse places and backgrounds; they bring diverse perspectives, talents and charisms. We are diverse and we are called to serve a diversity of peoples, all of us together living in unity with Jesus and the Father, in the Spirit. Some of us will serve for a summer, two years, or an indefinite term; some of us are called to serve as foreign missionaries for life. We go out two-by-two, or as families or teams, to live among the people to whom the Lord sends us, to live and proclaim the Gospel there. We know we have a great deal to learn from the people, because “missions is a two-way street… we go to give what we have, but we always receive more than we give.” The fruitfulness of our lives as missionaries depends in large measure upon the prayers, material support and sacrifices of the entire people of God.
