St. Brigid Roman Catholic Church
Missionaries
The missionary mandate. "Having been divinely sent to the nations that she might be 'the universal sacrament of salvation,' the Church, in obedience to the command of her founder and because it is demanded by her own essential universality, strives to preach the Gospel to all men":[AG 1; cf. Mt 16:15] "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, until the close of the age."[Mt 28:19-20]
The origin and purpose of mission. The Lord's missionary mandate is ultimately grounded in the eternal love of the Most Holy Trinity: "The Church on earth is by her nature missionary since, according to the plan of the Father, she has as her origin the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit."[AG 2.] The ultimate purpose of mission is none other than to make men share in the communion between the Father and the Son in their Spirit of love.[Cf. John Paul II, RMiss 23.]
- from Catechism of the Catholic Church
Present St. Brigid Missionaries
Tiffany Kingham arrived in Guwahati, India September, 2006. She is visiting homes of children, and health clinics. She is serving with the Salesian Lay Missioners and working in a program called Snehalaya (House of Love), which provides aid to street children.
SNEHALAYA (House of love) is a social service program for the care and rehabilitation of children in distress in the city of Guwahati. It is an out-reach program run by the Don Bosco Society. Snehalaya is committed to build a child-friendly city where even the poorest of the poor children enjoy their rights to survival, protection, development and participation. Officially launched on August 16, 2000, Snehalaya was a millennium gift to the city of Guwahati, and a birthday-gift to St. John Bosco, the great educator saint of the 19th century.
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Mary Dawn Reavey is presently serving in a new mission...
Mary Dawn Reavey, pediatric nurse practitioner/missionary with her Intensive Day Therapy kids in Tegeta, Tanzania Africa. The Love and Mercy Coalition founded by Mary Dawn supports the children of Tegeta, helping with their medical, educational, spiritual and emotional needs.
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Sr. Virginia Bickford, a Salesian Sister of St. John Bosco whose family belongs to St. Brigid Parish, has worked as a missionary in Kenya and Tanzania since 1984. The work of the Salesians is the education (in all aspects) of poor, needy young people and to make them "Good Christians and Honest Citizens" (Don Bosco). Sister has taught in Government Secondary Schools and has been Principal of their own Secondary School for 6 years. Presently she is working in Makuyu, a small town northeast of Nairobi and only one hour by vehicle. She is responsible for the two Year Secretarial Course, works with the Parish youth and ministers to students in the nearby Teachers' College and two Secondary Schools. Makuyu is a poor area with a transient population, and the Salesian Fathers and Sisters work together to help the young. Don Bosco Mission Parish has two Technical Schools for boys and girls where they learn various trades and sewing skills. The Sisters have 30 orphan girls, an Elementary School for poor children who would otherwise be on the streets, a medical dispensary, Sunday clubs and oratory, and the formation house for aspirants and postulants. It is also the scene of volunteers from abroad who give their time and talent for different periods to help the young. The Salesian Volunteer Program in the U.S. is called VIDES and can be reached at the following e-mail address: VidesWUSA@prodigy.net
Previous St. Brigid Missionaries
Carrie Fuller has returned from a short term Maryknoll missionary, serving in Cochabamba, Bolivia
Carrie lived in an Internado which is a boarding house for eighth graders through seniors in high school. There were 84 students, 5 religious sisters (Congregation of the Hijas de Jesus), 1 resident assistant and Carrie. The students come from all over the department of Cochabamba and they stay at the Internado for a variety of reasons.
Read more about Carrie's mission in her webpages by following the link below:
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John Nadworny served in Malawi, Africa for two years through the Canossian Daughters of Charity International Voluntary Service (VOICA). He is teaching math, science, and business classes in a technical school, as well as is involved in pastoral ministries, evangelization and general administration. Malawi is located near the southern end of the Great Rift Valley and is challenged by famine, a 16% AIDS rate, an average life expectancy of 37 years, a 12% infant mortality rate and a 50% literacy rate. John first travelled to Rome, Italy for a three-month formation period from September to December of 2002 in order to learn Chichewa as well as for a trial period of community living and service prior to serving in Africa.
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Carrie Giebel served on a mission to Benque Viejo, Belize through The Society of Our Lady of the Trinity (SOLT). She was part of an ecclesial team of priests, deacons, religious, and layity serving together and witnessing their faith to bring as many people to Christ as possible. Carrie worked at a Catholic radio station and Catholic book store in addition to the mission center. She also raised funds to help refurbish the "condemned" rectory and mission buildings.
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What YOU can do:
- Pray for the missionaries of our parish and for the Church's worldwide missionary work
- Contribute financially to support the St. Brigid missionaries or other missions of the Catholic Church
- Volunteer with the St. Brigid Border Outreach group on projects in nearby Tijuana, Mexico
- Serve through a foreign or domestic mission yourself! Information on volunteer opportunities for various durations can be found on the websites for the Diocese Missions Office and the Pallotti Center.
