Mission Monday: Be A Part of Our Classroom

A chair. A desk. A book. As any educator or student knows, the proper learning environment and materials are keys for success.

In our classroom, lay missioners learn about Scripture, prayer, Franciscan spirituality, Catholic Social Teaching, conflict resolution, cross-cultural adaption and more. The 13-weeks of formation in Washington, D.C. are essential in preparing them to work for peace and justice in solidarity with the poor. As current missioners Annemarie Barrett and Jeff Sved once said, “This isn’t just training for two years of mission, it’s training for life. It should be available to everyone.”

We need your help in order to continue to facilitate this “training for life.” As we expand and continue our 25-year mission, our classroom and mission house are in need of repair and new materials before we welcome our largest class of lay missioners-in-training in recent history to formation.

This influx will help us reach more people in need, such as the children living on the street of Cochabamba and the refugees in the slums of Nairobi. But these missioners-in-training need a place to sleep and attend classes, and that means we need to make some purchases to update old spaces and create new ones. Also, this summer we experienced unforeseen maintenance expenses including a $8,000 water main break.

You can help lessen these costs by visiting our virtual list of needs and making a donation. As you’ll see, you can respond to a range of needs by “buying” our missioners books, classroom chairs, teaching equipment, or even contributing toward the house repairs.

By providing a space where they can live, train, study, and pray, your gift will allow our missioners to prepare for life-giving service abroad.