News & Events

 

We are all Called to be Missionaries

from Sister Ancilla Maloney, IHM

Each summer Sisters Eileen and Ancilla come back to the U.S. for home visits, doctors’ appointments and community assemblies and celebrations. But they also continue their work to help support their mission in the diocese of Sicuani, Peru. This involves responding to invitations to give mission talks in different churches in their home dioceses of Rockville Centre NY and Trenton diocese in New Jersey and also in the Greensburg diocese in western Pennsylvania. They gave 26 mission talks to various parishes this summer to raise funds in support of our Peru missions. Many years ago, the bishop of Greensburg became friends with the bishop of Sicuani and since then, Greensburg has been helping the diocese of Sicuani with various projects.

This year, because Ancilla could only do two parishes, Sisters Ann Berendes and Katie Sitja y Balbastro gave mission presentations in the parish of Our Lady of Fatima in Manor Haven, Long Island, while Ancilla travelled to two churches in the Greensburg diocese. Upon entering the church of Christ, the King in Leechburg, she was greeted by two Sisters from India. She then learned that there were actually five Sisters there working in outreach and catechesis in the parish; they had been there for several years. She also was amazed to learn that the foundress of their community, Sisters of Mary Immaculate had studied at Marywood many years ago and that their Bishop had become friends with the Bishop of Greensburg at Vatican Council II. This might explain why the Sisters ended up coming to Scranton to study.

While Eileen and Ancilla were in the US, in the last week of July, Sister Norma received word from the Bishop that he was sending 20 young “missionaries” to their parish of San Felipe during the week of August 1 to 5, semester break in the southern hemisphere. The Bishop is the administrator of a neighboring diocese of Ayaviri where they were coming from. The Sisters were asked to plan parish visiting for them during the week. Sister Norma was leaving for the U.S. the following week! What to do? Norma has a vibrant, active youth group, some identified as leaders and others as missionaries. So, she organized the youth to accompany the visiting “missionaries” during their time in the parish. Twenty (20) indeed did come with their priest and two Sisters. With great enthusiasm, they visited the elderly and had classes for about 80 children. They also prepared 8 adults and 5 children to receive Baptism.

In the middle of August, the Sisters received a visit from Verena Albers who had been a volunteer and missionary in the IHM House of Studies for the year of 2017-2018. At present she is studying theology in her homecountry of Germany and is hoping to join some of her friends working for her diocese when she completes her studies next year.

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Sister Eileen and Verena

If we wonder about the future of the church, the enthusiasm for the faith on the part of the youth of the South Andes of Peru should give us a spark of hope.