LAY MISSIONARY OPPORTUNITIES
Over the centuries, Brothers, Sisters and
priests from religious orders have been involved in mission work.
In today’s Church, lay men and women are increasingly invited to share
in this calling. Some do it
through ministries such as Our Lady of Refuge’s Peace and Social
Action Committee, Foreign Mission Outreach, etc.
where the commitment is brief and occasional.
However, some men, women
and family groups feel a call to do more – to devote months or even
years in serving the needs of Christ’s poor.
Following are several organizations which offer opportunities to
lay people for more intensive mission work.
Click on the links to visit the web sites.
LAY
MISSION HELPERS
This
organization was founded in 1955 by Monsignor Anthony
J. Brouwers of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
It trains, and sends
lay people and their families to foreign mission assignments throughout
the world. Applicants must
be between 21 and 62 years of age, be practicing Catholics and willing
to give at least three years of their lives to their mission
assignments. At present
members of Lay Mission Helpers are working in American Samoa, Cameroon,
Ghana, Kenya, Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Guatemala.
MISSION
DOCTOR’S ASSOCIATION
This organization was also founded by Monsignor
Anthony Brouwers, along with a number of Catholic physicians. It prepares doctors, dentists and their families to assist in
medical mission work in needy communities throughout the world.
JESUIT
VOLUNTEER CORPS
Since 1956 over 7,000 lay persons have served with
the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC). They
serve the poor and disadvantaged in the United States, and some in other
nations. Jesuit
Volunteers work with the homeless, the unemployed, refugees, people with
AIDS, the elderly, street youth, abused women and children, the mentally
ill and the developmentally disabled. JVC has become the largest
Catholic lay volunteer program in the United States.
CATHOLIC
NETWORK OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE (CNVS)
CNVS helps lay people considering full-time Church
volunteer work connect with appropriate organizations and programs.
It is a “match maker”, and
can refer potential volunteers to over 230 programs in the United States
and abroad.
MISSION
EDUCATION
A “one-stop shopping” resource for information about the missionary
work of the Church, both in the United States and abroad.
MINISTRY GROUPS
