Reflections from a Missionary

By friar Ray Mallett, OFM Conv.

I entered Our Lady of Consolation Province, as a postulant, in 1967 when I was 17. A few years later I look back on my years as a friar, especially my years in ministry. These years have been the most formative years of my life, especially my time serving in the Missions. I have been privileged to have ministered in Central America, Vietnam, and Scotland, and to have visited our Missions in Africa. Each of these opportunities to serve has given me lasting impressions and experiences. Each mission calling has allowed me to experience poverty, the effects of poverty, as well as a strong, fervent faith and love of God and of the Church.

In Central America, I remember eating tortillas with a family who gave two sons to the priesthood; we were sitting in what was built and used as a barn for pigs. I remember Christmas Eve when I traveled to seven different faith communities within our huge parish. Their Christmas Liturgy was their Christmas celebration. When they return home, most would share Christmas tamales as a continuation of this Christmas celebration. At one stop, they had prepared 40 Baptisms that were not expected – to be done by me. God is Good!

I remember visiting a man who was dying from AIDS, living with his mother in a discarded wood and metal home. He had just been released from the hospital, and his mother was given one glove and one roll of toilet paper by the hospital to care for her son. One glove and one roll of toilet paper! This was someone’s idea of health care for the poor.

Most of the people the friars serve live in extreme poverty. They work 10 hours each day and earn an average wage of $2.00 per day. Our friars serve in areas touched by drugs and gangs. The wonderful people whom we serve greatly love God and their Church, and are filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit. I met many enthusiastic men and women who lead their communities in prayer every week. They are called Delegados de la Palabra (Delegates of the Word). There are so few priests to serve the poorest of the poor in the mountains and in the city that these lay people are trained to lead their communities in prayer and in the preaching of the Word of God. These Delegatos de la Palabra work hand in hand with the friars to care for and grow the Church.
These are just a few of my experiences, but they have affected my view of the world, our Church, my prayer, my Franciscan Life, and my personal life. We are all created in the image and likeness of God. We are like gold that is tested in the furnace. Our world has been touched by sin, and it is so easy to become a part of it. We are blessed when we are given a chance to have a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. I know that I have experienced only fleetingly God’s Kingdom, especially through the poor and the suffering of many beautiful people.

I beg for your support for our Franciscan Missions–I only wish that you could see, first-hand, the difference for the better that your sacrifices make in the lives of our brothers and sisters. The friars’ good work is only possible through your loving support. Thank you for ALL that you do for others.