APOSTOLATE Missionaries in the Midst of Parish Life
As Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate, we: ♦ Visit families for person-to-person evangelization/catechesis ♦ Strengthen weak and broken homes ♦ Seek out stray Catholics to bring them back to the Church ♦ Hold religion classes for children and adults ♦ Promote the Rosary and devotions in home ♦ Help the needy obtain social service assistance ♦ Visit hospitals, jails, courts and other institutions on behalf of families ♦ Nurture the growth of Basic Ecclesial Communities or BEC (Philippines) ♦ Guide and assist immigrants (USA) ♦ Rescue boys and girls from moral danger ♦ Direct young people to helpful associations and wholesome recreation						God still makes housecalls!
	The Parish Visitors Seek Souls for the Good Shepherd The opportunity that we have as Religious missionaries – traveling missionaries, visiting missionaries – to meet the people and to scatter the seed which is the Word of God, is very unusual. In giving out this seed for Our Lord we may have a remarkable confidence, even though we humbly and truthfully know that we are but poor human beings in ourselves. Because of Him Whom we serve and Whose Word we carry, which is “spirit and life,” we can always have the utmost confidence of doing good.
			No matter what the world thinks or how differently the world acts from our idea, we should not be influenced, but use our utmost effort to do all the more in proportion as the world is set against it.
The better-disposed people are really yearning for the Word of God and we may be sure this yearning is the divine influence working in their souls. We are sometimes even surprised at the generous response we get. How ready the people are to listen and to melt into tears, and to acknowledge how wrong they were, and how they wish they had done thus and so with their lives. And all these thoughts are the shoots of the seed; the fertile soil is there and the very desire and response of the people show how glad they are to cooperate. Now this divine seed is the Word of God, and the Word of God has come to us directly from the Heart of Christ. - Mother Mary Teresa Tallon, Foundress
Spring to Fall by Sister Mylene Rosemarie, pvmi I love spring. It’s always a time of new hope, a new beginning. Trees, plants, grass and flowers are again coming to life. Birds are flying back home from the south to enjoy their old home. Front doors are left open to let cool breezes come in and freshen up homes that have been locked up during the long cold winter.
It was during this season of new life that I met Joshua in his friend’s house where I was visiting at the time. Joshua had been away from the Father’s house for over 35 years. At first he was very uninterested in joining our conversation, but was kind enough to answer some of my questions. “I don’t believe in the Trinity. Besides, you don’t have to believe in Jesus or the Holy Trinity to be saved.” I tried to convince him of our need for Jesus in order to receive the grace we need to do God’s Will. But Joshua was very stubborn about listening to me. To prevent an argument, I said, “Joshua, even if I could tell you all about the Faith of the Catholic Church, you may still not believe. I can’t change your heart; only God can do that. But, you have to open the door of your heart. Here is a picture of Jesus knocking on a door. It is your heart. I want you to keep this.”
		“Jesus wants you to come back to Him. He loves you. If it takes a lot of penance for you to come back to Him, I will make the sacrifices. For my penance, I will fast at meals until I see you in Church.” Of course, I didn’t intend to starve to death, but Joshua took it very seriously. Poor Joshua was so worried that I would probably starve to death that he came on the next Sunday to attend Mass. It was his first time to enter our Parish Church. I sat beside him and I knew it was spring! Months passed and I didn’t hear from him. I couldn’t find a trace of him and I didn’t have his address. One of his friends didn’t want to give me his address. “Lord, help me find Joshua!” was my prayer.
It was fall and I had just come back to the convent from my home visit when I saw his friend again. He said that Joshua was dying from cancer and was under hospice care. Without wasting time, I went to see him. Although he was almost too ill to speak, Joshua said that he wanted to go to confession and receive the anointing of the sick. God’s merciful love is so great that Joshua received the Sacraments just two days before he died. And, he asked to be buried in the Catholic Church. For the second time, we were together in the same church. Farewell Joshua. May your soul rest in peace. In the final greeting of the funeral Mass, we prayed, “We sing for his departure from this life and separation from us, but also because there is a communion and a reunion. For even dead, we are not at all separated from one another, because we all run the same course and we will find one another again in the same place. We shall never be separated, for we live for Christ as we go toward Him…we shall all be together in Christ.” (St. Simeon of Thessalonica, Catechism of the Catholic Church #1690)
The Boy Who Loved Animals
I was walking up the stairs of an old apartment house, and a boy of about ten was running down. I greeted him and told him who I was. Right away he said, “Sister, I want to make my First Communion, and so does my brother.”
“Is your mother home? Show me where you live, and I’ll speak with her.” He brought me up to the next floor and walked into his apartment, calling, “Mom, look!” His mom was startled for a second, but then explained that she had no idea how her boys could be prepared for Holy Communion, because they were older than the usual age. I explained to the mother how the boys could easily be registered in the local parish’s Sunday school--only a few blocks from their apartment—and she gratefully agreed to send them.
They went regularly to the instruction classes, and when the time came, they received their First Communion and continued attending religious instruction classes.
				I was transferred to another parish, but a few years later I unexpectedly met their mother. “Sister,” she said, “do you remember that day my son brought you home? He just loves animals, and he was always bringing home stray dogs and alley cats. When he walked in that day, I expected to see another cat or dog, and there I saw a nun! Thank God you came that day. I’ve reconnected with my faith, and all of us have been faithful ever since.” Yes, thank God for this wonderful vocation!
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