Loving Our Neighbors

While researching another topic, I came across an article in Maryknoll Magazine’s Feb 2001 edition that caught my attention. “Full-time, part-time missioners in action” by Maryknoll Affiliate Jim Mulqueen acknowledges the declining number of new vocations (a current concern for many religious groups) and asks a critical question; where will the Church find new missionaries? The answer was surprising.

When Pope John Paul II predicted a new springtime for mission in the new millennium, many people, given the dwindling number of vocations, wondered where the missionaries would come from for the expected harvest. One day I put the question to a Maryknoll missioner in Thailand with whom I work each summer. “You’re one of them,” he said, with a hearty laugh. “You’re here doing mission ministry, aren’t you?” I was stunned. I’m an English teacher at Automotive High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., and I had never thought of myself as a missioner before. “There is nothing exclusive about the call to become a missioner,” the Maryknoller said. “Every Christian is meant to be one by virtue of his or her baptism.”
Jim Mulqueen, Maryknoll Affiliate

Full-time, part-time missioners in action, Maryknoll Magazine, February 2001

Jim’s experience and change in perspective had a powerful impact on me. It convinced me to stop and reflect on my own actions. Like Jim, many of us are already participating in mission and caring for our neighbors without labeling our actions as such. To help all people hear and respond to the call to mission, Maryknoll offers many ways to learn about and support our global neighbors. The following are some of those opportunities. 

Group playing music, Thailand, 2018. Photo taken by Bro. John Beeching.

Group playing music, Thailand, 2018. Photo taken by Bro. John Beeching.

Maryknoll Lay Missioner 50th Anniversary Celebration Banner

Listen with MKLM

As part of their 50th anniversary celebrations, Maryknoll Lay Missioners held a panel discussion on nonviolence and peacemaking. The panelists included MKLM board member Marie Dennis and returned missioners Tom Bamat, Merwyn and Kirstin De Mello, and Fred Goddard. Panelists shared their personal experiences on practicing nonviolence within mission. Thankfully for us, this discussion was recorded and is available on the MKLM website. You can use the link below to watch and listen to their shared wisdom.

Non-violence in Action
https://mklm.org/home-featured/maryknoll-lay-missioners-kicked-off-50th-anniversary-year-with-nonviolence-in-action-event/

Take Action with MOGC

Our Maryknoll missioners stand in solidarity with communities in their struggles for human rights and environmental justice. Maryknoll supports communities around the world through the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns (MOGC). Representing Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers, Maryknoll Sisters, and Maryknoll Lay Missioners, the MOGC has been leading Maryknoll and its supporters in humanitarian initiatives since the 1990’s.

You don’t need to be a Maryknoll missioner to support your neighbors in meaningful ways. Through the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns (MOGC), you can Take Action and raise your voice against national and international policies that are harming our communities. Through this initiative, the MOGC helps individuals connect with their Representatives. They also host webinars on current issues so you can stay informed.

Some of the latest topics include:

Protect TPS for Haitians
https://maryknollogc.org/action/tps_haiti_2926/

New START Treaty Ends Tonight
https://maryknollogc.org/action/end_of_new_start/

Support Common Sense Nuclear Arms Control
https://maryknollogc.org/action/final_new_start_aa/

Don’t miss another “Take Action” alert!
Sign up for MOGC’s mailing list today.

Logo for the Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns

Learn with the MMI

“The Maryknoll Monarch Initiative (MMI) began in 2025 as a shared vision between the Maryknoll Sisters and the Maryknoll Lay Missioners. Inspired by the Maryknoll Sisters Institute for One Earth Community, the founders reimagined a new educational and training initiative on the Border in El Paso where each community had a ministry presence. Drawing on the geography, history, and politics of the border, MMI focuses on Care for the Earth, Human Migration, and Nonviolence. The initiative is rooted in Maryknoll’s Catholic faith, but aims to learn from and welcome people of all faiths.”

Since their establishment, the Monarch Initiative has regularly hosted webinars, hybrid, and in-person events to educate the public on critical issues. While not all of their events are recorded, many of them are available to view through their website. Below are a couple of their most recent events.

Migrant Accompaniment in an Era of Mass Deportation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PcJyqqlfRQ

Protecting the Earth from Extractive Industries: A Perspective from Asian & Aymara Indigenous People
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCkVQWPheXw

Exploring Different Approaches to Peace-Building and Nonviolence: Grassroots Lessons from Kenya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnToR10DMIw

And don’t forget to check out their upcoming events here:
https://www.maryknollmonarch.org/events

Teach with DYN

Discover Your Neighbor (DYN) is an interactive education program for teachers sponsored by the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. The program is specifically designed to guide and support students towards making a difference in the world. DYN offers educator resource guides on topics such as Care of Creation, Global Solidarity, and Migration to help teachers navigate these complex issues with their students. All DYN’s guides, dating back to 2020, are free and publicly available online.

You can find their latest guide on Migration here: https://www.discoveryourneighbor.org/project/migration-2025/

And remember to also care for yourself

Caring for yourself in small but meaningful ways is an important step in extending care and compassion to your neighbors as none of us can “pour from an empty cup.” The following simple daily practices can help each of us keep our cups full.

  • Hydrate throughout the day. Water works best, but any beverage can provide hydration.
  • Take a quick nap. Just 15 minutes of rest can provide a much-needed energy boost (Summer).
  • Practice gratitude. Finding something to be grateful for, just once a day, can have a positive impact. Results from the famous American “Nun Study” have shown that an attitude of gratitude supports people’s emotional wellbeing. (It can also help extend your life and fight Alzheimer’s disease.)
  • Connect with Maryknoll on social media and read positive news about people making a difference around the world.

Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers
https://www.facebook.com/maryknollsociety/
https://www.instagram.com/maryknollsociety/

Maryknoll Sisters
https://www.facebook.com/MaryknollSisters/
https://www.instagram.com/maryknollsister/?hl=en

Maryknoll Lay Missioners
https://www.facebook.com/MaryknollLayMissioners/
https://www.instagram.com/maryknolllaymissioners/

You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.
Pirkei Avot, 2:16

Mother Mary Joseph with Sisters at a Beach House, 1943

Mother Mary Joseph with Sisters at a Beach House, 1943

DYN Migration, Winter 2025

DYN Migration, Winter 2025

Interested in learning more about Maryknoll?

You can contact the Archives at:

Maryknoll Mission Archives
PO Box 305, Maryknoll, New York 10545
Phone: 914-941-7636
Office hours: 8:30 am-4:00 pm Monday-Friday
Email: archives@maryknoll.org
Website: www.maryknollmissionarchives.org

References:

Action. Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns. (2026, January 26). https://maryknollogc.org/action/

Discover Your Neighbor. DYN. (2025). https://www.discoveryourneighbor.org/

Home. Maryknoll Lay Missioners. (2025, January 27). https://mklm.org/

Home. Maryknoll Magazine. (2025, December 3). https://www.maryknollmagazine.org/

Home. Maryknoll Sisters. (2025, May 23). https://www.maryknollsisters.org/

Join Our Mailing List. Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. (2026). https://maryknollofficeforglobalconcerns.salsalabs.org/MainSignUpForm/index.html

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns. (2025, June 5). https://maryknollogc.org/

Maryknoll Sisters Institute. Maryknoll Sisters Institute for One Earth Community. (2026, February 11). https://www.maryknollsisters.org/one-earth-community-institute/

Missionaries of the Catholic Church: Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers. Maryknoll Society. (2025, December 9). https://maryknollsociety.org/

Mulqueen, J. (2001, February). Full-time, part-time missioners in action. Maryknoll Magazine, 95(2), 8–11.

Previous events. Maryknoll Monarch Initiative. (2026). https://www.maryknollmonarch.org/2025-events

Pirkei Avot 2:16. Sefaria Library. (2026). https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.2.16?lang=bi

Summer , J. V. (2025, July 24). Power nap. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/power-nap

Tomshack, J. (2024, August 14). Maryknoll Lay Missioners kicked off 50th anniversary year with “Nonviolence in action” event. Maryknoll Lay Missioners. https://mklm.org/home-featured/maryknoll-lay-missioners-kicked-off-50th-anniversary-year-with-nonviolence-in-action-event/

Who we are. Maryknoll Monarch Initiative. (2026). https://www.maryknollmonarch.org/who-we-are

Wikimedia Foundation. (2025, December 9). Nun study. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nun_Study