1986: Sent! The Mission of Hope begins.
Confident God was calling Deacon Tom and Mary Jane to give up their careers and evangelize the Gospel; they soon discover this new path contains a few twists and turns.
Deacon Tom: The day after we accept the offer by our pastor to lead the St. Matthew Parish Home Visitation Ministry, Mary Jane and I each turn in our thirty-day notice and prepare for our new lives working together again. We understand from Monsignor’s vision of the home ministry that parishioners would call the parish office and ask for someone to visit with them. That was not the case. Msgr. Flynn told us to go ‘door-to-door’ within our parish boundaries. The purpose was to invite, listen and pray for people.
Mary Jane: When Tom and I arrive at Msgr. Flynn’s office ready to begin our full-time work in the parish, we were taken by surprise.
Deacon Tom: Monsignor Flynn welcomes us, he appears very happy we are there. Monsignor walks towards a large map on the wall of his office, “This is the parish boundary,” he explains as he shows us a large area surrounding the church. “As parish pastor, I am responsible for every soul living within the parish boundary, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.”
Mary Jane: Tom and I get up and walk to the map to see how far out it extends. We have no idea until then that a pastor is responsible for the soul of every person living in the boundaries of his parish. I begin to wonder how we are going to get the word out to non-Catholics about our ministry when Monsignor provides the answer, “I want you to knock on every door, visit every home, and tell whoever answers that you are with St. Matthew’s Parish. Ask them how we can be of help.” He hands us a stack of parish bulletins, puts his hands on our shoulders, blesses us and sends us out with the instructions to come and see him each week with a report. Stunned, we walked out, climb into our car and sit. After a couple of minutes I ask Tom, “What are we going to do?” Tom responds, “Let’s go get some coffee.”
Deacon Tom: At a nearby coffee shop, we talk and share our fears. We both wonder if in our excitement to serve the Lord full-time we rushed into this new venture too quickly. We discuss how we could have misunderstood what Monsignor wanted.
Mary Jane: My nerves begin to overwhelm me. I tell Tom, “This is not what I thought we left our jobs for.” We sat in silence. After a while, Tom says, “Mary Jane, we both believe God is the one who has called us to this ministry so we have to also believe He will give us the grace we need to serve Him in it.” With that simple truth, my nerves calm. I smile at Tom, and say, “Well, let’s go give it a try.”
Deacon Tom: Like the disciples, we had no money bag or sack (Luke 10:1-4), but we did buy a tablet and pens to keep track of the addresses we visit. We look at the map and determine the best plan is to start with the blocks closest to St. Matthew and fan out from there. Now that we have these first few steps decided and implemented, it is time for the biggest step. We pull up to the street, offer a prayer for this new ministry, get out of the car and walk up the stairs to the first home. Our nerves return but so does God’s grace. We knock and so began our journey serving the Lord in full-time ministry.
Mary Jane: Because you never know what to expect, each knock at a stranger’s door became another opportunity to fear: fear of others, wondering who is going to answer, fear of the unknown as we anticipate all the experiences that could happen, fear of our own inadequacy wondering if we would be able to answer their questions. Each step up the walk seems to bring a new fear, but once we knock, all the fears melt away in the overwhelming sense of God’s presence.
Deacon Tom: People are surprised when someone from the parish is interested enough to come to their homes to visit. We hear many amazing stories like the woman who told us, “I am normally not home at this time but, you know, last night I was praying and asking God to help me find my way back and here you are, knocking on my door today.”
Mary Jane: In just the first week we see what a beautiful ministry this is and how each home is, “… a place He intended to visit,” (Luke 10:1). God is so present that we do not have to worry about having the answer to everybody’s questions. He gives us a particular grace to reach out and, though it is our hands that knock and our voices that speak, it is God who is visiting His people. There are some negative experiences, but very few.
Deacon Tom: In the first two years, Mary Jane and I knock on over 10,000 doors and visit with thousands of people. We meet weekly with Monsignor Flynn and share our experiences. He hears how many people want to know about Scripture and the Bible. We tell him about the elderly people we meet who long to come to Mass but have no transportation. The ‘cry of the poor’ comes to this pastor’s ears and he responds. New ministries are founded that help grow St. Matthew’s to be of greater service to the people in the parish.
Mary Jane: With each new need, Monsignor responds, “If it is for the good of the people’s spirituality, for the good of the person to build up their faith, and for the community, then let’s try it!” Because the needs are great and the ‘laborers’ few, Monsignor calls on Tom and me to help implement these ministries and so, eventually, we get our parish office.
Deacon Tom: We alternate between the door-to-door ministry and starting new ministries, training leaders, and implementing them in the parish. We discover that all our past business experiences, learned organization skills, and natural talents work together to complement our new career. We are as busy as we were in our past professions, making a lot less money, and happier than ever. When you put yourself in God’s hands and ask him to lead your life, our Lord may not bring you to full-time ministry, but know that as it is written in Romans 8:28, “He will work all things for good and according to his purpose for those who trust in his way.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states,
"Christ ... fulfills this prophetic office, not only by the hierarchy ... but also by the laity. He accordingly both establishes them as witnesses and provides them with the sense of the faith [sensus fidei] and the grace of the word, "To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer. (no. 904)
Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization,
"that is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life." For lay people, "this evangelization ... acquires a specific property and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world." This witness of life, however, is not the sole element in the apostolate; the true apostle is on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers ... or to the faithful. (no. 905)
Not all are called to full-time Christian ministry, but every follower of Jesus Christ is called to share our faith. Deacon Tom and Mary Jane give us the consolation that it may be us speaking and acting but it is God who is present through grace visiting his people.
