Our Catholic faith encompasses a deeper understanding of what it means to be a missionary than simply preaching the gospel.  St. John Paul II, in his inaugural encyclical Redemptor Hominis, explained that a “missionary attitude” means we must first be aware of “what is in man” before we teach and preach to him.  He stressed the importance of reaching people at their level, building upon any goodness their spirituality already holds. 

Authentic missionary work involves a love for the individual persons whom the missionary encounters – getting to know who they are, what they do, and understanding their culture.  Once a relationship is established, mutual trust is built, and the Catholic missionary – who desires to share his or her love of God and the Church with those who have never been exposed to either – can then gradually teach each person to know God.

Essentially, a genuine missionary lives what St. Francis of Assisi suggested: “Preach the Gospel at all times.  Only use words when necessary.”  People who don’t know God will long for Him if they see God in us and how we live our lives.

Conversion of the Americas

Although controversy exists surrounding how the Americas were converted in the early years following Christopher Columbus’ expedition to “the New World,” it’s beneficial to examine both the triumphs and the mistakes that the early Catholic missionaries exhibited several hundred years ago.

In 1493, Pope Alexander VI “published a bull dividing the new territory between Spain and Portugal—provided the natives were converted to Catholicism.”  Franciscan, Dominican, Augustinian, and Jesuit missionaries subsequently flocked to the Americas with the sole purpose of converting the indigenous Native Americans to Catholicism.  Again, the end purpose was honorable, but the means wasn’t always true to St. John Paul II’s definition of a “missionary attitude.”

Catholic missionaries were widely responsible for the construction of new towns and villages, churches and colonies, for their converts.  They built hospitals and cared for the people they served with many works of mercy, as is evidenced by the five exemplary Catholic missionaries listed below.

Sadly, the Spanish Inquisition made its way to the Americas once non-Catholic Christian missionaries began competing with the Catholic missionaries.  By 1767, “the Portuguese, Spanish, and French had grown distrustful of the power of the Jesuits.”  Unfortunately, this led to the expulsion of the Jesuits from South America altogether.

St. Isaac Jogues

A French native, St. Isaac Jogues was a Jesuit and became interested in missionary work after conversations with fellow Jesuits who had returned from their work in New France (now Canada) in 1636.  Fr. Jogues had a longing to labor intensively for the conversion and welfare of the natives.  He was shortly thereafter assigned to work with the Huron and Algonquin tribes.

Fr. Jogues displayed true missionary spirit.  He lived among the native people and took care to learn their language and customs.  He believed, rightfully, that he needed to share in their way of life, in order that he better understand who they were and how to show them about God’s love.

Sadly, Fr. Jogues, along with several of his missionary companions, were captured by Mohawk Indians on a journey by foot to Quebec City.  Once in captivity, the missionaries were brutally tortured and eventually martyred.  They are considered the “martyrs of North America.”

Fr. Jogues never wavered in his surrender to martyrdom.  He exhibited incredible courage, maintained hope, and desired to participate in the Passion of Jesus by whatever means God permitted.  Today, many landmarks in Ontario are dedicated to the North American martyrs.

 St. Damien of Molokai

Known as the “martyr of charity” and the “apostle of the lepers,” Fr. Damien was born in Belgium in 1840 and became a priest in the missionary order of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.  Though he was uneducated, he learned quickly and carried a desire to be sent on a mission.  Because of this, Fr. Damien prayed daily to St. Francis Xavier, and eventually he volunteered to go to Hawaii after another missionary priest’s failing health would not permit him to fulfill the work.

Because of the fear of contracting leprosy from those who carried the disease, the Hawaiians exiled the worst cases to the island of Kalawao.  Though they were given adequate food and shelter, they did not receive proper health care.  Out of concern for the people, the Archbishop of Honolulu responded to the request that a missionary priest be sent to the island, but he wanted the call to be answered by a volunteer.  Fr. Damien was the one to answer that call.

Fr. Damien cared for the lepers of Kalawao for sixteen years, never afraid of the likelihood contracting leprosy.  He decided to make himself a leper “with the lepers to gain all in Jesus Christ,” which influenced everything he did for the Hawaiian people while on the island.  The morale and living conditions of the Hawaiian people on the island improved dramatically under Fr. Damien’s care.

Eventually, his body succumbed to leprosy.  He knew he had contracted it after his skin began to blister, but this did not deter him from his work.  He continued upgrading buildings and improving the care for the people of Kalawao for an additional five years, until he died.  Fr. Damien’s work inspired thousands of people, including Mahatma Ghandi.

Peter Richard Kenrick

Archbishop Kenrick was born in Dublin in the early nineteenth century and became the first Catholic archbishop West of the Mississippi River.  During his time in Missouri, Archbishop Kenrick spent much time writing theological treatises and visiting the native people, encouraging the development of Catholic institutions and places of worship in his diocese.  It grew thirtyfold under his leadership and example.

He lived during a very pivotal time in United States history, when the Lousiana Purchase and Civil War all took place.  He maintained a neutral stance and openly opposed violence of all types.  He was well known for his influence on people, both politically and spiritually.

St. Louis’ Catholic seminary, Kenrick-Glennon, is named in part after this Irish missionary.

St. Junipero Serra

Junipero Serra was canonized a saint in 2015.  He was a Spanish Franciscan missionary who founded a mission in Baja, California and the first nine of twenty-one Spanish missions in California from San Diego to San Francisco.

Known today as the “apostle of California,” Junipero spent much of his life in service to others.  Even among his lay brothers, he was known to eat little, so that others would have access to more food.  His exemplary charity carried over into his missionary work in the Americas, as well.

St. Junipero was appointed an inquisitor during the Spanish Inquisition and served in this capacity for several years.  He often referred to himself as “a poor sinner” and “an unworthy priest,” practicing self-flagellation by wearing sackcloth or a shirt with wire attached to it.  He even whipped himself in his cell whenever sinful thoughts entered his mind.

Even as he came across resistance from the Native Americans in California, St. Junipero refused to retaliate.  Always forgiving, though a strict missionary, Junipero was known as caring and kind toward the natives.  There are hundreds of major street names, and even cities named by St. Junipero, such as Santa Barbara, California—and after him as well. 

Padre Antonio Vieira

An excellent orator, Fr. Antonio was born to a mulatto woman in Lisbon, Portugal in the early seventeenth century and was educated in a Jesuit school.  Because of this influence, he chose to enter the Jesuit order as a priest.  He primarily worked in diplomatic affairs, but he was also incredibly gifted as a writer and speaker, inspiring and encouraging to those who heard him speak.

Fr. Antonio’s heart was with the African slaves, Jewish people, and for the reform of the Inquisition in Portugal.  He focused on the liberation of all slaves, including the natives of Brazil, which was, as one might expect, met with strong resistance.  Yet Fr. Antonio remained steadfast in his resolve to work on behalf of the oppression of Brazilian Native Americans, so much so that he is known today there as the Father of the Indegian People of South America.  His charism for working actively against the Inquisition and for the freedom of all peoples has claimed for him the title of saint and prolific writer. 

We are all called to serve as missionaries, though in varying capacities.  Not everyone’s vocation allows for him or her to travel throughout the world and establish mission houses, churches, or hospitals.  But everyone is called to be the face of the Church in how he or she lives and works on a daily basis.

It might be difficult to see how each of us is a missionary in our modern world, but part of the New Evangelization is discerning how our unique spiritual charisms and natural talents work for God’s glory and honor in our communities.  A good place to begin is by visiting the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, then praying about how we can individually – and also as families – incorporate those works into our daily lives.

For many of us, missionary work may be on an individual level.  This is in alignment with the concept of “missionary attitude” that St. John Paul II described, because we are seeking relationships with people. 

Conversion may be a long process for some.  The point is not to push our beliefs on others, nor to shy away from conversations about faith.  Rather, the point of missionary work in our daily lives is to allow room for the Holy Spirit to move in and through our relationships, so that those holy conversations might naturally result.  Friendships, mutual trust, and living an authentically Catholic life often inspire many non-Catholics to investigate the Church on their own.  If we live this way, missionary work will not be something we do, but will be the essence of who we are as Catholics.

How do you participate in the missionary work of the Church? Leave a comment below!