“Evangelization is the task of the church. All Christians are called to participate in this essential work: In virtue of their baptism, all members of the People of God have become missionary disciples.” - Pope Francis.
MERRILLVILLE – Feelings of excitement and great anticipation breathe through the hearts of the individuals who will be traveling to Mexico for the first international mission trip this fall with the Diocese of Gary.
The mission trip, set to take place Sept. 25-30 with the support of Hope for the Poor, a Nebraska nonprofit serving in Mexico City, will include a group of 40 members and the Diocese of Gary Director of Missionary Discipleship and Evangelization, Father Declan McNicholas, to lead the way. Father McNicholas brings experience to the team through his 2024 mission trip, Hope for the Poor, with St. John the Evangelist in St. John.
Each year, Hope for the Poor hosts mission trips for those interested in serving others, growing in faith, and making a positive, long-lasting effect on the lives of those they touch. Those who travel stay with a group of 12 religious Sisters of Concepciones who house and feed up to 40 people at a time and share daily Mass. Missionaries are then transported in two 20-passenger vans to the streets and other areas where the poorest of the poor live, many of whom are children.
Other members of the diocese going on the mission trip include Claudia Sadowski, coordinator for intercultural ministry, and Kelly Venegas, chief human resources officer.
This will be the first diocesan trip for the Diocese of Gary, a trip that “was born out of a desire to give our people a chance to serve beyond our borders and to encounter Christ in the poor,” said Sadowski about the long-awaited mission trip.
“It is both a mission and a pilgrimage,” she explained. “We will serve with Hope of the Poor in Mexico City, and we will also entrust ourselves and our diocese to Our Lady of Guadalupe at her shrine.”
Like Father McNicholas, this will not be the first mission trip for Sadowski. She has taken many mission trips before, but did not have the opportunity to go into the streets until now.
“What I most look forward to is seeing how hearts are transformed, both our missionaries and those we will serve,” she said.
Venegas is looking forward to the mission trip, as she had the opportunity to travel to Mexico City just last year-an experience that altered her life during what she called “probably the most challenging year of my life.”
“I was very concerned about my safety, and about food safety.” Venegas continued. “I don’t speak Spanish, but we communicated so well with the local people, and they were so warm and friendly.”
Mission trips symbolize a time to step out of one’s comfort zone and to embrace the unknown. In A Pastoral Letter on Missionary Discipleship, Most Rev. Robert J. McClory wrote, “Missionary disciples cannot be confined to their parish’s worship space. We will need to step out of our comfort zones and accept a certain level of risk. As we encounter him more deeply, our hearts begin to change, and our lives become renewed.”
This was a similar encounter that Valparaiso University graduate Katherine Carlson Lukas remembers experiencing during her mission trip in 2019 as a VU student, and what led her to her current position as pastoral associate for discipleship at SJE.
“We were looking at people living in a trash dump, and we went to a women’s shelter to bring them clean water,” she recalled. “They were so joyful, despite their conditions, that it really impacted us. I was encountering Jesus in everything around me, and it changed my life so much that I became a (FOCUS) missionary for two years after college.”
The upcoming diocesan mission trip will include days of service with children, families and those living on the margins in Mexico City, as well as daily prayer, community and moments of pilgrimage at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The cost for the mission trip is $1,600, which includes all necessary transportation, safe housing and food, and a donation to Hope for the Poor for its ministry. The group will leave on a United Airlines flight from Chicago on Sept. 25, with one carry-on bag and one personal item, and return to the diocese on Sept. 30. The itinerary for the trip will be determined by Hope for the Poor. Missionaries may share the expense of an extra checked bag that can include donated items for the Mexican people they will encounter, such as clothing, blankets and shoes.
Before their departure, the mission group will gather for a Commissioning Mass with Father McNicholas on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 6 p.m. (CT) at the Pastoral Center in Merrillville. A simple potluck will follow for missionaries and families to enjoy.
Prayer intentions are welcomed as the mission group will carry them to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe throughout their mission trip. If you would like to share a prayer request, visit dcgary.org/intentions.
Caption: Headed to Mexico on a mission trip with Hope for the Poor in 2024 was this group from Northwest Indiana, including from left in front row) Norbert Lee Lewandowski, Father Declan McNicholas, Diocese of Gary director of Missionary Discipleship and Evangelization and associate pastor at St. John the Evangelist in St. John; and Katherine Carlson Lukas, pastoral associate for discipleship at SJE. (Provided photo)
