MERRILLVILLE – The forty pilgrims who traveled to Mexico Sept. 25-30 on a mission to transform and to be transformed have come back to their homes and communities. While these individuals have returned to their everyday routines, they go forth with renewed spirits after having this time of deep reflection.
The mission trip, led by Father Declan McNicholas, director of missionary discipleship and evangelization for the Diocese of Gary, marked the first international mission trip of the Diocese of Gary. It was coordinated by Hope for the Poor, a Nebraska-based nonprofit serving in Mexico City. Hope for the Poor hosts mission trips each year, offering those interested the opportunity to serve others, grow in their faith and make a positive impact on the lives of those they serve on the trip.
Throughout the trip, there was an opportunity for every missionary present, regardless of their age, background, or experience, to truly encounter Jesus more deeply, reflect on all of His blessings, and recognize the vital role they played during the trip.
One of the forty missionaries who embarked on the Mission trip to Mexico was Teresa Cattan, a devout Catholic and mother who reflected that the mission trip was a humbling experience for her that inspired gratitude for all that God has blessed her with and continues to bless her with.
“My view of the world changed after the trip because I realized how blessed we are in this country,” she said. “People in this country take for granted all the social services that our country provides, but poverty is much worse in other countries. I realized how blessed I am. I was meant to be there, and when I landed, I was ever so grateful to be back home and for all that I have been blessed with.”
Cattan expressed that during her trip, there were moments of feeling unsafe due in part to the surrounding area the group was in, but “despite this, those in charge of leading the group made sure we were always together, safe, and felt comfortable. We had a great group of people, I enjoyed getting to know them, they were all very kind.”
There was a particular moment during the mission trip that Cattan felt God teach her about Himself and character and reveal more of her purpose in the trip.
“My God taught me to trust in him,” she said. “I had to trust, because I knew that I was supposed to serve the poor and help the homeless and the orphaned. My experience on this missionary trip was that you must listen to God’s voice through prayer.”
Cattan continued, “I felt God telling me to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with one of my missionary friends. After praying with Jennifer, I felt God’s grace telling me to bless the orphans. I brought holy water from the convent, blessed the orphans, and shared some with other people in my group. Someone in the group said there was a person who spoke for the first time at that moment. I felt that God, our group’s faith, and love had helped heal this person. Scripture tells us that Jesus and his disciples healed the sick. We must realize that in His name we can heal. God is still performing miracles,”
For Sebastian Deluca, a student in his senior year at Andrean High School and head sacristan at the school, the pilgrimage to Mexico was an important experience where he was able to witness the powerful impact it had on himself and those around him.
“The most impactful part of my trip was seeing how much other people were impacted by the mission trip,” he said. “I went on a mission trip last year, and the most impactful part of the trip was going to the orphanage for abandoned adults with intellectual disabilities. This year again, I was impacted by that. I got to see these new people get impacted by these children, in a sense, and become human.”
“I enjoyed getting to become humble and leave the everyday troubles behind,” Deluca added. “I also enjoyed becoming one with the people we served and getting to partake in what they enjoy and getting to spread my own joy to them.”
The group also had the opportunity to participate in baptisms and confirmations that were taking place and visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. While at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the group was able to pray for the diocese and the intentions that were collected on the diocesan website before departing for their trip.
Saraidee Reyes-Villa, a 23-year-old majoring in Communications at Indiana University South Bend and Office and Faith Formation Assistant at the Holy Family Parish in LaPorte, shared that “When we landed and walked to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I was completely overcome. After all these years, neither my mother nor I had seen Our Lady in person. Standing before her, I felt her presence so deeply, as if she were welcoming me home with open arms. Tears poured from my eyes, not from sadness but from an unexplainable love that filled my heart. It was a moment that prepared me for everything that would follow on this beautifully challenging and grace-filled trip.”
Reyes-Villa reflected on the mission trip as having changed her life, deepened her faith, and reminded her that God continues to call everyone into mission each day.
“The mission taught me that you do not have to travel to another country to be a missionary,” she said. “Missionary work begins in our everyday lives, in every conversation, every act of kindness, and every opportunity to love like Jesus. We are called to evangelize and bring Christ’s light into the world right where we are. I hope that by sharing my experience, others may be encouraged to say “yes” to that call, wherever it may lead them.”
Caption: Missionaries from the Diocese of Gary gather in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, where they brought prayer intentions collected from faithful in Northwest Indiana. The group of 40 visited the church in Mexico City during a mission trip Sept. 25-30. (Provided photo)
