Who is a missionary? What do they do? Why are they important?

Missionaries are people who have sensed within their own life, often within the gathered community of the Church, a desire to share God's love with others. Understood in this way all Christians are called to be missionaries. We are all missionaries rooted in our baptism; we are all called to the task through Jesus' charge to go and make disciples of all nations.

Within the Church certain individuals receive a special call to share God's love through their work as foreign missionaries, educational missionaries, medical missionaries, as well as through their work in agricultural development. As they move away from their home parish or diocese and learn to live within new cultures, often speaking a new language, they trust God's Spirit to be with them guiding their work for Christ.

So too missionaries trust the faithful members of Christ's Church to support them not only with their prayers but also with material and financial resources.

Although our office sponsors a great many mission programs, each of these programs has been established to directly support the vital work of these special people: our missionaries. The links on this page offer you a more personal look into the lives of particular missionaries as well as ways you can personally support their efforts.