About

This site is meant to chronicle my time as a Missioner of Christ in Honduras.

Why keep this chronicle?
There are two reasons. The first is to keep family, friends, spiritual partners, and financial donors up to date about the Mission. The second reason is to keep a record of my time served with the Missioners of Christ.

What will I be writing about?
I hope to update on at least a monthly basis. There will be accounts of my work in the community, observations about life in Honduras, prayer requests, and meditations on subjects that interest me.

I also hope to share original prose and verse, time permitting. As most of my readers in the United States are English-speaking, this chronicle will be in English.

What is the Missioners of Christ?
From the Missioners website:

“The Missioners of Christ is a Catholic Christian community centered in prayer and united by Covenant that evangelizes, disciples, and sends forth youth and young adults on domestic and foreign missions to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ.”

The Missioners submit themselves to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church, in communion with Pope Francis. This includes the theological, moral, and social doctrines of the Church.

They have canonical status as a Private Organization of the Christian Faithful in the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia and the Diocese of Comayagua, Honduras. They also have a close and fruitful relationship with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in Comayagua.

What will I be doing in Honduras?
God willing, I will arrive in country on August 14, 2014, the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, to begin formation in the community at Comayagua. I’ll spend a few days there learning how things work, then spend five weeks in Guatemala at a Spanish language school. After finishing my studies, I will return to Comayagua to begin day to day life as a Missioner.

In Honduras I will be living at the John Paul II Center for Evangelization with other American and Honduran Missioners. The daily schedule is made up of communal prayer from the Divine Office, daily Mass, the Rosary, and individual reflection. I will be issued a schedule of chores, charitable work, and Christian education. The life of a Missioner is one of “Ora et Labora.”

I will also be keeping up with my Spanish studies, and looking forward to being totally immersed in the language.

How long will I be in Honduras?
The short answer is, however long God wants me to be!

The more complex answer is that the first several months are a trial session to get acquainted with the Mission schedule, Spanish language, and Honduran culture.

August: Arrive in Honduras, live among the Missioners for a short time.
August-September: Language school in Guatemala with other new Missioners, five weeks.
October-December: In-country discernment period within the Mission community.
December: Return to Virginia for Advent and Christmas.

If the Lord wills that I return to Honduras for a full extended-term mission I would return shortly after New Year’s Day 2019.

Where does the title come from?
“When Jesus had said these things, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where there was a garden, into which he entered with his disciples.” (St. John 18:1)

Jesus Christ had to enter into the Garden of Gethsemane on Holy Thursday, knowing the suffering that was to come. If we follow Christ into this place of prayer and self-denial, as well as grief, we will understand God’s enormous love for us on a far deeper level. May we respond to our Divine Teacher as he teaches us in the School of Gethsemane.

Christian brothers in the Garden of Gethsemane (1914).