Province Sends Out Another 7 Lay Missioners

Province Sends Out Another 7 Lay Missioners

(Haverstraw, N.Y. – August 17) – This year’s crop of Salesian Lay Missioners was unusually small; but we all know that it’s quality that counts. Fr. Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, and Adam Rudin, director of the SLM program, are confident that the 7 missioners commissioned on August 17 are of top quality.

One recreational activity of the SLMs’ retreat week is a day hike in Harriman State Park or Bear Mountain. This year the schedule allowed the hike only on Monday, which was the only day of the week it rained—but not until your humble blogger/veteran Harriman hiker got them to the Stockbridge shelter, where they celebrated Mass and ate lunch.  They got pretty wet on the hike back to the bus.

The Salesian Lay Missioners Program has been a missionary project of the New Rochelle Province for more than 30 years.

As usual, the candidates had a long discernment process that included weekend visits to New Rochelle and a general introduction to the program. Those who eventually applied were evaluated, and those who were accepted were invited to the 3-week orientation program that began in late July and culminated in their commissioning during Evening Prayer on August 17.

During the commissioning rite, in the presence of some 40 SDBs in the retreat house chapel, 

Fr. Tim Zak prayed over the SLMs first and later blessed them.

The candidates received lots of information and visited some Salesian works in the first week of orientation, did service work at St. John Bosco Parish in Port Chester in their second week, and made a retreat (with paperwork to do and more information thrown at them) in the final week. The retreat, as usual, coincided with the SDBs’ August retreat at Don Bosco Retreat Center in Haverstraw, so that they were able to meet and get to know more than 30 SDBs by praying, eating, and recreating with them. They also witnessed six temporary professed confreres renew vows during Mass on the solemnity of the Assumption and Bros. Dan Glass and Tom Junis make their the first profession of vows on August 16—two rites that duly impressed them.

Fr. Tim places the missionary cross over the head of Steve Stafstrom.

Finally, on the 17th Fr. Tim Zak presided at their commissioning during Evening Prayer, blessing them and their crosses and bestowing the crosses upon them. This year each SLM read a personal statement of commitment, hope, and/or prayer concerning her or his mission—rather than a formal commitment read by the entire group.

The new SLMs are Katie Braun from Florida, going to Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Katie Church from Indiana, to Phnom Penh; Eden Gordon from Florida, to Montero, Bolivia; Alaina Mikulcik from Kentucky, to Montero; Matthew Nguyen from Washington state, to East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea; Stephen Stafstrom from Florida, to East New Britain; and Eamon Webb from Florida, to Da Lat, Vietnam. We’re pleased to note that Katie Church is an alumna of Mary Help of Christians Academy in North Haledon, N.J.

After the first profession of Bro. Dan Glass, who was an SLM in South Sudan in 2012-2013, the new SLMs demanded a group photo with him. The women (l-r): Clare Pressimone, returned SLM (Cambodia)-member of the orientation team; Katie Braun; Alaina Mikulcik; Katie Church; Eden Gordon. The men (l-r): Steve Stafstrom; Bro. Dan; Adam Rudin, SLM director; Bro. Craig Spence, former home missioner (Paterson, NYC)-member of the orientation team; Matt Nguyen; and Eamon Webb.