Lay Missioners Commissioned at Salesian Retreat

Lay Missioners Commissioned at Salesian Retreat

During their weeklong retreat, toward the end of 3 weeks of orientation, 6 Salesian Lay Missioners were commissioned in St. Joseph’s Chapel at the Don Bosco Retreat Center in Haverstraw, N.Y., on Aug. 15. Salesians on retreat, some Salesian staff, and some family members of the SLMs were present.

Salesian Provincial Fr. Dominic Tran presided over the rite, which took place within a celebration of Evening Prayer II of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. He was assisted by Adam Rudin, director of the SLM program.

Six new SLMs were present: Marjorie Baldenweck (to Poipet, Cambodia), Genaro Cantú (Colima, Mexico), Jocelyn Escudero (Phnom Penh, Cambodia), Jerome Pederson (Tampa), David Ramirez (Colima, Mexico), and Antonia Soave (Ulan Bator, Mongolia). A 7th candidate, Benigno Monteverde (Dili, East Timor) was sick in his room at the retreat house. Yet another SLM, Alexandra Bendixen, is doing a short mission in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and receiving orientation on site from a 2022 SLM, Mara Fenn.

Each missioner was presented with a missionary cross, signed a commitment document, and read a statement of his or her intention.

Fr. Tran took as the keynote of his homily Mary’s Magnificat, which was part of the gospel reading at Mass in the morning and which the congregation was to sing shortly during Evening Prayer. Mary proclaimed that God had recognized his lowly servant, who was blessed by God.

Fr. Tran stated that Mary was blessed because she had become the God-bearer. What God gave to her, he has given to all of us; we are blessed, and we are God-bearers through the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.

He continued:  What we celebrate in Mary’s Assumption will be ours one day.  We are already with God through his presence within us, and we are charged to bear Christ to the world. The SLMs have the dignity of bringing Christ to others as missionaries. They’ll help the people they go to, to recognize God in their lives; and those people will also help the SLMs more deeply discover God in their own lives.

Finally, Fr. Tran affirmed that the Mother of God is with us. What a treasure! The Mother of God accompanies us as we bring Christ to the world.

Part of the SLMs' orientation is a hike in Harriman State Park.  This year, on Aug. 16, they went to Big Hill Shelter.  When the clouds cleared a little bit, they could see vaguely in the distance part of the Manhattan skyline.