Mary Mother of God Mission Society

Vladivostok, Russia: city of a million souls. Many here are well educated and hold scientific degrees. The culture is rich with world-renowned literature, dance, and music.

Nevertheless, the city is plagued with high rates of alcoholism, poverty, unemployment, abortion, homicide, and homelessness. Fear is pervasive. For the most part, the people are miserably poor in spirit, a tragic aftermath of the atheistic dream of Communist dictator Joseph Stalin.

Fr. Myron Effing and Fr. Daniel Maurer came to Vladivostok from the United States in 1992 to establish the Mary Mother of God Mission Society. Serving seven parishes, they are the only Catholic priests for sixteen hundred miles. The two travel through the parishes administering baptisms, hearing confessions, and finding ways to rebuild the soul of this nation. Catholics who kept the faith during the years of Communist rule, many of them now elderly, are coming out of the woodwork, grateful that they lived long enough to receive Holy Communion again.

According to Sandra Sonnen, the U.S. director for the Mission, "Our Lady is on the move. Russia is exploding! The doors are open, and Mary Mother of God Mission Society is doing everything possible to answer that call."

The mission not only supports the priests in their pastoral responsibilities; it reaches beyond the parishes as well. A religious order for men has already brought about one new ordination, with five new vocations underway. Three Spanish and three Korean sisters also work at the Mission. Amazingly, the jails, hospitals, and medical schools are wide open to those who would come in and teach the pro-life message.

Volunteerism, something nearly un-heard of in Russia, is starting to blossom. Everywhere that people begin to live out their newfound faith, new ministries develop. The Mission supports a Women's Rehabilitation Center and a St. Vincent De Paul Center. In addition, it cooperates with the Caritas international aid network of lay volunteers to support a medical center, women's support centers, a senior citizen's home service program, an adoption assistance program, a soup kitchen, and other programs.

The mission's successes are many, but they haven't come easily. Fr. Maurer estimates that only half of one percent of the population has converted thus far. Although Russia has a long history of vibrant Christian faith, in the last few generations the atheistic Communist regime took its toll on the nation's spiritual life. Many elderly Catholics here have been secretly praying their Rosary for decades. But even though they maintained an interior prayer life, most were reluctant to catechize their children and grandchildren for fear of government recrimination.

Even today such fears bar some people from coming to Mass when they read in the paper that a priest is coming. They're afraid it's a trick like the many tricks they've seen since the Communist revolution of 1917. But slowly, slowly, Fathers Myron and Dan are gaining the trust of their parishioners and bringing them back to the fold.

The fear they can overcome. But finding enough money is something else. Russia may not be a Third World country, but in many ways the need here is just as great as it is in some developing nations. Eventually an apartment, phone, and vestments will be afforded to the priests in each little parish they start. But for now they're sleeping in the stairwells of the almost-completed Gothic cathedral, while next door a combined parish center and rectory is being constructed for their new quarters.

Lay people across the United States are needed to adopt this cause and coordinate donations, work teams, and prayer. Several lay ministries are already working hard to complete the mission's wish list, which includes trucks; computers; frequent flyer miles; material support for crisis pregnancy centers and alcoholic treatment centers; and much more. The Mission also needs a U.S. market for handmade goods they want to sell to raise funds - items such as crucifixes, candles and First Communion veils.
Every effort by American Catholics to assist them will help bring Christ to the heart of Russia.

At last, the recitation of all those rosaries Our Lady requested at Fatima seem to be having their effect. Through the Mary Mother of God Mission Society, you too could be part of the answer to millions of prayers.

For more information, or to have a mission speaker come to your church, contact the United States Coordinator, Sandra Sonnen, at Mary Mother of God Mission Society, 1854 Jefferson Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105-1662; (651) 690-5139; email russianmission@juno.com; website www.vladmission.org.

Catherine of Siena Institute

Are you tired of the "We Are Church" attitude of lay initiatives? Is your parish looking for a formation and support program that's based one hundred percent on the teachings of the Magisterium? Then check out the Catherine of Siena Institute parish-based formation for the lay apostolate.

The institute was founded by Father Michael Sweeney, O.P., and Sherry Weddell and is an apostolate of the Dominicans of the West Coast. Since 1997, they have offered live workshops for over five thousand people in thirty dioceses in North America and Oceania.

The focus of the Catherine of Siena Institute is helping local parishes awaken lay Catholics to their missionary responsibility within the Church. According to the Second Vatican Council, lay people are "the people of God," and they have been charged with the mission of bringing Christ into every nook and cranny of the secular world. We've been called to a New Evangelism, and serious discernment, formation, and apostolic support are necessary if lay Catholics are to respond.

To accomplish this goal, the staff of the Institute has read carefully every Church document regarding the secular mission of the Church and the office of the laity. Thus prepared, they are bringing the teaching of the Magisterium to the parish level. The Institute educates lay and religious people about the call of the laity, and then challenges all to act on that calling.

When the people of a given parish are taking seriously the gifts and vocation of every baptized person, increased religious vocations are one result. Says Weddell: "All Christians need to be formed and supported as they discern their vocation. Outside of this kind of environment, vocations wither."
The kind of formation Weddell talks about is already available through third orders, lay movements, secular institutes, or certification programs sponsored by a diocese or university. But for ninety-eight percent of all Catholics, the only contact with the Church is at the local parish. This is where true formation, evangelization, and apostolic nurture and support must take place, and these don't happen without time, energy, and leadership.

Generally, people simply haven't read the magisterial documents, basing their ideas instead on what they may think the Church has said. According to Sherry Weddell: "Once people are presented with the fullness of Magisterial teaching, they are positively electrified!" The Institute leaves in its wake parishes with a new transfusion of the Holy Spirit. Thus empowered, people begin to take real initiative within their parishes.

So how does this all come about? "Discernment of charisms," says Weddell, "is a good place to begin."
The Catherine of Siena Institute offers several parish programs. The most popular program is the Called and Gifted Workshop. This two-part program focuses on the lay mission in the Church. A unique inventory of spiritual gifts helps participants to discern what their special calling might be. Armed with this sense of calling, lay people are taught who they really are in Christ: apostles, charged with the mission of bringing Christ to the secular world.

The Institute website is quickly becoming a virtual center for lay apostles. A quick trip to the site reveals almost every document the Church has issued regarding lay mission and formation. Over twelve hundred links cover the whole spectrum of lay responsibilities, including a huge list of resources for evangelization, apologetics, and human life issues, as well as a comprehensive and truly Catholic collection of links about women, art, music, and many other areas of apostolic endeavor.
Whether through parish programs or website resources, the Catherine of Siena Institute is moving forward admirably toward its goal: the equipping of parishes to become houses of formation for lay apostles.

For further information, or to schedule a program in your parish, contact Sherry Weddell, 5050 8th Avenue NE, Seattle, Washington 98105; phone 206 547 1423, toll free 888 878 6789; online http://www.siena.org; email: info@siena.org.

The Young Serrans

In Dallas, the Gen-X'ers are talking up the Catholic faith with the intent to foster vocations for the Church. More than just another young adults group, the Young Serra Community of Dallas is the dynamic result of an experiment that began in 1993. That's when Serra International, an apostolate whose mission is to encourage and support vocations to the priesthood and religious life, chartered this new club to reach out to Catholic teens in a more personal way. And, as young people will, the Young Serrans are finding their own ways to do it.

Catholic Evangelization Weekend planning committee.	Young Serrans second president Mike Murray, founder Don Wetzel and Tom Nealson (first founding president), at the 1st Aunnual Banquet, March, 1996.
Though many Catholic events that target youth tend to de-emphasize doctrine, Murray notes that the Serran retreat tackled Church teaching head on. "We realized that they could handle solid theological issues," he recalls.

The group's strategy begins with teens in their city who need to hear the gospel message. Past president and charter member Mike Murray shares the group's idea: "We want to work to challenge and encourage Catholic youth to discover Christ. We truly believe that a Catholic youth who has a love for Christ and his Church, and is willing and able to share his faith, is the kind of youth who will sincerely seek God's will for his life and thus be open to whatever vocation God has planned for him."

The Dallas Young Serrans' youth program began full steam in 1996 with a vocations retreat for teens. Fifteen of the young adults took a group of high school students to a camp in east Texas for a weekend of Mass, daily Rosary, Eucharistic adoration, talks, and of course, fun. This very sacramental, very Catholic retreat was a first for many of the kids, and they ate it up!

Though many Catholic events that target youth tend to de-emphasize doctrine, Murray notes that the Serran retreat tackled Church teaching head on. "We realized that they could handle solid theological issues," he recalls. "Really, if we can expect them to handle physics, chemistry, trigonometry, they can handle theology."

That first retreat determined the course of youth ministry for the Young Serrans. These energetic twenty- and thirty-year-olds continue to lead dynamic, Catholic, Eucharistic-centered retreats for varied parishes and confirmation classes. Their involvement in Youth 2000, as well as a number of Steubenville youth conferences, has brought much conversion and several vocations.

Inspired by the needs of youth, the Young Serrans went on to form the Young Serran Cross-Trainers: young adults who will spend time developing real relationships with youth in an effort to influence them spiritually. The Cross-Trainers meet with youth once a month for an evening of singing, teaching, and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Meanwhile, a committed team is undergoing training as youth workers to serve the spiritual needs of young people even better. Currently, the group is forming Retreat Teams, which will bring programs to CCD classes, youth groups, and Confirmation classes.

People involved in ministry must come with a knowledge and faith to impart to others. The Young Serran Community spends the bulk of its time building up its members as a community of faith, equipping them with a knowledge and love of Christ's Church and promoting vocations from within. According to the group's information packet, "It was decided long ago that prayer must be the center of the Young Serrans, so it is appropriate that holy Mass be celebrated at each of our meetings." Their monthly gatherings also include a potluck dinner and a speaker. These meetings have attracted nationally known Catholic speakers such as Dallas's own Bishop Charles Grahmann and Janet Smith and Douglas Bushman of the University of Dallas.

In addition, weekly Bible and catechism studies attract young adults throughout the diocese every week. The group's chaplain offers frequent opportunities for Confession. Wednesday night holy hours bring burning hearts closer to Christ as they pray the Rosary, lift up the need for vocations to holy service, and join together in praise and worship. In short, there's something here for everyone.

Murray observes: "Vocations come up naturally if we are participating in the sacraments together." Indeed, the group has already seen a dozen marriages, three entrances into seminary, and one vocation to the convent. "We have an environment that cultivates vocations in every area. In a concerted effort to become a true community, we have a place to love each other, know each other, have a common vision, and help one another to be faithful to the Church. And everything we do is totally faithful to the Magisterium."

A third focus for the group is the Dallas area at large-or more specifically, the families of that area. The seed for vocations is planted in the family, but the Young Serrans realize that today's families need help. Some fine evangelization projects have occurred as a natural outgrowth of the group's mission.

These evangelistic efforts have been the crowning glory for this group of young adults. Equipped with a lively faith, the group hosted a Catholic Evangelization Weekend in 1997. This was the largest Catholic evangelism event ever to take place in the city of Dallas.

For three days, over six thousand people attended Rosaries, Masses, and talks with such notables as Father Benedict Groeschel, Father Mitch Pacwa, and Dr. Scott Hahn. As a follow-up to the inspiration of the weekend, the community brought together an ongoing speaker series entitled "Catholic for a Reason." This series now averages 260 attendees every week.

The Young Serrans of Dallas are doing more than just bridging the gap to young people for Serra International. They're using their faith, energy, and youthful boldness to evangelize and promote vocations in a world desperately in need of both. With similar groups currently forming in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and the Houston/Galveston area, the Young Serrans show great promise as a force for spreading the Catholic faith among our nation's youth.

For an information packet on how to start a Young Serrans group, contact the Young Serrans at 2742 Harbinger Lane, Dallas, TX 75287. For more on Serra International, go to http://www.serraus.org.