October 18, 2026
This Sunday we celebrate World Mission Sunday. For us Oblates, the word mission has a special meaning. We are, after all, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Our founder, St. Eugène de Mazenod, wanted the Oblates to go where people needed them and to remain close to the people they served. That missionary spirit has taken Oblates all over the world.
It has taken me to some interesting places too. During my years as an Oblate priest, I had the opportunity to serve in Brownsville, Texas, and New Orleans. The people and communities were different, but the mission was the same: to be present, to preach the Gospel, to celebrate the sacraments, and to bring Christ to people wherever they were.
Today, my mission is here in downtown Lowell. Sometimes we think being a missionary means traveling to a faraway country. It can. But every one of us is called to be a missionary right where God has placed us. We do that when we share our faith. We do it when we care for someone who is struggling. We do it when we welcome someone who feels they do not belong. Sometimes we do it simply by letting another person see Christ through the way we treat them.
On World Mission Sunday, please pray for the Oblates and for all missionaries serving throughout the world. And pray that each of us may recognize our own mission. The mission field may be across the world. It may also be right outside our front door.
You pray for me. I pray for you.
I remember you at Mass.
