Our lives to the service of others in the foreign missions

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Dear Santos,

Yes, it is true that nowadays very few young men and women have shown an interest in dedicating their lives to the service of others in the foreign missions, that is, other cultures. Unfortunately, we Xaverian missionaries have that as the distinguishing mark of our vocation; and so, we get few applicants. We represent the love of God for all His children; we represent the universal Church and its world-wide mission, given by Jesus as He ascended into heaven: “Go into the whole world, preach the Good News and baptize those who accept me and wish to join me.”

We represent the love of God for all His children; we represent the universal Church and its world-wide mission, given by Jesus as He ascended into heaven: “Go into the whole world, preach the Good News."

Moreover, as we work in other cultures and countries we have as our primary interest the communication of Our Lord Jesus Christ to our brothers and sisters who are not Christians. We do it through prayer and sacrifice; through Christian attitudes, sincere dialog and heartfelt works of compassion, justice and solidarity. What is essential for us Xaverians (and serves as a starting point for our ministry) is to get to know well the culture and religion of the people to whom we carry Christ. That means we have to sacrifice ourselves and dedicate time and energy to study, reflect upon and appreciate those religions and cultures in the parts of Asia, Latin America and Africa in which we labor. All cultures and religions contain truths that serve as meeting places for dialog. The religion may be the Traditional Religion of Africa, Islam, Shintoism, Hinduism, the teachings of Confucius and Lao-Tzu, or one or another offshoot of these such as we find in Latin America. 

Well, what it comes down to is that we Xaverians, specializing in working with non-Christians, must begin with an attitude of appreciation of the cultures and religions of the non-Christians. We must discover the hand of God present in them and then present all the truth about God as Jesus has revealed it and as it is jealously preserved by the Church.

I hope that this lengthy sermon of mine serves to answer your question about what we basically do. God bless you!

In Christ, Missionary of God the Father,

Fr. Adolph Menendez
Xaverian Missionary