A reason to be unreasonable - We are a Mission, July 2018

In pursuit of living with the spirit of the Gospel in the peripheries, I made visitation to the French missions of the Society in Hong Kong and Vietnam from 14 to 26 June 2018. Part of the Mercy of God Region, our presence in these countries is only three years old. In Hong Kong, Fr. Remy Kurowski offers pastoral service to the French speaking community.
In the Archdiocese of Saigon, Vietnam, Fr. Adam Galaska is shepherding the first two Vietnamese vocations to the Society, so that- God willing- they may become the rocks on which the Pallottine Society is built.

The trials that our missionaries bear are not few; there are moments of solitude, shortage of members, and lack of financial resources. Yet these men- in the advancement of God’s mission- prove that the paradox is this: the harder the demands of life in service of God and His People, the greater is the joy of the Gospel!
Mission work is an incarnational event; a work of the Infinite Love and Mercy of God. It means to meet the people; to delight in their joys, to suffer in their sorrows, and to offer them what the Lord promises all: the hope, love and life of the Gospel.

I traveled around the city of Saigon on a scooter driven by Fr. Adam, instead of a spacious and costly car. On all sides, we were shoulder to shoulder with other motor bikes carrying two or three persons, and often times many other materials.

Building up a mission from its foundation involves many courageous sacrifices. In the missions, we will understand what it means to get out of our comfort zone.
In such situations, we realise how much time, energy and money we spend for administrative and organization matters. But it is the mission where we deal with human life in flesh and blood, rather than describing it in a document.

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