Mission Pals for Missionaries

Mission Pals for Missionaries

Just as faith begets faith and love begets love, so too vocations beget vocations.

What is Mission Pals?

- Mission Pals is a pen pal type program pairing active Catholic missionaries with everyday lay Catholics, Catholic families, youth groups or even entire parishes.

What are the Benefits?

- The chance to share your zeal and mission with another – One of the greatest joys of being a missionary is the chance to share our stories with others, to inspire them to their own missionary zeal. Being able to reach out and tough someone's life, this is our mission.

- The chance to foster greater vocations to the missionary life – Just as faith begets faith and love begets love, so to vocations beget vocations. By sharing your life, your stories, your fire for the missionary life with others, you may inspire them to their own missionary vocations.

- Emotional and Spiritual Support – One of the greatest threats to every missionary is missionary burn out, simply losing the zeal. All to often the relationship between a missionary and their financial supporters lacks a deep emotional connection. The missionary sends a monthly update and the supporters send their checks. As valuable and necessary as this support is, it only fulfills the missionary's physical needs. Their emotional and spiritual needs are just as important and the regular exchange of physical letters with a Mission Pal can help to fill that gap.

- Potential Financial Support – Participants in the Mission Pals program are expected to provide their own stamps. Beyond that there is no financial commit to take part in the program. MissionPals cannot guarantee an increase in a Missionary's financial support. However, every missionary knows that financial support is necessary to be a missionary, and for this you need contacts. Mission Pals can guarantee you at least one more contact, and the best kind of contact at that, a friend.

How does it work?

- Once a missionary submits their information we locate a suitable Mission Pal for them from our list of non-missionary applicants. Once a missionary and non-missionary are paired, both parties are contacted for final confirmation and then the missionary's information is mailed to the non-missionary. The non-missionary is responsible for sending the first letter of introduction to which the missionary can then respond at their earliest convenience.

- To get the most out of the program we recommend physical paper letters, not e-mails. We believe the physicality of an actual letter adds to the emotional connection and empresses upon both parties that actuality of the exchange. In addition, we recommend about two letters a month, of whatever length is practical for the missionary.

How do I join?

Simply send an e-mail to missionpals@gmail.com

You will be asked for four things:

• Names: If you are participating as an individual then your name, if you are participating as a group then the names of the group members.
• An Address: The address you to which you wish letters to be sent. In order to participate, this is of paramount importance. A physical address is ideal, however, an e-mail address is sufficient in certain circumstances.
• A Picture: If you are participating as an individual then a picture of you, if you are participating as a group then a picture of the group. Preferably, taken in the country where you are serving.
• A Statement of Introduction: This should be fairly brief, roughly 250 words. Who are you? Where are you serving? What is your primary mission there? Why is this of value? 
     

As soon as we receive these you will be enrolled in the program and contacted once we find you a Mission Pal.