A Note From Fr. Timothy
Missionary Work and Pentecost
Each year the Mission Office of the Diocese of St. Cloud connects parishes with missionaries who are invited to share their stories and experiences with us and help us consider how each of us might be called to participate in the missionary life of the Church. This year, Fr. Ignatius Makoji from the Missionaries of Divine Mercy joins us for some of our Masses.
At Pentecost, the Apostles received the Holy Spirit and were immediately inspired to boldly go out and proclaim the mighty acts of God. Each of us as disciples are also called out into the world to give witness to our faith in word and action. The faith is not something we are meant to practice only within the secret of our hearts or homes. The Church has a missionary life which is intrinsically connected with its identity – so much so that there cannot be one without the other. We are grateful to Fr. Ignatius for joining us and helping to foster the missionary spirit within us and our parish, so that our spiritual lives might be more complete and bear good fruit for the Gospel. Please welcome him, and considering supporting him and other missionary opportunities in the Church.
From what I understand, the Missionaries of Divine Mercy are a religious order founded to bring the spirituality of Jesus’ Divine Mercy to people and parishes in need. The founder, Most. Rev. Martin Uzoukwu, Bishop of the Diocese of Minna, in Nigeria, began the community to imitate Christ and his mission to reach out to the poor, the sick, the aged, and the less-privileged, and to evangelize to the spiritually impoverished. They minister to hospitals and orphanages, and also teach, organize retreats, and do work in parishes. There are currently 24 priests and 67 seminarians for the community.
Fr. Ignatius Makoji, MDM was ordained a priest in the Missionaries of Divine Mercy on the 5th of July, 2013 and was among the first priests ordained within the community. He was the Superior General for the order until 2021. He is the first of his community to be on mission outside of Africa, and currently serves as a chaplain in the Diocese of Des Moines, IA.
Fr. Timothy Gapinski
