Mission:

Maryknoll Lay Missioners is a Catholic organization inspired by the mission of Jesus to live and work with poor communities in Africa, Asia and the Americas, responding to basic needs and helping to create a more just and compassionate world.

Vision:

We are a lay Catholic community called through baptism to witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, crossing boundaries of culture, nationality and faith to join our lives with impoverished and oppressed peoples of the earth.  With them, we discern the presence of God’s Spirit in all creation and in the world’s many cultures and religions, and work toward human liberation and inter religious dialogue in Africa, Asia and the Americas.

We strive together for justice, peace and fullness of life, and so our ministries are offered in response to the needs of the people with whom we live and work, and with respect for the integrity of all creation.

We are nourished by God’s revelation in the world around us, in our relationships, and in the Scriptures, as well as by our communal reflection, prayer and Eucharist.  We are inspired by the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching, and we are grounded in the history and spirit of our Maryknoll mission family.  Believing that all people are called to mission, we actively promote the role of laity in global mission while committing ourselves to share this journey in ecclesial teams of priests, Sisters, Brothers and laity.

We challenge unjust structures and systems, seeking transformation of the very powers that create and benefit from the marginalizing of communities, and we commit to becoming a dynamic anti-racist organization that reflects the ethnic and cultural richness of the US Catholic Church and the world in this millennium.

The life of Jesus compels us to love one another and to create a more just and compassionate world.  Even amidst sin, suffering and death, we celebrate the holiness of everyday life and we proclaim the hope of resurrection.

We are grateful to the communities who send us, to the people who receive us, and to those whose support makes our work possible.  We commit ourselves to accountability to each other, the people with whom we work, and our benefactors.