SUE Province Commissions Six Lay Missioners

By Fr. Mike Mendl, SDB

(Haverstraw, NY – August 16) – When the Gospel first spread from Jerusalem, it wasn’t because of pastoral planning but because of a disaster, the persecution that broke out after Stephen’s martyrdom. Fr. Dominic Tran recalled that, based on the reading from Acts (11:19-26) at the commissioning service for six new Salesian Lay Missioners. In this service, the province and these missionaries are doing what the early Church did—going out and preaching, carrying out the missionary mandate that Jesus gave at the end of Matthew’s Gospel (28:19-20), promising that he would be with his disciples always. He came as Emmanuel, and he remains Emmanuel, God with us. Fr. Dominic assured the missioners that God will be with people through them; they will incarnate God in the places they’re being sent to.

Three of the new SLMs are missioned overseas: Suzanne Platt to Blessed Michael Rua postnovitiate, parish, and youth center at Dalat, Vietnam; A.J. Scheip to the refugee camp at Palabek, Uganda; and Kurt Whiteley to Don Bosco Technical School at Al Fidar, Lebanon. Alexander Pelletier will go to the school and youth center at Colima, Mexico. Two SLMs are destined for U.S. works: one for the multiple works at Mary Help of Christians Center in Tampa, and Anthony Deldebbio (a graduate of Salesian HS) for Archbishop Shaw HS in Marrero.

Explore photos from the hike and commissioning on Shutterfly!