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Discover the stories of some of our members. Find out what they are doing now and get a glimpse of daily life as an MSC.
The MSC are notable for missionary presence among the very poor. And God loves us dearly for that. St. Vincent de Paul assures us that “God surely loves the poor; he also loves those who love the poor.” Perry, Florida, where I am presently serving as pastor of a small congregation, is noted for its poverty.
Every Friday, you will find me with a team of volunteers at our Divine Mercy Outreach Center. At 7:45 AM, when I arrive at the Center, a group of the poorest of the poor, Whites and Blacks, are already there, looking over all the clothing, furniture, and utensils, etc., that we supply without charge. Generally, once a month, we provide about 75 boxes of food.
The team of volunteer parishioners are waiting for me to lead them in shared prayer. It is their ardent desire to begin the day by praising the Lord and asking for guidance and help in all our needs. We go to our special prayer room, furnished as a little altar-shrine (with images, flowers, candles, and such); and we begin by praising the Lord for another opportunity to continue his mission among the poor.
The Center is a large building that used to be a store. It is owned by the family of a parishioner (who is a lawyer and an active Knights of Columbus and parish council member). Besides financial help from the parish itself, individual parishioners help to support the Outreach Center through weekly offerings.
It is a special joy for me to counsel and pray with individuals at the Center. For example, a young lady whose mother died the night before, or an older lady who is suffering from terrible arthritis pain.
I see at the Center a truly Christian community of unchurched people, who are non-Catholic, generally, cared for by our Catholic parishioners. Reality does not get any more real than this. It is so very gratifying, because it fine-tunes my missionary ministry here in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, which is a “missionary diocese.”
There is no Spanish-speaking population in my parish. But my familiarity with the language enhances my ministry with Hispanics in the nearby State Prison.
Reality is never more raw than in a prison. I have begun my weekly ministry, with Mass and Confessions, at Taylor C. I. and at Taylor Annex. As Catholics, we are a minority in this part of Florida, sometimes even despised by other Christians, including prison staff. Often, Catholic inmates don’t get a fair dose of attention and cooperation by prison staff, and this just adds to the bitterness and resentment that is often prevalent among inmates. Some of them tend to look for reasons to be angry. That is always a challenge when I arrive at the facility and try to bring some sense of normalcy to their lives. I also am trying to establish a friendly rapport with all the officers and chaplains, no matter the difficulties and confusion that are fomented at the facility.
In some ways, our MSC ministry in the U.S.A. is even more challenging than in the islands and jungles of Papua New Guinea.
In our parish, the spiritual energy that drives all of our ministry is the fact that we are a Eucharistic parish. Obviously, the most important thing that we do is celebrate Mass. But besides that, there is always a parishioner or two in our Eucharistic Adoration Chapel every day, from 10 AM till 10 PM, and all night on Friday till Saturday morning. And even all our CCD Sunday School children have a holy half-hour of adoration and Benediction in church once a month during class time.
I am blessed to be in such a spiritually dynamic parish. And it is this Eucharistic spirituality that drives the parish operation, administratively and financially. No one in the parish, except the pastor, is salaried. Parishioners assume responsibility for the temporal affairs of the parish. We are able to pay the bills and even put money into savings, plus the “hurricane deductible” account, because all office work and maintenance and repairs are done by volunteers. Our parishioners truly share responsibility for the life and mission of the parish, like nothing I have ever seen before anywhere in the U.S.A.
Rev. Bernard Jakubco, MSC, is a member of our Illinois community and is serving as Pastor of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Perry, Florida.
Read about Fr. Bernie's previous assignment.
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