This spring another Vincentian priest was ordained for the Church in Kenya.  He joins the two who were ordained last year, and the four that were ordained the previous year in increasing the ranks of the Congregation of the Mission in Kenya.

These men are examples of what mission work is all about.  Others go to a new land with the message of the Gospel—and of Saint Vincent—and their purpose is to establish the Church there so it can stand on its own.  Establishing priests from that country is an essential step on the way.

Your New Priest—His Message of Gratitude
During the past year, one man from Kenya has been in his final year of formation as a deacon.  He was ordained as a priest in May.  As he begins a new phase of his life as a Vincentian priest, he has written a few words of thanks for your generosity and commitment to him.

John Musolo Ochola
Dear Members of the Association of the Miraculous Medal of Our Lady,

Grace and peace of Christ be with each of you!

I want to take the earliest opportunity to express my profound gratitude to you all for your unwavering support over the years of my formation.  Your prayers and financial support have, to a great extent, seen me this far in my seminary formation as a Vincentian student, and by the grace of God I was ordained to the ministry.

The devotion to our Lady means a great deal to my people here in Kenya and to me.  Parents who are very devoted to our Lady have brought me up.  She has always been on our side.  She has never failed me personally.  I have recourse to her, and I thank God for it.

I still look forward to your help as my journey of ordained service begins.  I promise you all my prayers, and I will offer a special Mass for all your intentions.

May the good Lord who is never outdone in generosity reward you all abundantly.

Pilgrimage Report
We had a wonderful and prayerful pilgrimage to Holland, Belgium and a bit of Germany in May.  We remembered you in all the great churches and cathedrals we visited, and we prayed for you at Mass each day.  These religious sites are witness to a deep faith and trust in God and devotion to his Son’s Blessed Mother.

Thanks
Jeremy Dixon and Toshio Sato, our two Vincentian seminarians in Chicago, received Christmas cards from many of you.  I personally spoke with them in Chicago in January.  I wish you could have experienced their enthusiasm and their heartfelt gratitude for your greetings.  They told me that they placed those greetings in the chapel as a reminder to them of your support.

Summer Travels
This summer if you’re traveling through the Perryville area, be sure to drop by for a visit to our Shrine.  Besides seeing our beautiful grounds and historic Shrine Church, you will be able to visit our new Heritage and Visitor Center, and view the completed home for the priests and brothers here in Perryville.

Online Gift Shop
We are offering a distinctive gift this month:  A Gold Filigree Crystal Rosary. Just click on the link to visit our online Gift Shop to order other this and other fine religious articles.

Vincentian Vocations
by Father David Nations, C.M.
Vocation Director for the Midwest Province

Thirty-three years ago, I participated in my first May Procession in honor of our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.  At five years old, like many before me, I joined the local Catholic schoolchildren in the annual procession to the Miraculous Medal Grotto.

Perryville, Missouri has the great gifts of the Vincentian community and the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.  I was blessed to grow up just a few blocks away from the Vincentians.

By the grace of God and through the intercession of our Lady, I have been truly blessed to join the Congregation of the Mission and for the past 10 years have served God and the Church as a Vincentian priest.  I am convinced that my joining the Vincentian community is in great part due to the many Vincentian priests and brothers who were part of my family as a young child.

Father Charles Rice, C.M., director of the Miraculous Medal Association from 1962 to 1982, was a constant presence at family events.  His successor, Father Charles Shelby, C.M., gave me my first job—working for our Lady’s Association.  Throughout my seminary training, many Vincentians have become part of my life.  Truly, their constant presence welcomed me into the community.

Since my ordination, I have been working with the Latino community in the United States.  Just last year I took on the job of Vocation Director for the Midwest Province of the Congregation of the Mission.  It is a daunting job to promote and encourage individuals to consider a vocation as a priest or brother in the Vincentian community.

One of the promises I have made to the community and myself is to visit every person who is interested in the Vincentians.  I remember how important it was for Vincentians to visit my family and I want to do the same.  However, I need your help.  I am one individual and I can only promote vocations in so many places.  I am asking you to help me in promoting vocations for the Vincentian community.

Please pray for individuals to answer God’s call.  And please encourage those who you know to reflect on the possibility that God might be calling them.  Ask your children, grandchildren, friends, and co-workers.  I promise that I will do everything possible to visit and call everyone who is interested in the Vincentian community.  I pray that you help me to find more priests and brothers for Saint Vincent and his work.