Missionaries Of The Eucharist

[MithLuin]

I thought I would post this here, because this group is certainly of good help to discerners (of both religious life and married life). You only commit for a summer, though .

[img]http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs207.snc1/7423_988406573234_9303947_61732439_1778544_n.jpg[/img]

[url=http://www.themoes.us/Missionaries_of_the_Eucharist.html]The Missionaries of the Eucharist[/url] walk from Maine to Washington, DC over the course of 10 weeks in the summer. In this sense, the group is very similar to [url=http://www.crossroadswalk.com/]Crossroads[/url], the prolife group that walks coast to coast over the summers.

The group relies entirely upon donations for the gas in the vehicles and the food they eat. They stay with parishes and host families each night. Being mendicant and itinerant (and reliant upon God's providence) is very much Franciscan.

Such a group could not exist without an intense prayer life, of course. The MOEs chant morning, evening and night prayer. Many former MOEs are Dominicans (or Sisters of Life, which have a very Dominican charism), so you could say the group is fairly Dominican in nature. Daily mass is also an essential for a group dedicated to the Eucharist.

Each day (not Sundays), the group walks 20-30 miles, broken up into one hour shifts. On each shift, one rosary (or the Divine Mercy chaplet is said), and a processional crucifix and the Vatican flag are carried. That, along with the matching t-shirts, makes the group very visible to passing motorists. Some stop to talk, as do local residents, and if so, there is a chance for evangelization. Or at least hearing some life stories. [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bloe3Bhz_Is](example)[/url] It's a great opportunity to be a visible presence of God in the world, and the t-shirts state that the Missionaries are "Proclaiming the Beauty of the Catholic Faith."

On Saturdays, the group makes an effort to pray at abortion mills. The sidewalk counseling is done in the spirit of Msr. Reilly's Helpers of God's Precious Infants.

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZIohzRXets]Recruitment Video[/url]

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK_vmb_OsUM]Some former Missionaries discuss the Mysteries of the Rosary on the Walk[/url]

But of course, the walk is a lot of fun, too, and it's a great experience to live in community and fellowship with other young Catholics who are enthusiastic about their faith. [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXKRmkOIvMY]I like turtles?[/url]



A [url=http://blog.themoes.us/]blog[/url] and some [url=http://missionariesoftheeucharist.podomatic.com/]podcasts[/url] from a few years ago. And, of course, they're on [url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Philadelphia-PA/Missionaries-of-the-Eucharist/24773947520]Facebook[/url].

I walked with them in 2009, and it was a great experience

[MithLuin]

Oh, and one more article: [url=http://tob.catholicexchange.com/2009/08/10/1085/]Taking Theology of the Body to the Streets[/url] by Joel Haubenreich.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='MithLuin' date='09 January 2010 - 03:35 PM' timestamp='1263076549' post='2033435']
Such a group could not exist without an intense prayer life, of course. The MOEs chant morning, evening and night prayer. Many former MOEs are Dominicans (or Sisters of Life, which have a very Dominican charism), so you could say the group is fairly Dominican in nature. Daily mass is also an essential for a group dedicated to the Eucharist.
[/quote]
+JMJ+
lol, i saw the shirt design, and i thought, "gee they look Dominican"

btw, St. Dominic was a mendicant.

[DominicanPhilosophy]

This is SO cool! It is great to learn that such a program/experience exists. Maybe I'll do this someday.

[img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/cool.gif[/img]

My only question is, do they train the participants (i.e., in apologetics and "taking Catholicism to the streets"), or are the participants expected to already be able to "improvisationally catechize"?

Thanks for sharing this!

+JMJD

[MithLuin]

Two of the guys in that picture are currently Dominican novices so...yeah. There are also two diocesan seminarians, and there were 2 weddings this summer [couples not pictured above]. (And yep, Franciscans and Dominicans were both mendicants, so it fits

There is a one week training session before the Walk begins, but also the walk starts in the rural areas of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire...so you have several weeks to walk and pray without too much interaction with people before you hit the cities and have to do a lot more street evangelization.

It's more about listening than catechizing on the spot, but of course you do a bit of that, too. The witness is more by your presence and telling people what you are doing and who you are. Basically, in whatever conversations you get into, you bring God with you.

I spoke to Rastafarians in Connecticut about the importance of respecting the dignity of women, because they brought it up in how much they respected their own mothers. A perfect way to bring Mary into a conversation, yes? Another man I met on a farm in Vermont brought up his own (rather out there) interpretation of Revelations, so we gently corrected him on a few points, but were happy to listen to what he had to say. Stuff like that. Everyone in the group was different. Some of us were well educated in theology and had a lot of practice with apologetics. Others had done sidewalk counseling for women entering abortion clinics. And others were happy to pray with people we met and hand out rosaries. I mean, there's not one 'right way' to encounter people, so training week is more to make sure you understand what the goal and purpose of the Walk is rather than to get a crash course in apologetics. But that's what your fellow walkers are for - you can get into conversations with each other and learn a lot.

It's like taking a pilgrimage and making a very public, visible witness while doing so. We met many Catholics who were so encouraged by meeting us, just happy to see young people living out their faith. And we met people who had things to teach us, too.

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

I bought a sweatshirt from them some time ago to support them and am currently wearing it. I love wearing it as often as I can. The NE really needs good solid groups like this... but then again, so do many other parts of the country...

[MithLuin]

So, who wants to go for a walk?

The Missionaries of the Eucharist are currently accepting applications for the 2010 summer walk! This year, the dates are May 28th - August 7th. Ideally, all walkers will be present for the entire walk, but if there is a reason you have to be away from the group for a time you may be able to work that out with the organizers. Being a missionary is all about being flexible! The first week of training is particularly important, though.

It does not cost any money to become a missionary. If fact, you are asked not to spend any of your own money while you are on the Walk. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to depend upon God's providence...now's your chance! Conversely, if you'd like to help support the Missionaries, they do accept donations.

If you have any questions, concerns, or are just curious, please ask here, and I will be happy to share more about this unique opportunity. I did this last summer, and found it to be an amazingly solid experience of a faith community.


Anyone who is interested in walking should go to this website and request more information from those organizing this year's walk:

http://www.themoes.us/2010-summer-walk/

Edited April 27, 2010 by MithLuin

[MithLuin]

*bump* Anyone interested? Now would be a good time to apply!

[MithLuin]

Oh, and I've started a thread in Open Mic, too, in case people who don't read Vocation Station would be interested.

Here it is: http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=105033

[laetitia crucis]

I have two really great friends that walked with this group [i]right[/i] before it became "The Missionaries of the Eucharist" -- back when it was part of the "Crusade for Life". They LOVED their experience and grew so much!

One of those friends is now a Sister of Life.

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

I've been promoting them to the youth of our parish on Facebook. Perhaps they will hear His call to this holy work!

[Shana]

I just found that I wasnt' rehired at my regular summer job as a camp coucilor and am seriously considering doing this walk!! Please pray for me, there are two things that I need to figure out:

1. Can I physically do it---I don't have asthma and I'm in reasonably good shape but I'm by no means a marathon runner or anything like that but I read that they break it up into one hour shifts which makes it sound doable.

2. I may need to get a job in my lame town for the summer and make money instead.

Please pray for me because I am very much interested in this

a.) I don't want to have a lame summer.

b.) I feel called to evangelize with TOB and I feel this would be the ideal environment to grow into that and network!!

Prayers please!

[MithLuin]

Agreed - you don't have to be a marathon runner to do this. I'm certainly not! If you're okay with walking around a college campus, you can probably handle the level of physical activity required. You can do as many (or as few) shifts as you want. Some people get bad blisters or have chronic knee/ankle injuries that mean they have to take off a few days to keep from hurting themselves. A 'light' day would be to walk 12 miles. That's four shifts of 3 miles each, with hour breaks between them all. Some people opt to do double shifts, so they would walk for two hours before taking a break. Some people do the early or late shifts, while the rest of the group gets to sleep or rest. So, if you want to be a trooper and walk a lot, you certainly can, but even if you're more of a medium walker, you are still giving everyone else a break.

In general, people don't lose weight on this walk, so it's hardly marathon-training levels of activity!

If you have serious health concerns or think that a lot of walking would be difficult/dangerous to you, then this might not be the ministry for you.

Edited May 14, 2010 by MithLuin

[MithLuin]

Thank you so much to those who have helped spread the word! Oh, and I wanted to add that the Missionaries are currently in need of a van, so if you know anyone who has one and might be interested in donating it or lending it for the summer, please pass this request along.

The co-leaders for this year's walk are both pictured in the opening post here. One is a college student at Franciscan University of Stuebenville, and the other is a seminarian for the diocese of Providence.

Please keep this year's walkers in your prayers! Thanks again

[MithLuin]

Just a quick update from the Shrine of Divine Mercy:

[url=http://thedivinemercy.org/news/story.php?NID=3970]HERE[/url] is an article about the Missionaries of the Eucharist on the website of the Divine Mercy Shrine. This week, they're walking from Manchester to Boston, so please do keep them in your prayers!