"...shouldering burdens that many of us simply can't imagine."

Over the last ten months, the Missionaries of Mercy have been transitioning from a specific, parish-based ministry, to a less geographically constrained entity.  To that end, rather than limiting our ministry to the confines of Charlton, we have heeded God’s call to expand our efforts to individuals and groups within the greater Worcester area. Responding to this call we have been graced to find ourselves fulfilling requests for food, children’s items, bedding, and basic necessities in Southbridge, Oxford, Auburn, and Worcester. We have been, and continue to be blessed with opportunities to cook and serve meals at Abby’s House, Jeremiah’s Inn, and the emergency homeless shelter located in the basement of St. John’s Catholic Church. This shelter, affectionately and aptly named Hotel Grace, opens its doors each night when the temperature dips below 32 degrees, welcoming the homeless with open, loving, and merciful arms.

Through these expanding efforts, we have become ever-more aware of the vast need that exists within our communities, evidenced so clearly through the struggles of our brothers and sisters. Equally so, we have become ever-more aware of our responsibility to go beyond the comfortable, the safe, and the good enough; extending ourselves instead, well beyond that which we deem adequate. In so doing, we have found ourselves less and less attached to the things of this world, and more assigned to those opportunities that God confronts us with each day to serve Him by being of greater service to our brothers and sisters. It is in this service that each of us is gracefully reminded that there exists nothing special in simply doing that which we are all expected to do – “love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34-35), for each of us is called to minister to our brothers and sisters where they are, not where we would prefer them to be. But, if each of us can muster the genuine desire to step outside of the four walls of our comfort zone, be it our home, our job, or our church, then we can experience just how special our brothers and sisters are in shouldering burdens that many of us simply can’t imagine.