Maryknoll magazine editors report on the many faces of mission in Chicago

Recently Associate Editor Maria-Pia Negro Chin and I visited Chicago to report on how Christians there are living out their baptismal call to mission. We were overwhelmed by the depth and breadth of the mission projects we witnessed and the commitment to serve others at home and abroad by the faith-filled Chicagoans we met. We faced one dilemma when we returned: how to present in the limited space of this magazine the many faces of mission we encountered in Chicago.

Rosette Mamboleo, the young woman who graces our cover, is an example. Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and raised in South Africa, 23-year-old Rosette told us that when she arrived in Chicago less than a year ago, she was looking for a place where she could find a purpose and a way to serve others motivated by her Catholic faith . A friend introduced her to the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership, a grassroots not-for-profit organization that trains people to put Catholic social teaching into action through community organizing.

“You can’t separate justice and God,” Rosette said, as she explained how her faith-based training leads her to promote safety and mental health in her neighborhood.

A highlight of the Chicago trip for me was meeting young adults who are not only practicing their faith but also serving as Christian role models for younger youth. How moving it was to witness a group of twenty-somethings using their free time to strategize ways to present the concept of vocation to teenagers.

I hope that reading about Chicagoans in mission in this issue will inspire you to ask yourself: “What will I do to share God’s love in my hometown?”