Saint Teresa of Calcutta, considered one of the 20
th century’s greatest humanitarians, left not only a legacy, but a thriving community of religious and lay persons carrying on her mission.
The Movement of the Lay Missionaries of Charity is an international association of lay persons, both married and single, with their consecrated presence in the heart of the world.
The movement was approved in 1987 by the Diocese of Rome. It has grown rapidly and spread to various countries in Europe, North, Central and South America. Its statutes have been translated into more than 15 languages.
The LMC's are intimately linked to the family of the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Saint Teresa of Calcutta and with whom they are spiritually affiliated. The Lay Missionaries of Charity began in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City in 2007 with the blessing of Archbishop Emeritus Eusebius Beltran. The movement is marked by prayer, study and spiritual growth and fully recognizes the Magisterium of the Church and respects and obeys its ministers.
The members make private vows of chastity (conjugal), poverty, obedience and a fourth vow of wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor lived according to each one's own state of life.
Their purpose is to consecrate themselves and their families to God; offering worship by the holiness of their lives expressed through prayer, penance and works of mercy. Their model and patron is the Holy Family of Nazareth, their source of inspiration, according to the Lay Missionaries of Charity statutes.
According to its statutes, they “live a life of prayer, penance and service, marked by simplicity, humility and the practice of the Gospel teachings; loving and adoring Jesus under the species of Bread and Wine. The spirit of the Lay Missionaries of Charity is one of total abandonment to God's holy will, child-like trust in his fatherly care and readiness for service in profound humility after the example of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.”
Toni Harrelson, the facilitator of the group in the archdiocese said, "It has created more of a longing to grow spiritually and more forgiving. I learn from others; I learn from everyone. It has enabled me to be more humble in what I do know and what I can learn from others. Humility is love, if we are not humble, we are missing a lot of love that we can give and receive."
John Harrelson, Toni’s husband, said, "having made my Vows for Life as an LMC has enabled me to come closer to Jesus, to become his close friend, to live with him, to walk with him, and to work with him on a daily basis."
Those interested in becoming an LMC can visit during a "Come and See" period that allows them to visit with the LMC group, to read, study and reflect on the statutes of the group and to meet with the group's spiritual director. At the end of this trial period, the candidate, after consulting with the spiritual director, may begin a two-year period of formation.
For Megan Berry, the LMC has special meaning.
“My admiration, as a Protestant kid, of the embodiment of social good in Mother Teresa translated naturally to my embrace, as a newly-minted Catholic, of the LMC movement of Saint Teresa of Calcutta.”
The group meets at Saint Ann Retirement Center in Oklahoma City on the first and third Saturdays of each month. The meetings always begin with Holy Mass.
"I would love to start a group of young people," Harrelson said. “They are the future of our Church.”
Judy Hilovsky is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
Lay Missionaries of Charity Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Contact Toni Harrelson
(405) 341-2199
[email protected]