Dearly beloved Lay Missionaries of Charity,

May the peace and spirit of this holy week prevail over our lives and activities. I hope and pray that you are able to live the Holy Week as you have desired it.

The evil one never wants us to live properly, whole-heartedly and prayerfully this special week of all weeks throughout the year. However, he is not more powerful than God. As we are God’s children and not the evil one’s, our heavenly Father will take care of us, who ever have recourse to him.

Very soon we will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the Movement of the Lay Missionaries of Charity (LMC). Forty years is a very important biblical number. After 40 years of wandering in the desert, Irael entered the promised land. It is going to be a very great Thanksgiving Day for the gift of our LMC Movement. Our gratitude to God must be expressed in words, in songs, in prayers, and above all by celebrating the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist. There is no other substitute for it. “Mass is my life and my life is a prolonged Mass” (St. Albert Hurtado).

I wish that all the LMC groups would invite, wholeheartedly, their respective bishops to celebrate the Holy Mass of thanksgiving! If there are M.C. Sisters and co-workers, please do not forget to include them, but above all the pastor of your parish. Let our prayers of gratitude resound from every corner of the world. Do not forget to sing aloud the great song of “Te Deum laudamus…”.

In Rome we have our Eucharistic celebration, commemorating the great event, on Tuesday, the 16th of April, 2024, at 16.30 (4.30 p.m.). His Eminence, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect emeritus of the Dicastery of Oriental Churches, has so kindly and so happily accepted our invitation to preside over the Eucharistic celebration of the great day of thanksgiving, together with the LMCs of Rome and of Italy. Not all of the LMCs can be present from Italy either, but there may be a good number of LMCs from the various groups of Italy. Mr. Paolo and Mrs. Rita Masia LMCs are in touch with the various group Links and their spiritual Directors.

Let us hope and pray that our 40th anniversary of the foundation of our Movement may be a profound Pentecostal experience for all the LMCs of Rome and a new Pentecost for the entire LMC Movement, that it may help us all to grow in holiness, increase in number and persevere in our vocation!

We praise you, Lord Jesus, and we thank you for the gift of our LMCs.

Wee praise you and we thank you, Lord Jesus, for the gift of our Spiritual Directors and all those who help us in any way.

We praise you, Lord Jesus, and we thank you for all the M.C. Sisters who help the LMCs in the various parts of the world to grow in holiness, increase in number and persevere in their vocation.

We praise you, Lord Jesus, and we thank you for our own LMC group, all the active and passive members, all the souls of all the departed LMCS and their Spiritual Directors. 

We praise you, Lord Jesus, and we thank you for Mrs. Paradisa LMC for her fidelity, love and concern, for all that she has been and has done.

We praise you, Lord Jesus, and we thank you for Ms. Gianna Tommasi LMC for all that she has done and is still doing for the Movement, for all the other LMCs who are working for the betterment of the LMCs, for their growth and development.

Lord Jesus, help the LMCs to become what they are meant to be. Let them learn to live according to the inspiring example of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We must know that our Lady and St. Joseph were the first Lay M.C.s, without making their vows formally.

We praise you, Lord Jesus, and we thank you in anticipation for the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life and the Prefect, his Eminence Cardinal Kevin Farrell and all those who work with him.

We praise you, Lord Jesus, and we thank you for the Magisterium of the Church, the pope, cardinals, bishops, priests, religious, nuns and all others.

We praise you, Lord Jesus, and we thank you for the Missionaries of Charity Brothers Contemplative, for Bro. Ramon M.C. and his Councillors, for all the Superiors and their communities, for our “poorest of the poor” people, especially the sick ones in our homes.

We pray for our sick members, who suffer in their bodies, minds and souls, especially for Bro. Piet M.C., for the entire M.C. Family.

We praise you, Lord Jesus, and we thank you for all our LMCs who have left the Movement for whatever reasons, for all benefactors, co-workers, volunteers and all; for everyone who is associated with our Society and our Movement in one way or another! May they all be blessed and rewarded abundantly by the Lord.

With much love, prayers, and above all, gratitude first and foremost to God, then to all of you!

God bless you.

Fr. Sebastian Vazhakala M.C.