Hanover priests rejoice bringing Christ to others on mission #Catholic – This summer, the missionary heart of Notre Dame Mount Carmel Parish, located in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., came alive in two very different places. On July 26, a team of nearly 50 Notre Dame parishioners and friends traveled to Preston County, W.V., for Operation Appalachia, serving families in need by repairing and restoring their homes. Father Emerson Francisco, the parish’s parochial vicar, accompanied them, experiencing the mission trip for the first time. A few weeks later, on Aug. 7, Notre Dame’s Guatemala Outreach Ministry traveled to Guatemala, where 15 parishioners and friends divided into three teams to build three homes for three families in need. Father Vidal Gonzales, Jr., Notre Dame’s pastor, accompanied the group, sharing in the hard work, fellowship, and encounters that made the journey meaningful. Though the missions were thousands of miles apart and the work was different, both journeys shared the same heart: to go where the Lord was calling, to serve his people, and to discover that in giving ourselves, we often receive far more than we could ever give. For Father Francisco, the Operation Appalachia mission began each morning before the work even started. He would walk to the cemetery beside the camp, pray the rosary, reflect on the Gospel, and meditate in silence. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Then, at 7 a.m., team members gathered for Mass. Their altar was a simple tree stump with the morning sun rising through the trees behind it. As he celebrated the Eucharist, Father Francisco thought: “Before we repaired a single porch, painted a single wall, or drove a single nail, Christ was already repairing us.” The work that followed was demanding. Teams rebuilt porches, replaced floors, built ramps, reinforced roofs, and made repairs that homeowners had been unable to undertake themselves. But something else happened along the way. When some teams completed their projects early, they didn’t stop. They loaded their tools and went to help the teams that still had work to do. They asked, “Where can we help next?” For Father Francisco, that was the Gospel in action. “We weren’t just several work crews. We were one family,” Father Francisco said. That same spirit was evident in Guatemala. Over five days, three teams worked alongside From Houses to Homes workers to construct simple but sturdy homes of cinderblock, concrete flooring, metal roofing, a window, and a door. The work was physically demanding, but Father Gonzalez witnessed how the families themselves became a source of renewed energy and purpose. “Seeing the families whose houses we were building gave us renewed energy and a deeper sense of purpose,” Father Gonzalez said. While the physical work was important, both priests recognized that the deeper mission was about people. Father Francisco said the homeowners in Appalachia reminded the team that they were never repairing wood or concrete. “We were entering people’s lives,” Father Francisco said. Father Gonzalez expressed that same truth from Guatemala. “Outreach is not measured only by what we accomplish, but by the relationships we build along the way,” Father Francisco said. In both places, homes became a doorway to encounter — to listen to people’s stories, share meals, laugh together, and recognize the dignity and worth of every person. During Operation Appalachia, Father Francisco didn’t just talk about what the Church is, but experienced the Church. “As a priest, I often tell people that the Church is not simply a building. During Operation Appalachia, I didn’t just preach those words — I lived them,” Father Francisco said. In Guatemala, the Church crossed borders and cultures, bringing together people who might otherwise never have met. “When people from different communities, cultures, and backgrounds come together with open hearts and willing hands, borders become smaller, and humanity becomes bigger,” Father Gonzalez said. The most profound commonality between these two missions is that the blessings didn’t flow in only one direction. The families received homes. They received repairs. They received help and the reassurance that they were seen and valued. But those who served received something as well. Father Gonzalez and the team returned to Notre Dame with “tired bodies but grateful hearts,” carrying memories of the families they encountered. They also gained a deeper understanding that “service is not only about what we give but also about what we receive.” The priest also saw in the families lessons in “courage, resilience, generosity, hope, and faith.” Father Francisco experienced the same transformation. What he expected to be a week of service became, unexpectedly, a week that “renewed my own priesthood.” Perhaps that is one of the great revelations of missionary work: we go believing that we are bringing Christ to others, only to discover Christ waiting for us there. This summer reminded the Notre Dame participants that mission takes many forms. It may mean rebuilding a porch in West Virginia, laying a cinderblock in Guatemala, preparing a meal, offering a skill, giving financially, or simply saying yes when the Lord places an opportunity before us. “There is always a way to contribute.” Some give financially. Others offer their time, skills, supplies, prayers, encouragement, or presence,” Father Gonzalez said. “Each of these seemingly individual acts becomes part of something much greater. Together, these individual acts of generosity become a powerful witness to what can happen when people come together with a common purpose and willing hearts,” he said. [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

This summer, the missionary heart of Notre Dame Mount Carmel Parish, located in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., came alive in two very different places.

On July 26, a team of nearly 50 Notre Dame parishioners and friends traveled to Preston County, W.V., for Operation Appalachia, serving families in need by repairing and restoring their homes. Father Emerson Francisco, the parish’s parochial vicar, accompanied them, experiencing the mission trip for the first time.

A few weeks later, on Aug. 7, Notre Dame’s Guatemala Outreach Ministry traveled to Guatemala, where 15 parishioners and friends divided into three teams to build three homes for three families in need. Father Vidal Gonzales, Jr., Notre Dame’s pastor, accompanied the group, sharing in the hard work, fellowship, and encounters that made the journey meaningful.

Though the missions were thousands of miles apart and the work was different, both journeys shared the same heart: to go where the Lord was calling, to serve his people, and to discover that in giving ourselves, we often receive far more than we could ever give.

For Father Francisco, the Operation Appalachia mission began each morning before the work even started. He would walk to the cemetery beside the camp, pray the rosary, reflect on the Gospel, and meditate in silence.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Then, at 7 a.m., team members gathered for Mass. Their altar was a simple tree stump with the morning sun rising through the trees behind it. As he celebrated the Eucharist, Father Francisco thought: “Before we repaired a single porch, painted a single wall, or drove a single nail, Christ was already repairing us.”

The work that followed was demanding. Teams rebuilt porches, replaced floors, built ramps, reinforced roofs, and made repairs that homeowners had been unable to undertake themselves.

But something else happened along the way. When some teams completed their projects early, they didn’t stop. They loaded their tools and went to help the teams that still had work to do. They asked, “Where can we help next?” For Father Francisco, that was the Gospel in action.

“We weren’t just several work crews. We were one family,” Father Francisco said.

That same spirit was evident in Guatemala. Over five days, three teams worked alongside From Houses to Homes workers to construct simple but sturdy homes of cinderblock, concrete flooring, metal roofing, a window, and a door. The work was physically demanding, but Father Gonzalez witnessed how the families themselves became a source of renewed energy and purpose.

“Seeing the families whose houses we were building gave us renewed energy and a deeper sense of purpose,” Father Gonzalez said.

While the physical work was important, both priests recognized that the deeper mission was about people.

Father Francisco said the homeowners in Appalachia reminded the team that they were never repairing wood or concrete.

“We were entering people’s lives,” Father Francisco said.

Father Gonzalez expressed that same truth from Guatemala.

“Outreach is not measured only by what we accomplish, but by the relationships we build along the way,” Father Francisco said.

In both places, homes became a doorway to encounter — to listen to people’s stories, share meals, laugh together, and recognize the dignity and worth of every person.

During Operation Appalachia, Father Francisco didn’t just talk about what the Church is, but experienced the Church.

“As a priest, I often tell people that the Church is not simply a building. During Operation Appalachia, I didn’t just preach those words — I lived them,” Father Francisco said.

In Guatemala, the Church crossed borders and cultures, bringing together people who might otherwise never have met.

“When people from different communities, cultures, and backgrounds come together with open hearts and willing hands, borders become smaller, and humanity becomes bigger,” Father Gonzalez said.

The most profound commonality between these two missions is that the blessings didn’t flow in only one direction. The families received homes. They received repairs. They received help and the reassurance that they were seen and valued.

But those who served received something as well. Father Gonzalez and the team returned to Notre Dame with “tired bodies but grateful hearts,” carrying memories of the families they encountered. They also gained a deeper understanding that “service is not only about what we give but also about what we receive.” The priest also saw in the families lessons in “courage, resilience, generosity, hope, and faith.”

Father Francisco experienced the same transformation. What he expected to be a week of service became, unexpectedly, a week that “renewed my own priesthood.”

Perhaps that is one of the great revelations of missionary work: we go believing that we are bringing Christ to others, only to discover Christ waiting for us there.

This summer reminded the Notre Dame participants that mission takes many forms. It may mean rebuilding a porch in West Virginia, laying a cinderblock in Guatemala, preparing a meal, offering a skill, giving financially, or simply saying yes when the Lord places an opportunity before us.

“There is always a way to contribute.” Some give financially. Others offer their time, skills, supplies, prayers, encouragement, or presence,” Father Gonzalez said. “Each of these seemingly individual acts becomes part of something much greater. Together, these individual acts of generosity become a powerful witness to what can happen when people come together with a common purpose and willing hearts,” he said.

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Hanover priests rejoice bringing Christ to others on mission #Catholic –

This summer, the missionary heart of Notre Dame Mount Carmel Parish, located in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., came alive in two very different places.

On July 26, a team of nearly 50 Notre Dame parishioners and friends traveled to Preston County, W.V., for Operation Appalachia, serving families in need by repairing and restoring their homes. Father Emerson Francisco, the parish’s parochial vicar, accompanied them, experiencing the mission trip for the first time.

A few weeks later, on Aug. 7, Notre Dame’s Guatemala Outreach Ministry traveled to Guatemala, where 15 parishioners and friends divided into three teams to build three homes for three families in need. Father Vidal Gonzales, Jr., Notre Dame’s pastor, accompanied the group, sharing in the hard work, fellowship, and encounters that made the journey meaningful.

Though the missions were thousands of miles apart and the work was different, both journeys shared the same heart: to go where the Lord was calling, to serve his people, and to discover that in giving ourselves, we often receive far more than we could ever give.

For Father Francisco, the Operation Appalachia mission began each morning before the work even started. He would walk to the cemetery beside the camp, pray the rosary, reflect on the Gospel, and meditate in silence.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Then, at 7 a.m., team members gathered for Mass. Their altar was a simple tree stump with the morning sun rising through the trees behind it. As he celebrated the Eucharist, Father Francisco thought: “Before we repaired a single porch, painted a single wall, or drove a single nail, Christ was already repairing us.”

The work that followed was demanding. Teams rebuilt porches, replaced floors, built ramps, reinforced roofs, and made repairs that homeowners had been unable to undertake themselves.

But something else happened along the way. When some teams completed their projects early, they didn’t stop. They loaded their tools and went to help the teams that still had work to do. They asked, “Where can we help next?” For Father Francisco, that was the Gospel in action.

“We weren’t just several work crews. We were one family,” Father Francisco said.

That same spirit was evident in Guatemala. Over five days, three teams worked alongside From Houses to Homes workers to construct simple but sturdy homes of cinderblock, concrete flooring, metal roofing, a window, and a door. The work was physically demanding, but Father Gonzalez witnessed how the families themselves became a source of renewed energy and purpose.

“Seeing the families whose houses we were building gave us renewed energy and a deeper sense of purpose,” Father Gonzalez said.

While the physical work was important, both priests recognized that the deeper mission was about people.

Father Francisco said the homeowners in Appalachia reminded the team that they were never repairing wood or concrete.

“We were entering people’s lives,” Father Francisco said.

Father Gonzalez expressed that same truth from Guatemala.

“Outreach is not measured only by what we accomplish, but by the relationships we build along the way,” Father Francisco said.

In both places, homes became a doorway to encounter — to listen to people’s stories, share meals, laugh together, and recognize the dignity and worth of every person.

During Operation Appalachia, Father Francisco didn’t just talk about what the Church is, but experienced the Church.

“As a priest, I often tell people that the Church is not simply a building. During Operation Appalachia, I didn’t just preach those words — I lived them,” Father Francisco said.

In Guatemala, the Church crossed borders and cultures, bringing together people who might otherwise never have met.

“When people from different communities, cultures, and backgrounds come together with open hearts and willing hands, borders become smaller, and humanity becomes bigger,” Father Gonzalez said.

The most profound commonality between these two missions is that the blessings didn’t flow in only one direction. The families received homes. They received repairs. They received help and the reassurance that they were seen and valued.

But those who served received something as well. Father Gonzalez and the team returned to Notre Dame with “tired bodies but grateful hearts,” carrying memories of the families they encountered. They also gained a deeper understanding that “service is not only about what we give but also about what we receive.” The priest also saw in the families lessons in “courage, resilience, generosity, hope, and faith.”

Father Francisco experienced the same transformation. What he expected to be a week of service became, unexpectedly, a week that “renewed my own priesthood.”

Perhaps that is one of the great revelations of missionary work: we go believing that we are bringing Christ to others, only to discover Christ waiting for us there.

This summer reminded the Notre Dame participants that mission takes many forms. It may mean rebuilding a porch in West Virginia, laying a cinderblock in Guatemala, preparing a meal, offering a skill, giving financially, or simply saying yes when the Lord places an opportunity before us.

“There is always a way to contribute.” Some give financially. Others offer their time, skills, supplies, prayers, encouragement, or presence,” Father Gonzalez said. “Each of these seemingly individual acts becomes part of something much greater. Together, these individual acts of generosity become a powerful witness to what can happen when people come together with a common purpose and willing hearts,” he said.

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]