GETTING INVOLVED

 

Upcoming Events

JPII Pilgrimage to Poland: below is the tentative plan for our pilgrimage this year. If you are interested in joining us, please register by the end of January 2012.

• Friday 20 July- Sunday 22 July: Staying at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Łagiewniki and visiting Kalwaria Zebrzydowska.
• 22-28 July: Krakow (Visiting relevant sites around the city, Dębniki, Wadowice, Częstochowa, Auschwitz, and the Salt mines.
• 28-29 July: Hiking in Zakopane (mountains)
• 30 July- 2 August: Lublin. You are then invited to join us for the second part of the pilgrimage as we join a group of students from the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL) on a walking pilgrimage. This pilgrimage finishes in Częstochowa on our Lady of Częstochowa’s feast day. This also signals the end of the pilgrimage.

JPII Regional Conference: The Community hopes to run Regional Conferences in the countries where the community has been established. The first of these is being planned for December 2012 to take place in San Francisco, CA.

Staying in touch

• Join our mailing list by sending us an email: info@mg.org.au
• Join our facebook group: John Paul II Sisters/ Missionaries of the Gospel

Supporting the community

As you can imagine it is not easy to begin something new, especially when it is countercultural. The community is so grateful for your prayers as they try to be faithful to the work of the Holy Spirit.

The community lives on providence and does not receive any form of regular income. This means that they trust that God will provide for all their needs (food, bills, petrol etc.). If you would like to make a donation to the community:

1. You can send a cheque or money order to 
'Missionaries of the Gospel',
2001 Jefferson Davis Hwy Suite 511 Arlington VA 22202

2. Or make a donation directly into the MG account-
National Australia Bank
Missionaries of the Gospel
086006 867962392

If you are able to help, the community in Washington DC is also in need of a car at the moment. Thank you for your generous support in the past, your donation now, and your ongoing prayers for the Missionaries of the Gospel.

Sharing a common way of life with the MGs

Those who officially join the Missionaries of the Gospel adopt a common ‘rule of life’ (daily spiritual practices, prayers and routine). It is provided here (PDF, 80KB) (together with some MG traditions and the community feast days) for those who are discerning or would simply like to deepen their spiritual life in the Spirit of Bl. John Paul II.

Getting to know the MGs better

Those who feel called to be more involved in the MGs can apply to join a ‘Living the Legacy Series’ (PDF, 48kb) by sending an email to info@mg.org.au This is a 12 month program of formation in the charism and spirituality of JPII. It also serves as a period of discernment for the participant and the community about whether the person is called to enter the community and begin their formation in a more formal capacity. In addition to attending fortnightly video conferences with other lay people from different countries, the person remains in contact with the other members of the group via an online forum.

Applying to join

If after this time, a person feels called to enter the MGs (as a lay or consecrated member), they then write a letter to the MGs asking to enter as a postulant (a person asking to enter does not need to have done the ‘Living the Legacy Series’ first). They will be sent an application form and information about the application process.

Eligibility:

• To enter as a lay person, you do not have to be Catholic and there is no age limit.
• To enter the sisters you must be a practicing Catholic, be fluent in English and be between 18-30 years old.
• For both the lay and consecrated arms of the community, you cannot be a member of another formal community/institution in the Church and must be prepared to live according to the Provisional Statutes of the MGs (July 2011).

At this stage, the community is not ready to accept those who want to be a John Paul II Brother or John Paul II Priest.

Stages of membership and formation

(1) Postulancy: During this year a person meets regularly with a member of the community and discerns whether they are called to join the MG’s. In addition to this personal meeting, they attend classes that provide basic formation in the areas of: prayer; community life; the charism, spirituality and life of JPII; basic Church doctrine and history, and Scripture. They are encouraged to live the rule of life (PDF, 80kb) (though they are not bound to do so having not made any promises) and to study the writings of Bl. John Paul II.

While the lay people do not live in community with the sisters, where possible their formation takes place in person with a Sister (and other postulants). Although, it can be provided over the internet where the postulant is not within physical proximity of the community.

If the person has entered the John Paul II Sisters (heading towards consecrated life), they will be living in community with the sisters. Their formation program (PDF, 53kb) contains additional elements and their rule of life includes a different schedule or horarium (PDF, 43kb).

(2) Novitiate: Should the person feel called to continue, they would write to the MGs again and request permission to enter the novitiate program. The community would respond and if they are accepted, they would undertake a program (in addition to their daily activities) to be formed at a deeper level. This amounts to a deepening of their interior life with God and the fulfilment of His supreme calling for them. Depending on the persons situation this period could take from 12 months to two years.

(3) If it is discerned that the person is called to enter after this time, there is a ceremony where they make a temporary private promise (lay people) or temporary vows (to be a sister). This is renewed each year on the same day for 7 years where there is then a possibility of making a life/final commitment.

Recommended reading:

• Pope John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis, 4 March 1979.
• Pope John Paul II, (2011). The Story of My Life: Collected Memories. Boston, USA: Pauline Books and Media.
• Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz (2008). My life with Karol: my 40 year friendship with the man who became pope. USA: Doubleday.
• Slawomir Oder with Saverio Gaeta. (2010). Why he is a saint: the life and faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonisation. New York, USA: Rizzoli International Publications Inc.
• George Weigel’s ‘Witness to Hope’ and ‘The end and the beginning.’
• Article by Fr Thomas McGovern at http://www.christendom-awake.org/pages/mcgovern/chrisanthro.htm .
• Jarosław Kupczak OP. (2000) Destined for Liberty: the human person in the philosophy of Karol Wojtyła, Washington DC, USA: The Catholic University of America Press.
• Rocco Buttiglione (1997). Karol Wojtyła: the thought of the man who became Pope John Paul II. Cambridge, UK: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
• Kenneth L. Schmitz. (1993). At the center of the human drama: the philosophical anthropology of Karol Wojtyła/ Pope John Paul II, USA: The Catholic University of America Press.

Links to other JPII Websites

http://jp2friends.org
www.karol-wojtyla.org
www.jp2.info
www.johnpaulii.edu
jp2institute.org
www.jp2cc.org
www.jp2forum.org
www.jp2center.org

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