Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity

Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (Missionary Servants) is a religious congregation of men in the Roman Catholic Church, with headquarters, General Curia, located in Silver Spring, Maryland. Its members are ordained priests and brothers who are full members of the community. Members engage in missionary work with the poor and abandoned in both the United States and Latin America. One of their principal aims is to promote the missionary vocation of the laity; they are also known for parish ministry and for promoting social justice. Presently, the Superior General is the Very Rev. John S. Edmunds, S.T.[1]

History

Foundation

Rev. Thomas A. Judge, C.M.,[2] helped them preserve and spread the Catholic faith. Rev. Judge began gathering groups of lay people together in various places where he worked in the northeastern United States. It was from this group, today known as the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate, that the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity traces its origins. Rev. Stone also founded a community for women, called the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity.

Governance

There is not a conventional governance, otherwise known as a superior general. He is assisted by the general council, which consists of a vicar-general and three general councilors. New leadership is elected every four years.[3] The members are governed according to the congregation's constitution.[4] The congregation is composed of 134 members, each of whom work and live in seven geographic regions. Unlike most Roman Catholic orders, the congregation is not organized in provinces.

Social mission

Across the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, Missionary Servant priests and brothers are working in poverty-afflicted urban neighborhoods, immigrant communities, Native American reservations, and small towns in the rural South. In Costa Rica and Colombia, they serve communities of people living in towns and tropical rain forests. The priests and brothers serve as pastors, professors, lawyers, chaplains, and counselors.

Statistics

As of 2011, the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity has 134 members. The composition of the members is, as follows: 88 priests, 3 deacons (1 permanent and 2 transitional), 12 student brothers (men in the process of joining the priesthood), 25 brothers, and 6 novices.[5] The majority of members are from the United States, with remaining members from Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.[5]

Members serve in four nations on two continents, with the largest number in the U.S. Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama; Diocese of Tucson, Arizona; Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Diocese of San Bernardino, California; Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida; Diocese of Savannah, Georgia; Diocese of Boise, Idaho; Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio; Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois; Archdiocese of Baltimore, Maryland; Archdiocese of Washington, Washington, D.C.; Diocese of Biloxi and Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi; Archdiocese of Newark and Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey.

In Colombia, missions are found in the Archdiocese of Medellin and the Diocese of El Banco. In Costa Rica, parishes are located in the Archdiocese of San José and the Diocese of San Isidro de el General.

In Mexico, Missionary Servant missions minister in the Archdiocese of Mexico, Diocese of Texcoco, and Archdiocese of Tulancingo. In Puerto Rico, our members serve in the Diocese of Ponce and in the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao. The average age is 55.3 years.[5]

Habit and dress

The Missionary Servant Habit consists of a black cassock closing at the right shoulder with three buttons, symbolizing the Holy Trinity, only with a military collar. The cincture has three tabs, representing the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Sometimes a white habit is worn in warmer climates.

References

  1. ↑ "Fr. John Edmunds elected president of CMSM | Trinity Missions". trinitymissions.org. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
  2. ↑ Judge, Thomas (1994). God's Valiant Warrior. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Missionary Cenacle Press. pp. 1–341.
  3. ↑ "New leadership - Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity - FAMVIN News". FAMVIN News. 2015-05-29. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  4. ↑ https://books.google.com.au/books?id=6Gq6nXfg_XoC&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11&dq=governed+according+to+the+congregation%27s+Constitution&source=bl&ots=uW5wqhYEOH&sig=tCSRNOGZfek_Ykf6aL7eBI3OnjY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiLzZrVm8bOAhXGHJQKHZjIAqMQ6AEIIzAB#v=onepage&q=governed%20according%20to%20the%20congregation's%20Constitution&f=false
  5. 1 2 3 Vesely, Br. Steve (July 2011). Catalogus. Silver Spring, Maryland: Missionary Servants. p. 32.

External links

Mission webites

Alabama

California

Florida

Maryland

Mississippi

New Jersey

Congregation websites

http://www.trinitymissions.org

Vocations

Missionary Cenacle Family websites

Other external links


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