Lay Missionaries of Charity serve in Oklahoma

The Lay Missionaries of Charity is a group that is spiritually affiliated with Missionaries of Charity Brothers and is a lay branch of Missionaries of Charity of Saint Teresa of Calcutta. 

Founded in Rome in 1984 by Saint Teresa of Calcutta and Father Sebastian Vazhakala, the Lay Missionaries of Charity is comprised of lay people, both married and single, who take private vows of chastity, poverty, obedience and whole-hearted free service to the poorest of the poor. 

The Lay Missionaries of Charity movement grew quickly, and it spread to several countries in Europe; North, Central and South America, and its statutes have been translated into more than 15 languages. 

With the growth and development of the Lay Missionaries of Charity movement, the Lay Missionaries of Charity began meeting in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City in 2007, with the blessing of Archbishop Eusebius Beltran. 

The Missionaries of Charity fully recognize the Magisterium of the Church, and respect and obey its ministers. 

“I want people to know there is nothing contrary to Church teaching; we are fully in line with the Church,” Toni Harrelson said. 

The purpose of the lay person is to be like Jesus, “set apart” from the materialistic thinking of society. This is achieved by consecrating themselves and their families to God and following the example of the Holy Family of Nazareth. 

“The purpose of the lay person is becoming increasingly more important in Catholicism. The Church is yearning for proper roles of lay people within the Church; and because lay people remain in the heart of the world, this is a part of the role of lay missionaries of charity,” Harrelson said.
 
“The Lay Missionaries of Charity is a spiritual calling. The vows are what bring us all together in the world.”    

For those who are interested in becoming a part of the Lay Missionaries of Charity and are interested in the charism of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, they are welcome to attend a come-and-see period, where they meet with the group on a regular basis to read, study and reflect on the statutes. At the conclusion of the come and see period, candidates meet with a spiritual director, and then may begin the two years of formation in preparation for their first vows. 

The Lay Missionaries of Charity group meets twice a month; on the first Saturday of the month at Saint Ann Independent Living Center for Holy Mass at 9:30 a.m., adoration and the rosary, and on the third Saturday of the month, the group meets in the conference room at the Holy Innocents' Perpetual Adoration Chapel in Oklahoma City.

Courtney Rhone is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.

Lay Missionaries of Charity
Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Contact: Toni Harrelson
(405) 694-1292 or (405) 341-2199
tonimah@sbcglobal.net