New Yorker 'Blessed' To Be In Maryknoll Missioners Class Of 2021

OSSINING, NY — Thirteen lay missioners, including a Hudson Valley resident, celebrated the beginning of their journeys Dec. 11 with a Mission Sending Ceremony in the Queen of the Apostles Chapel at Maryknoll.

One of the four Maryknoll entities with a joint focus on international mission work that goes back more than 100 years, the Maryknoll Lay Missioners work with those at the margins for a more just, compassionate and sustainable world. Volunteers serve in a wide range of ministries in Africa, Asia and the Americas that include health care and health promotion, education and leadership development, justice and peace, faith formation and pastoral care, and sustainable development.

The new lay missioners come from 10 different states, range in age from 23 to 70, and include people who are single, married and one religious sister. They are committing to three and a half years of service.

“The charisma of Maryknoll that draws me to them is difficult to explain, but they are some of the most interesting, faith-filled, and courageous people I have ever known," said new Lay Missioner Laurie Rumpf, whose home parish is St. Columba in Hopewell, and who has also been involved at Kennedy Catholic School in Somers. "I am hoping that my work on this mission will help and inspire others, especially young people, to gain the faith and courage to overcome whatever issues they are facing."

Until six years ago, Rumpf worked as a major gifts officer for Maryknoll Lay Missioners, and more recently she worked for Bread for the World. For the next three and a half years, she will be serving with Maryknoll Lay Missioners at a center for children and adults living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania.

Rumpf said she had thought about going into mission since college, but after she graduated, she got married and had a family.

“Now that my children are older,” she said, “I feel very blessed to finally have this opportunity to fulfill my lifelong dream. Maryknoll missioners have a joy about them … When you come to Maryknoll you’re joining a family."

The 13 new missioners are:

• Victoria Arce from Santa Maria, California, going to Bolivia.
• Bob and Liz Cunningham from Concord, Massachusetts, going to El Salvador.
• Susan Feeney from Skilman, New Jersey, going to Kenya.
• Jaclyn Geyer from Tacoma, Washington, going to Tanzania.
• Deirdre Griffin, SSJ, from Springfield, Massachusetts, going to the U.S.-Mexico border.
• Megan Hamilton from Fayetteville, West Virginia, going to Kenya.
• Kathy Kang from Cerritos, California, going to Brazil.
• Louise Locke from Derwood, Maryland, going to Bolivia.
• Allison (Andy) Perry from Millbrook, Alabama, going to Tanzania
• Laurie Rumpf from Hopewell Junction, New York, going to Tanzania.
• Francis Wayne from Baltimore, going to Kenya.
• Josh Wetmore from Pittsburgh, going to El Salvador.

This year's class is Maryknoll Lay Missioners' largest since 2005.

The ceremony marked the completion of an eight-week orientation and formation program on the Maryknoll campus in Ossining. The new missioners will depart around New Year's for their respective mission sites, where they will receive extensive in-country language training and cultural orientation before they begin their ministry assignments.

Representatives of all four Maryknoll entities (Sisters, Fathers and Brothers, Lay Missioners, and Affiliates) participated in the ceremony. Robert Ellsberg, the publisher of Orbis Books, was the celebration’s featured speaker.

During the Sending, the new missioners were “called forth” for their new mission region, received mission crosses and expressed their commitment “to witness the Good News of Jesus Christ, in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are marginalized and oppressed.” They committed themselves “to care for the earth, our common home, and to respond in service to help create a more just and compassionate world.”