A forum of Catholic Thought

Missionaries: Helping People Stay Afloat Before and After Disasters

Maureen Crowley Heil
June 27, 2025

Early in my ministry with The Pontifical Mission Societies (TPMS), I had the opportunity to travel to Ecuador with other TPMS leaders. We visited with missionaries who worked with street children in ...

Thank You, Sister

Maureen Crowley Heil
June 20, 2025

Last month, the social media world celebrated "Thank a Nun Day." Social networks were full of stories and pictures with the hashtag #ThankaNunDay. All I could say was, it's about time! In the missions, ...

True Mission is Giving and Receiving

Maureen Crowley Heil
June 13, 2025

The country of Zambia, in southeastern Africa, is twenty-eight times the size of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in area. Their population is only double ours. To say that populated areas are few and ...

Witnessing the Gospel at Work in the Missions

Maureen Crowley Heil
June 6, 2025

As a teenager, my middle son once told me that he thought he could give me any vocabulary word and I'd make it into a "mission moment." (I think it was a compliment!) The same thing happens to me ...

Memorial Day: Pause, Pray, Honor

Maureen Crowley Heil
May 23, 2025

In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells us that, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. (John 15:13). As we pause to commemorate Memorial Day, let's remember ...

A Missionary of Hope and Love

Maureen Crowley Heil
May 16, 2025

In 1959, 13-year-old Dubliner Andy Campbell was working as a supermarket stock boy. His parents had no money for secondary school, so it seemed his future as a laborer was set. As he worked, he recalled ...

Journey to the Ends of the Earth in Prayer

Maureen Crowley Heil
May 9, 2025

As I have been privileged to travel around the world, witnessing the work funded by the Pontifical Mission Societies (TPMS), I make it a point to carry World Mission Rosaries with me. The World Mission ...

Sometimes, a Hero wears a Cape and a Veil

Maureen Crowley Heil
May 2, 2025

In the Diocese of Yendi in northern Ghana, missionaries are working to educate people about the acceptance of children born with disabilities. In the minds of some people who hold traditional beliefs, ...