Three new Vincentian Lay Missionaries from the USA have been doing final preparatory work before departing for Ethiopia on June 15. The VLM-USA is a colaborative project of the Daughters of Charity East Central Province and the Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission. Their efforts are welcomed and supported on scene by Sister Aster and the Daughters of Charity in Ethiopia.Christine Leming, Casey McCluskey and Jessica Gray will be accompanied by Sr. Mary Beth Kubera, D.C., as they travel to Bahar Dar in north central Ethiopia to teach intensive englsh to primary school children. Take a look at a slideshow of last year’s experience in Ethiopia. Their stay will last six weeks.

This is the second year of the program, and the first year with a fully realized pre-experience formation unit, held this year at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. The formation program was directed by Vincentian Father Aidan Rooney, of the Vincentian Centers for Formation in Princeton, NJ, who collaborates with Sister Mary Beth on this new effort. The group met at Catholic University due to the generosity of University President, Rev. David M. O’Connell, C.M., providing their living arrangments and a comfortable place for formation near to Washington Dulles Airport, from which the missionaries embark.

Slowly but surely, VLM-USA is developing to a point where they hope to formally associate with the International Vincentian Lay Missionaries, known by their spanish acronym: MISEVI. Next year, VLM hopes to send two groups — one for women and one for men — and serve both Bahar Dar and the Vincentian Family mission in Jimma. Please pray for our young misisonaries from the USA and Ireland in Ethiopia.