On February 18, Ash Wednesday, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Canada launched its Lent campaign under the theme, You keep the mission alive!
Montreal, March 5, 2026 — “This year, we are highlighting missionaries who, throughout the world, carry out their work with remarkable generosity and a faith in humanity that sometimes defies understanding,” says Marie-Claude Lalonde, National Director of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Canada. “On our dedicated webpage, visitors can watch five videos presenting the work of missionaries serving in Bangladesh, Ghana, South Sudan, Syria, and Pakistan.”
In the latter, the extremely difficult situation of Christians is powerfully conveyed in less than three minutes. Through Father Tomas’s eyes, we are first able to witness all the love that this Irish priest has for the people he serves.
“Father Tomas (photo) deeply loves people. For him, his vocation as a missionary is, above all, a call to serve those with whom he shares daily life,” explains Ms. Lalonde.
The video begins with this poetic sentence: “Sometimes you break my heart. Sometimes I think you are my heart.” The priest works in Pakistan in an extremely poor Christian community of brickmakers. “Their working conditions are nothing short of slavery,” says Ms. Lalonde. “In Pakistan, Christians are second-class citizens. Few opportunities are available to this marginalized and discriminated population: they are garbage collectors, street sweepers, or brickmakers.”
“Thanks to this campaign, I hope we can continue to support many missionaries who, like Father Tomas, work selflessly and with total dedication. They accompany, comfort, console, and restore dignity to people who are often left behind. Thank you for being generous,” says Marie-Claude Lalonde.
To make an online donation and view the videos, please visit:
Or, you can give right now.
Mission in the 21st century
Since the Second Vatican Council, the way of being a missionary in the Catholic Church has changed significantly. From what was once a strongly felt form of proselytism, mission today is more oriented towards first being present, and listening to the world. Thus, in the decree Ad Gentes, Latin for “To the Nations,” we read in point 12: “Christian charity truly extends to all, without distinction of race, creed, or social condition: it looks for neither gain nor gratitude. For as God loved us with an unselfish love, so also the faithful should in their charity care for the human person himself, loving him with the same affection with which God sought out man.”
In the same point, we read about missionaries: “Furthermore, let them take part in the strivings of those peoples who, waging war on famine, ignorance, and disease, are struggling to better their way of life and to secure peace in the world. In this activity, the faithful should be eager to offer prudent aid to projects sponsored by public and private organizations, by governments, by various Christian communities, and even by non-Christian religions.”
Don’t forget: during this Lent of 2026, keep the mission alive!
