Renata Steffens
Missionaries need prayer, but they also need much more than that. Because of that, Apostolic Work were created. They are groups of laypeople who work to provide financial and material support for Irish missionaries abroad, a completely volunteer group, and The Irish Catholic talked to Mary Lee, president of Elphin Diocese’s Apostolic Work group.
Ms Lee explained that “Apostolic Work was set up by Agnes McCauley, who had a brother, a priest, and she realised that he needed… more than prayers. He needed financial support.”
The work is usually done through requests, she said. A missionary or organisation would contact them saying they need “chalices, stoles, crucifix, rosary beads,” etc., and they would either make the item themselves or raise funds to purchase.
Because they don’t have a branch in each parish anymore, they now “contact parish priests, and we usually visit a parish at the weekend, do a display of the items that we send to the missions, and do a talk, maybe a five-minute talk at the Mass, and meet people and tell them about our work. That’s one of the ways that we get sponsorship.”
Donations
During those interactions with parishioners, the group receives donations and materials to keep their work going. “A lady from Castlebar gave us broken rosary beads last year, and we ended up with about 1,500 pairs of beautiful rosary beads, which all went off to the missions.”
Ms Lee explained that “most of the group I work with are are elderly ladies some of them are [in their]their 80s and 90s, and I am in my 70s. We have a treasurer who would be a lot younger, but she works full-time and isn’t able to make our meetings, which we usually have during the day because of the age profile. But she does what she can for us, and we appreciate that. That’s the only young person we would have in Apostolic work in Elphin.”
“Apostolic work is changing, separate from the elderly members, most of the Irish missionaries are very elderly, and most of them have retired, so we will not have the people out there. They haven’t received many requests until April, but after some late applications for items, the numbers are “as large as ever.”
Missionaries
They believe that the reason for the drop of requests is “because the missionaries are returning to Ireland retired, and they have no one out there. We do have the foreign priests that are working in the diocese. We have quite a few in this diocese, and they are requesting items for the seminarians who are being ordained in their hometowns or home parishes.”
“The delivery of the items is usually made by members of the Order who come to the Display day in Fourmile house Co. Roscommon and collect them. This is on the 29th June this year and everyone is welcome.” Sometimes, in special circumstances, Ms Lee and the women in the group organise the delivery themselves.
“We had a priest last year, who brought out a container of items to Africa. That would be unusual because of the cost. Because he was taking out a container, we were able to source larger stuff for him that he could take,” Ms Lee said.
“Our big fund raiser is during lent when the ladies knit chicks for us, and sell them a crème egg in them thus funding at least three large projects each year and sell them.” Even though the majority of women in Elphin Apostolic Group are elderly, they do receive assistance from younger women, who sometimes work full-time and can only assist in their spare time.
These women are “willing to take a box of cream eggs and sell them in their work, or they’re willing to put a box in their local chapel and collect stamps and rosary beads and all those types of things. We do have some young people supporting us.” Ms Lee explained that “there’s no pressure” for the women who wishes to help but cannot commit with being a member of the group.
Leisure
“They could perhaps do a bit of sewing at their leisure. We make all those small linens, it’s simple enough sewing to do, or to embroider the red cross on them. So that’s another thing that a person could do if they had spare time or a hobby. Another one is if they knit or crochet,” any help is welcome, Ms Lee explained.
If you want to learn more about the Apostolic Work or wishes to volunteer/sponsor/donate, contact Ms Lee on merlee4525@mail.com.