Compassionate Voices

During her six years in Tanzania, Liz served as a nurse with a primary focus on women’s health issues. In 1982, she returned to the United States and continued working with Maryknoll. She served in administrative and leadership roles between missions while also earning her master’s degree in public health from the University of Minnesota.

In 1984, Liz felt called to mission with Ethiopian refugees in Sudan. In her interview with Voices of Our World, Liz discusses the difficulties of life inside a refugee camp and suffering alongside the women she served. Liz returned to Southern Sudan in 1992, once again taking up her work with civil war refugees. The Second Sudanese Civil War continued its path of destruction, uprooting millions of people and devastating the countryside with no end in sight. She was forced to leave three years later when she was seriously injured during an ambush.

Liz wrote from the camp she served: "I am touched by the simplicity of these people in the midst of such personal misery. They live in what can only be described as hell and they still radiate joy and life.”

Excerpt from Maryknoll Magazine January 1986

Undeterred from mission, she was reassigned to Tanzania where she worked with the Kowak Health Center in the Diocese of Musoma and the Bugando Hospital in the Diocese of Mwanza as both nurse and patient advocate. Throughout her career with Maryknoll, Liz established herself as a staunch advocate for people who faced gender-based violence. After 44 years of service, Liz’s mission in Tanzania ended in August 2020.

While serving in Peru, Larry worked as an editor at Latinamerica Press, an ecumenical publication of news analysis from the perspective of the poor and human rights. In 1984, he began work in video production involving barrio youth and peasant farmers. His expertise continued to grow and, in 1986, he became head of the video department of CEAPAZ, a church-related human rights center during the war between the Shining Path and the Peruvian government. CEAPAZ produced award-winning programs distributed by Amnesty International. In his interview with Voices of Our World from 1990, he discusses human right violations, particularly against the indigenous peoples of Peru.

“[T]he spirit in which many missioners go forth [is] to be called by the people of another culture to enter into their daily lives, to learn their songs of faith, and to find God together.”

Excerpt from one of Larry's articles “United in Mission” 1994

Larry and his wife, Susan Weissert (also a former Maryknoll Lay Missioner), returned to the United States in 1993. The couple continued their commitment to Maryknoll, and Larry established himself as an executive producer of Maryknoll World Productions (MWP). During his time with MWP, he oversaw production on dozens of documentaries, two nationally televised documentary series, and weekly radio programs in both English and Spanish. Larry ended his 22 years of service with the Maryknoll Lay Missioners in December 2002.

In 1991 she moved to the Diocese of Torit in Sudan to begin a Primary Health Care Program. The civil war disrupted that plan. Instead, she moved many times with people displaced by the war to continue providing health care for them. Susan was interviewed by ABC News – Nightline about her mission in Sudan and her experiences during the Sudan Civil War. In a later interview she explained, “I told the producer I wanted to do a story about Sudan, not a story about an American physician there to save lives.” The documentary aired in July 1999.

“I’ve certainly found when I’ve gone places I’ve never been before, I got challenged… I saw a different way of doing things. And I learned there are other ways of doing things. And I think I need to do a lot of this for myself. If I don’t challenge myself, if I don’t move away from what’s comfortable and routine and predictable, then I’m not going to grow. I’m not going to learn anything new.”

Excerpt from Illinois Alumni March/April 2002

Her final overseas mission assignment sent her to Kenya in 2003. Throughout her many years as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner, she opened numerous clinics across Tanzania, Sudan, and Kenya to care for the poorer communities in those countries. She returned to the United States in July 2018 to do mission education, fundraising and medical consultancy until December 2020.

In 1987, Jim found himself assigned to mission in South Korea. He arrived following the June Democratic Struggle, a critical time in South Korea’s history as the country fought to transition from a military regime to a democratically elected government. His first mission assignment, after his immersion in language school, was creating a Campus Ministry Center in Inchon diocese, South Korea. Jim served here for roughly a year.

Most of his time in mission was spent in Cheol San Dong parish, a community just outside Seoul, South Korea. During Jim’s service in Cheol San Dong, it was one of the largest industrial areas for small and medium-sized companies. Factory workers primarily migrated from rural areas on the promise of better jobs, only to be exploited by their new employers. In his Voices of Our World interview, Jim discusses the emotional, educational, and spiritual support offered to this community, and shines a light on the suffering of Korean workers.

The audio of Jim Tuite's interview can be difficult to understand at times. For a better viewing experience, click the button below to watch the video on YouTube and enable Closed Captioning.

“That faith has helped bring me through. It gives me hope in situations that seem hopeless. It is really life-giving.”

Excerpt from Maryknoll in Touch September 1991

Jim left Cheol San Dong parish and returned to the United States in December 1991. He came back to the East Coast, where he could be closer to his family and establish his own.

Her first mission assignment brought her to live in São Paolo, Brazil. Heidi joined the Brazilian Catholic Church’s Pastoral for Marginalized Women, where her skills and expertise were highly sought after. Her work has been described as “securing human rights and human dignity for every person.” One of her primary ministries involved assisting women working in prostitution. This initiative provided a sanctuary for women to rest, do laundry, receive medical care, join support groups, participate in basic skill classes, and be supported without judgement.

In her Voices of Our World interview from 2012, Heidi discusses her work with the women’s Prison Pastoral, the human rights violations she witnessed in Sao Paolo’s prisons, and the unique challenges her ministry faced in helping these women. When she first began her prison ministry, women lacked access to necessities such as basic healthcare. Pregnant women did not receive neonatal healthcare and were illegally separated from their children shortly after birth. These situations have improved drastically due to her continued advocacy and determination. 

“First, and most importantly, I believe that every human being, regardless of what she or he might have done, deserves humane treatment. If we believe that we are all created in the image of God, we don’t give up that right or erase it by our own behavior. God’s much bigger than that.”

Excerpt from Heidi's newsletter News from South of the Border February 2001

Heidi remained in Brazil until August 2014. After a short break in the United States, she was missioned in Kenya from September 2017 to December 2018. She returned to the U.S. again in January 2019, where she joined Maryknoll’s U.S.-Mexico Border team to advocate for immigrants in the ongoing border crisis. Heidi continues as an active missioner here with ministries focused on migration, women, and fighting against human trafficking. She also serves on the Maryknoll Lay Missioners Board of Directors.

Her ministries kept her busy, and covered a wide range of social services. Angel’s primary focus was with the Children’s Pastoral program, which was designed to combat high infant mortality rates in Brazil. The program helped educate parents on the importance of nutrition, preventative medical care, and hygiene while supporting families in need with food deliveries. She also organized “Luz Mulher” or “Women’s Light”, an income generating project for unemployed women in São Benedito. The group made candles and soap by hand to support their families. On Saturday mornings, Angel and Michelle Myers, another former Lay Missioner, jointly ran “Building Self-Esteem” workshops for adolescent girls.

"For me, being able to encounter God in the other is one of the central challenges of being Christian. This challenge animates and pushes me along on my journey. Mission life offers this challenge to me daily in that I encounter the 'completely different other' every day."

Excerpt from Angel's newsletter A Vida é assim (That’s Life) September 1999

Angel was interviewed for Voices of Our World in 2006 while living and working in the rural town of Ibiúna. Her continued work with the Children’s Pastoral program ensured much needed support to struggling families. She offers more details of her work, and discusses the difficulties of mission in Brazil, in her interview.

While missioned in Ibiúna, Angel took on several leadership roles with the Maryknoll Lay Missioners. She was a co-coordinator of the Anti-Racism Task Force and the Lay Missioner coordinator for the Brazil Unit. Angel returned from mission in June 2010.

Vicki served from 1998 to 2002 in Nairobi, Kenya working on two distinct projects. One was the Ukweli Home of Hope Project which consisted of a drop-in center for street boys and a small home for them. She taught at the home and assisted the Director with fundraising and development. The other project was the Kibagare Good News Center, a home and feeding program for over 1300 orphans and poor children.

She had similar duties for the Good News center, assisting with fundraising and development. In her Voices of Our World interview, she goes into more detail about her work, as well as the struggles and joys of caring for so many children and young adults. After her mission in Kenya, she returned to the USA and worked for the MKLM offices until 2006. She currently serves on the Maryknoll Lay Missioners Board of Directors.

“I used to be cynical about this 'being called' language; I now believe that we are ALL 'called to mission' – but in as many different ways as there are individuals and gifts.”

Excerpt from Vicki's newsletter Karibu (Welcome) 1999

The couple and their two children became members of Maryknoll’s Brazil Mission Community (BMC) in João Pessoa comprised of Maryknoll Lay Missioners, Maryknoll Sisters, and Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. One of Marc and Jeanine’s shared ministries involved bringing comfort to men and women incarcerated in local prisons. As part of a prison ministry team, they visited a women’s prison, a maximum security men’s prison, and a prison for men with disabilities. The hope and humility they experienced inside these prison walls changed their lives and the lives of the men and women to whom they ministered.

The Boucher-Colbert family returned to the United States in 2004. Jeanine recounts the couple’s experiences as a guest on Voices of Our World in 2005. In her segment, she reads from the couple’s newsletter “Terra Santa – Holy Ground”. The title comes from a scripture-based quote that stuck with Jeanine and Marc – ‘Wherever we recognize God’s presence, that place becomes holy ground.’ Almost two decades later, Jeanine and Marc are still impacted by their experience in Brazil.

“To humanize the prisons, to hold folks in prayer, to be a bridge, to show respect, to touch hearts, to show them that they are God’s children like us, no different…that is part of our mission there…” Excerpt from Jeanine's newsletter Terra Santa July 2003

“It seems to me openness to change and be changed is an important part of the journey.”

Excerpt from Flavio's newsletter Meet Kathy Bond and Flávio José Rocha de Silva October 3, 2005

His first mission assignment was in João Pessoa, Brazil. His ministry included work with the Maryknoll Justice and Peace Committee, the Northeastern Social Forum Coordination (regional branch of the World Social Forum), conducting workshops for youth groups, and publishing an online column on Church ministries and social movements. Flavio also helped develop new ministries in the area, including co-facilitating eco-retreats that invite participants to reflect on their care of God’s creation.

In his Voices of Our World interview, Flavio talks about his work bringing the Theater of the Oppressed to João Pessoa, and how theater techniques can help participants “free themselves of internal and external oppression” while empowering their audience. Flavio Rocha de Silva is an active missioner stationed in Brazil. He is currently missioned alongside his wife, Kathy Bond, who is also a Maryknoll Lay Missioner.