MISSIONERS OF CHRIST

The Missioners of Christ began with a small group of friends who gathered together to pray in the library of Regent University, Virginia Beach, in October of 1996. Three were Regent students, and one was employed at the Christian Broadcasting Network. Two were in the process of reconciliation with the Catholic Church after involvement with non-denominational charismatic Christianity, another was raised in a devoutly Catholic family on the front lines of the Pro-life movement, and the final participant was leading the youth ministry at a local Catholic parish. The original four met that first night with no other desire than to provide an opportunity for young adult Catholic Christians to gather together in prayer and support one another in the Faith. As the small group continued to meet on a weekly basis, word spread among their friends and the group grew beyond the confines of Regent Library. As the group grew in number, many became more active in their involvement with ministries at local parishes, especially those geared toward youth. A common vision of bringing the same fervor for Christ to the youth of this generation soon emerged. People became commissioned to serve the local church beyond the first three parishes involved to encompass ministries throughout the Diocese of Richmond. At a Young Adult Retreat at Shalom House, Montpelier, those gathered voted on a name for the group - Missioners of Christ - a name that now encompasses various expressions of the same goal, to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ by whatever means possible. Now that we have crossed the threshold, we are excited to be a part of the "new springtime in the Church" proclaimed by John Paul II. Whether one participates in the original prayer group, or the quarterly Young Adult retreats, the various Youth activities, or the missions trips to Honduras, Sudan, Central VA, and Appalachia, we continue to heed the call of the Lord among our families, friends, and Church. Missioners of Christ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation formed under the auspices of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Missioners is a Catholic Christian lay apostolate, which has established itself in submission to the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, where we received canonical recognition as a Private Association of the Christian Faithful in 2013. Missioners of Christ have also maintained canonical status as a Private Association of the Christian Faithful in the Diocese of Comayagua, Honduras.