Missionaries of God's Love
Encyclopedia
The Missionaries of God's Love (MGL) is a Roman Catholic religious congregation that came into being in Canberra
, Australia
in 1986.
It was founded by Fr Ken Barker
who is the moderator of the congregation and is also the founder of the Young Men of God Movement.
20 years later, the MGL has more than 40 members, 13 ordained priests, two deacons, 16 at its seminary in Melbourne
which is overseen by Fr Chris Ryan.
Today in addition to missions in Canberra, Sydney
and Melbourne, the MGL operates missions in Darwin
where chaplaincies minister to the Aboriginal community, and in Manila
where the brothers live amongst the poor in the squatter settlements of North Quezon City.
Inspired by St Francis of Assisi during a visit to Umbria
, Italy
in 2000, Fr Ken founded the Young Men of God Movement (YMGM) to reach out and empower young men with the love of God and to encourage them to become leaders within their own communities, maximise the talents God has given them, and realise their full potential.
The following are some facets of the MGL's ministry:
The MGL is becoming a multicultural brotherhood, drawing vocations not only from Australia and New Zealand, but also from PNG, Indonesia, Philippines, India and Africa. This cultural mix is symbolic of the Church in Australia today and the challenges facing our society.
The congregation is an Australian foundation with an international membership. Its first mission is to the Church in Australia which is suffering from the emptiness of secularism and relativism with a particular concern to reach the young and the alienated who do not yet know the love of God.
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1986.
It was founded by Fr Ken Barker
Ken Barker
Ken Barker is an Australian Roman Catholic priest. He is the moderator of the Missionaries of God's Love religious congregation and founder of the Young Men of God Movement....
who is the moderator of the congregation and is also the founder of the Young Men of God Movement.
20 years later, the MGL has more than 40 members, 13 ordained priests, two deacons, 16 at its seminary in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
which is overseen by Fr Chris Ryan.
Today in addition to missions in Canberra, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Melbourne, the MGL operates missions in Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
where chaplaincies minister to the Aboriginal community, and in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
where the brothers live amongst the poor in the squatter settlements of North Quezon City.
Inspired by St Francis of Assisi during a visit to Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 2000, Fr Ken founded the Young Men of God Movement (YMGM) to reach out and empower young men with the love of God and to encourage them to become leaders within their own communities, maximise the talents God has given them, and realise their full potential.
The following are some facets of the MGL's ministry:
- managing parishes at Narrabundah (Canberra), East Burwood (Melbourne) and Manila, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
which are developing as centres of renewal and evangelisation, and drawing the young back into the life of the Church
- involvement in evangelising young people through Summer Schools of Evangelisation in four different locations
- partners in the Asia-Pacific School of Evangelisation which trains young people as evangelists and sends them on cross-cultural missions in the Asia- Pacific region
- a key role in the biennial Light to the Nations pilgrimage held at the Redemptorist Monastery, Galong
- active in preparations for World Youth DayWorld Youth DayWorld Youth Day is a youth-oriented Catholic Church event. While the event itself celebrates the Catholic faith, the invitation to attend extends to all youth, regardless of religious convictions....
in Sydney in July 2008.
The MGL is becoming a multicultural brotherhood, drawing vocations not only from Australia and New Zealand, but also from PNG, Indonesia, Philippines, India and Africa. This cultural mix is symbolic of the Church in Australia today and the challenges facing our society.
The congregation is an Australian foundation with an international membership. Its first mission is to the Church in Australia which is suffering from the emptiness of secularism and relativism with a particular concern to reach the young and the alienated who do not yet know the love of God.