At our recent Mission Mass in Shrewsbury Diocese, we were privileged to chat with Moreen and Daniel, who have been Red Box volunteers for more than a decade. This lovely husband-and-wife team shared how they got into volunteering with Missio and the Mill Hill Missionaries, and why they’re inspired to continue our mission, at home and around the world:
Moreen
Moreen is originally from Zambia. She became Catholic while she was in secondary school, and, having been inspired by a Religious Sister she met at that age, considered taking vows too. However, when she asked her parents for permission, Daniel explains, taking up the tale, ‘they said “Well, no, that’s too far. You can be a Catholic, but you can’t be a nun!”’
Instead, Moreen became a nurse in Zambia. In this role she often had to go and provide healthcare in remote places.
‘There weren’t always roads. If you had to reach people, it was either a case of fly or go by boat.’
So, when her Parish Priest asked her to get involved with the Red Box her response came naturally:
‘It’s an obvious thing, you can’t say no! Maybe I didn’t consciously think of home, but I knew there was something to do with it. We were working in the very same places.’
Moreen’s experience gives her insight into the work of missionaries, who go to work in the most remote areas to serve people most in need. She shares that she is grateful for what she has received through her faith and wants the good work of missionaries to continue. And now, by volunteering with Missio:
‘It’s nice, I feel I’m reaching out to them, because I did similar work for most of my career…together we can make everything that little bit better.’
Daniel
‘I’m not sure of the first time I heard of the Red Box, but our Parish Priest at the time approached Moreen,’ recalls Daniel. ‘At first, I was just happy for her to go ahead and do it; it felt like her thing. But after a while I realised I could help, so I got involved too.’
Daniel is now a Parish Local Secretary. He explains why he’s inspired to volunteer with Missio and the Mill Hill Missionaries through the Red Box:
‘Nowadays we’re short of Priests in this country, and many of our Priests are coming from overseas. So, I think all that mission work is paying off as Priests are now coming here from overseas to minister to us. Now it’s kind of reversed. I just want to continue to support that, in gratitude for what we’ve already received.’
Daniel enjoys how volunteering as a Local Secretary connects him to his local Parish community too:
‘It’s not hard, and people are very pleasant. You know, they just seem happy to see you. And they are people who want to do some good, which is inspiring. I’m happy to do it. And collecting the Red Boxes is not like being a door-to-door fundraiser – just knocking on people’s doors and asking for donations. It’s a happy event that builds community here. Some of the supporters are older people, and you get to look in on them as well, check how they’re doing. We’re a community.’
Our amazing volunteers
Volunteers Week is a perfect time to say a big ‘thank you’ to wonderful people like Moreen and Daniel, who help Missio and the Mill Hill Missionaries ignite God’s love here in England and Wales and around the world!
Our volunteers bring our global family together, sharing the work of missionaries overseas, encouraging people to pray and fundraise, collecting Red Boxes and delivering our Mission Today magazine, or helping to build our online community. This support helps missionaries overseas continue to ignite God’s love in every corner of the world.
Click here to find out about volunteering opportunities with Missio>>
As Daniel says:
‘We can’t now go where missionaries go, but we can help and support them in their mission. We are doing our little bit to help.