A Different Kind of Holy Week

200 Hearts on Mission

In a world where it’s easy to spend hours behind a screen, doom scrolling or leveling up in a video game, and where families juggle busy schedules filled with work and extracurriculars, an invitation came this Holy Week to do something different.

And people said yes.

While this wasn’t the first Holy Week Mission in the RC Ontario locality, it did break a record for the highest number of participants. Two hundred missionaries stepped forward to spend their Holy Week sharing the joy and love of Jesus Christ.

So, who were these 200 missionaries?

• 80 youth

• 30 in the families track

• 65 young adults

• 25 adult helpers

From Holy Thursday to the Easter Vigil, these missionaries came together for three powerful days of prayer, Adoration, formative talks, and praise & worship. But they didn’t stay in one place; they went out.

Across Hamilton, Toronto, St. Catharines, and Kitchener, they served on the streets, distributing over 500 meals to those experiencing homelessness. Others visited nursing homes, bringing joy to the elderly through games, crafts, music, and meaningful conversation. And some did manual labour as a service to the Legionary community by working in their yard, even through the cold, wet day on Saturday.

“ While on the streets of Hamilton, after praying for one of them men we gave a yogurt parfait to, he told us that ‘he wanted what we have’  which gave us an opportunity to talk to him about Jesus.”  - Family Missionaries

“It came back full circle for me. Years ago, I used to walk past and ignore the homeless people on the streets of Toronto. This weekend I was given the opportunity to minister to them instead. Felt like St. Peter, being given a second chance to get right with the Lord.” - Young Adult Missionary

At Spencer Smith Park in Burlington, missionaries met people right where they were, offering iced tea on a warm Good Friday and hot chocolate when the temperature dropped on Saturday. Simple gestures opened the door to connection, kindness, and encounter. Our younger missionaries took the ‘Blessing Cookie’ challenges to heart, as they approached strangers and engaged them by telling a joke or taking a selfie with them. One young woman asked the missionaries to explain the bible quote on her cookie, which led to a conversation on how God’s grace works in our lives. 

The mission reached its peak at the Easter Vigil, where a young adult missionary was received into the Catholic Church, surrounded by family and friends. It was a moment of profound joy, followed, of course, by a well-earned celebration.

These young people are full of life, deeply rooted in their love for Christ, and radiate a contagious joy that gives real hope for the future of the Church and Regnum Christi.

Thank you to everyone who participated, and to all who made it possible.

Learn More About Hamilton Mission Youth & Family

Follow Hamilton Mission Youth by visiting their website and catching the highlights on social media and YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY8MPXXEbpY