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All About Us

The Lay Missionaries of Charity is a Movement within the Catholic Church founded in the Charism of the Missionaries of Charity and is a branch of the Missionaries of Charity Order.

The Lay Missionaries of Charity are dedicated to a life of growth in holiness, especially within our own families, and live as contemplatives in the heart of the world, serving where we live, especially the poorest of the poor. Our movement began in Rome, Italy in 1984, in the presence of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. and Fr. Sebastian Vazhakala, M.C., with four lay people who wanted to live a life of greater holiness and union with God, and a greater affiliation to the life and work of the Missionaries of Charity. We are now in over fifty countries.

We currently have 379 professed Lay Missionaries of Charity in the United States and 71 aspirants.  They gather in various cities, consisting of 72 groups in 37 states in the U.S. 

In Canada, there are 26 professed members and 17 aspirants.

Our Movement


The Movement known as the Lay Missionaries of Charity (LMC) is an International Association of Lay people: married and single who adhering to the Spirit and Charism of the M.C. Family make private (juridically) vows of Chastity (conjugal), Poverty, Obedience and the fourth vow of Whole-Hearted Free Service to the poorest of the poor beginning with the members of one's own family. Remaining in the heart of the world, the LMCs consecrate the world itself to God everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives expressed through prayer, penance and works of mercy, after the example of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

  1. History -On April 16, 1984 four lay persons, all married made their "private vows" in the Chapel of the Missionaries of Charity - Contemplative in Via S. Agapito, 8 - Rome. These four were associated with our life of prayer, penance and works of mercy for several years; and then for about two years they studied the document that juts came out 'Familiaris Consortio' (22.11.1981) and then on Tuesday in the Holy Week of the extraordinary year of our redemption the first four took their private vows in the presence of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Fr. Sebastian Vazhakala M.C. and Community and many lay people.
  2. Purpose -Its purpose is to sanctify themselves and their own families by consecrating themselves, their families and the whole world entirely to God after the example of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and practice the same virtues they practised.
  3. Patron -The Holy Family of Nazareth is their heavenly patron, protector and intercessor.
  4. Ecclesiastical Status -As the Statutes were ready, we applied to the Vicar of Rome who accepted, blessed approved our movement on 25th February, 1987. (see in the Statutes the copy of the letter of His Eminence, Cardinal Ugo Poletti of Rome).
  5. Growth and Development -Thanks to God's grace the Movement began to grow quite rapidly and started to spread to the various countries of Europe, North, Central and South America and its Statutes translated into over 15 languages. Besides we have a small prayer book of our own and also many have the Liturgy of the Hours which they pray daily, at least the Lauds and Vespers. The countries -There are LMCs in Europe (Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Holland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Poland, Hungary); in the Americas (U.S.A., Canada, Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Argentina), India, Macao...

    There are over 1.000 consecrated persons, and several are in formation.

  6. Forrmation - The LMCs have a period called 'Come and see' i.e. to frequent the group on a regular basis, to read, study and reflect on the Statutes, to come in touch with the Spiritual Director and the MC Brothers or Sisters, if possible. At the end the of the 'Come and See' period, the candidate(s) after due dialogue with the Spiritual Director, may begin the year of formation in preparation for their first vows (cf. Statutes Nos. 6 - 8).
  7. Spiritual Director - Each group has to have a priest as its spiritual director who is expected to know the Statutes and the MC Spirit who guides the group together with the group Link.
  8. Structure -
    a) Spiritual Directors: local, national, international;
    b) Lay Links: local (3 years), national (3 years), international (3 years).
  9. Meetings -Each group meets once a week as a rule; if not possible once in two weeks ("The family that prays together stays together") (cfr. Statutes 42b, Nos. 1-9). National meeting once a year, if possible. Once in 4 or 5 years International meetings (?).
  10. International Meetings -So far the Movement had two International meetings:1) Rome, October 5-10, 1992. Number of participants: 109, 16 countries.2) Lourdes, September 22-29, 1996. Number of participants: 175, 19 countries.


God bless you.

Fr. Sebastian Vazhakala M.C.

The Lay Vocation


Our Movement known as the Lay Missionaries of Charity, is an International Association of lay persons, both married and single, who take juridically private annual vows of (conjugal) chastity, poverty, obedience and whole-hearted free service to the poorest of the poor, lived according to each one's own state of life.

It is a life marked by prayer and a spirit of joyful sacrifice within their own families and in the heart of the world, and thus involves living an upright and holy life in every place, consecrating the world entirely to God, aided by a Spiritual Father who understands and shares the spirit of the Missionaries of Charity.  The Lay Missionaries of Charity are intimately linked to and spiritually affiliated with the family of the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, and fully recognise the Magisterium of the Church, and respect and obey it's ministers.

Called to be Saints


"HOW CAN I BECOME A TRUE DISCIPLE OF CHRIST?"

This is a question that every Christian should be asking in the depths of the heart.

We may have been "good Catholics", all our lives and never have pondered the deep meaning of the Holy Scriptures like "Be still and know that I am God" (Ps 46: 10), or "Be holy for I am holy" (Lv 19: 2), or "You must be made perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5: 48).

Over the ages there have been many movements in the Church which were designed to help rank-and-file Church members to grow in holiness, and one of the more modern of those movements is the one which follows the way of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. It is called "THE LAY MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY", or "LMC" for short.

The point is simple enough: we are ALL called to be saints! (The English word "saint" is taken directly from the French word for "holy" which, in term, comes from the Latin word for "holy" – "Sanctus").

"Holy", linguistically speaking, simply means "different, transcendent, set apart, beyond the causes and estimation of this world" (cf. Fr. Benedict Groeschel "Healing the Original Wound"). Etymologically it means "whole" or "healthy", which is also a good way to think about being holy. But Fr. Benedict's phrase says it very well: GOD is the One who is wholly "Other" and He calls all His children to be like Him, "...made in the image and likeness of God".

Jesus was "different" and He wants His disciples to be as Himself, "set apart" from the materialistic thinking of the society.

This thought, taken out of the context, could lead people to mere humanistic philanthropy, (or even snobbishness) but Jesus gives us the additional motivation of doing it for and to HIM when He says: "As often as you do it to one of the least of my brethren YOU DO IT TO ME" (Mt 25: 40).

Mother Teresa has lived out those words in her life, and, without her seeking it, has won the world's admiration. Some people who admired her work and who saw her as a role model sought spiritual direction from Fr. Sebastian, a Missionary of Charity priest stationed in Rome. From their prayer and contemplation came the formation of the group now known as the Lay Missionaries of Charity.