I recently returned from a mission trip to Rome with Catholic Christian Outreach where we shared the Gospel and undertook a pilgrimage together.
During this pilgrimage I was able to develop my prayer life with more intention and reconnect with God in a personal way. Through sharing about my own conversion, I was able to revive the vigour of the first time I felt God’s presence.
Alongside one of my mission brothers, I had the first opportunity to share the Gospel before we had even left training in Ottawa. As our team of missionaries built up our knowledge, we also delved deeply into prayer. In that prayer time, my mission brother and I were able to discern certain signs that led us to a conversation with some local students. We were able to pray with them and share the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus.
In Assisi, the home of Saint Francis, we embarked on spiritual retreat and reflection to ready us for the packed streets of Rome during the Jubilee of Youth. While there, I was able to break down barriers that had long held me back from completely embracing trust in the Lord. By the end of the first day, one of my mission brothers remarked I seemed like a man unburdened.
Getting the opportunity to pray and have my confession taken at San Damiano overlooking the same countryside where Saint Francis once sat was an experience I will never forget. The joy we were able to find in singing old hymns and newer songs of praise was infectious as crowds would gather with us to sing our love for Jesus.
In Rome, I spent the first full day of our mission in an unexpected place – eleven hours in the emergency room of an Italian hospital would once have felt like the end of the world. But here I found a mission field all my own as I shared the Gospel and prayed with other patients for hours. The deep peace that I had found was confirmed in a sense of purpose as young people who had not prayed in years called me to their stretcher to pray with them.
After this beautiful reminder of the meaning of mission, I was truly enlivened as I returned to my mission family at the beautiful San Marcello Church where we had been entrusted to accompany a piece of the heart of Blessed Carlo Acutis. As thousands came to the church, we shared the Gospel in as many languages as we could muster. As we handed out an endless stream of blue shawls, it became quickly apparent how many of our pilgrims had not been planning to enter a church that day. It is customary in Rome to wear a covering over tank tops or shorts when entering a church. This is well known, so the need for shawls only highlighted how many tourists or locals were walking in beside the pilgrims.
I spoke to hundreds of people, as a team we spoke to something in the range of 20,000. I found myself having joyful conversations, tearful hugs, and speaking in languages I have never spoken in before. Throughout, I witnessed conversions and answered prayers beyond counting. This was an experience of the joy of faith, a true Jubilee of Hope.
Thank you for supporting my mission with your prayers,
Trent Brownlee
