This year, Montreal Missions 2025 took place over the March school break in Quebec, Canada. Two Regnum Christi missionaries, two lay women, an LC brother, and Legionary priests Fr. Adam Zettel and Fr. Jerek Scherber, who both work with ECYD in Ontario, acted as leaders. There were 25 high school students who attended the mission, and who came from across the locality.
Out of all the high school events hosted by Hamilton Mission Youth, the Montreal trip is one of the main highlights of the year, and is a time of fellowship, fun, and formation. Each morning began with a meditation and Mass before the missionaries headed out on a mission, and each day ended with time for fellowship and sharing before evening adoration.
Joe Lazurri, who is a member of Regnum Christi Mission Corps and has been serving the year in Ontario, explains that as missionaries, the main goal of the Montreal Missions trip was twofold: to serve the poor, and to outreach in the streets.
“We accomplished the first part of this goal by making food every morning, taking it out to the homeless, and also by helping out with the Missionaries of Charity in their soup kitchen. We accomplished the outreach part of our mission by making big pots of hot chocolate every afternoon and passing it out on the street as a way of spreading joy and love and engaging people in conversation. By the end of the week, some of the missionaries got so comfortable reaching out to people that they engaged people on the street without even having any hot chocolate to pass out! This is even more exciting because Montreal is primarily a French-speaking city, and, since most of the missionaries did not speak French, reaching out to a stranger who doesn’t even speak your language showed a lot of courage!”
One of the highlights of the mission trip occurred on Thursday when the missionaries made a pilgrimage to St. Joseph’s Oratory, which houses the relics of St. Andre Bessette, and took part in a consecration to St. Joseph. That day, the group also participated in a three-hour adoration. “After the adoration ended, one of the high school girls came up to me and shared how she really felt God’s love in a way she had never experienced before, and she felt him calling her to consecrate her whole life to him,” says Joe. “It was a beautiful moment and the joy on her face was immeasurable. The whole week was an experience filled with many blessings and graces on the missionaries, and was truly a great joy for me as a Regnum Christi missionary, and the highlight of my year spent serving in Ontario.”
A similar week-long summer mission will take place from July 29 – August 3 at St. Joseph’s parish in Oakville, Ontario. From there, participants will do day outings to a variety of locations, including Toronto, Hamilton, and Niagara Falls, serving those experiencing homelessness, helping at soup kitchens, and sharing the love and joy of Christ. The mission week ends with an overnight trip to Wasaga Beach. Find out more at Hamilton Mission Youth Summer Missions or register here.
ECYD Ontario is also hosting Sports and Virtue Day Camps for boys and girls entering grades 4-8, who will enjoy a week of daily sports, crafts, virtue talks, and family Mass. The day camps will be held in Oakville on July 7 – 11 and in Milton on July 14 – 18 – for more information, visit the ECYD Ontaro website, or watch the Sports and Virtue Day Camp 2022 recap.
To find out more about ECYD Ontario, visit their website at Children & Youth | Regnum Christi Ontario. You can also watch a recap of this year’s Montreal Missions at Montreal Missions 2025.
