Viatores Christi (VC) is an Irish lay missionary and international development, member-based, organization founded in 1960. Since them over 2,000 lay men and women have served on mission.
At the very heart of VC is Christian love - our mission to make the world a better place and strive to bring about God's Kingdom wherever we are called to serve. Viatores Christi means Travelers for Christ. We are always seeking to see the unfolding of the Holy Spirit in the work we do and the work that needs doing.
We work with partners including missionary congregations, dioceses, NGOs and local community based organizations to bring about positive change. We offer a range of interventions to enable this, including training in mission and development, funding for capacity building and deployment of trained lay volunteers/missionaries.
We believe in a local-led development approach supporting communities to identify their needs and find their own tailored solutions. We aim for an impact that is sustainable and benefits communities over the long-term. In practice this includes access to basic quality education and healthcare; opportunities for sustainable livelihood; assisting people to realize their human rights, including disability rights; providing an ecologically secure future.
In the last year our work has directly impacted the lives of over 26,000 people.
For 66 years VC has worked, in many parts of world including South East Asia, Central and South America, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. Currently, our main focus is in Uganda, Haiti, El Salvador, Bolivia, Costa Rica, and Guatemala and we are working hard to recruit and train new lay missionary volunteers for service in these areas.
OUR VALUES: True to our Catholic roots, we are committed to these key values:
Inclusion: All are welcome in our global interconnected family. Inclusion is reflected within all levels of our association and our work. We believe in the dignity and rights of all people.
Compassion: Support, empathy, love, honesty, and respect are at the centre of all that we do.
Justice: We work to achieve a just world where people can realize their human rights in an ecologically sustainable way. We believe in environmental stewardship and the protection of our common home.
OUR VISION: A world of freedom, peace and justice, where marginalized and vulnerable people have greater opportunities to realize their goals.
OUR MISSION: To work in partnership to improve the human, social and economic rights of those on the margins.
Members' Ethos Statement
Challenged by Gospel values and committed to freedom, peace and justice in the creation of a better world, we share life's journey with the poor and marginalized. True to our Catholic tradition, we aim to uphold Christian values in everything we do.
In order to sustain our mission, our projects and members working among the poorest and most vulnerable communities, we are constantly in need of your support through your prayers and your donations and we thank God for the opportunity to participate in the Mission Cooperative Plan in your Archdiocese of LA and share our mission stories with congregations in our assigned parishes.
You can support the Viatores Christi #2143 through your prayers and monetary donation by making a check payable to THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE FAITH, 4311 Wilshire Blvd 2nd Fl., Los Angeles CA 90010, memo #2143. You may also donate online by clicking the donate button. When making an online donation, reference #2143 in the Memo box. Your donation is tax-deductible as allowed by law.
