Arand: Being a missionary is children’s work, too

By Beth Donze, Clarion Herald

For four years as director of campus ministry at Cabrini High, Laura Arand brought her own perspective as a young-adult Catholic to teenage girls preparing for life in the wider world – planning Masses that responded to their interests, acquainting them with social justice issues and keeping her office door open at lunchtime for any student who wanted to drop by and just talk.

Last August, Arand was tasked with serving a younger and much larger age group of young Catholics – prekindergartners through seventh graders in the Archdiocese of New Orleans – as the new director of the archdiocesan Missionary Childhood Association (MCA).

Although missionary work usually is associated with adulthood and the need to travel beyond one’s own borders to spread Jesus’ Gospel message of love, the MCA reminds younger Catholics that they, too, are called at baptism to be missionaries – at home and right now – through prayer, almsgiving, service and simply learning about their peers who live outside of the United States.

“The goal of the MCA is children helping children,” said Arand, 28. “One of the Bible verses that I really like says that you are not too young to live out your faith. I really want to share that with them, because prayer is something simple that we can all do, or things like giving their pennies and quarters to the missions.”

Sees Jesus ‘through people’

Arand, a native of Indiana, began getting more involved in her Catholic faith after a friend invited Arand to her parish’s youth-program activities. Arand went on to represent her high school at diocesan-wide events such as World Youth Day and as a peer leader at youth conferences, reflections and retreats.

At DePaul University in Chicago, Arand earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology, played club soccer and attended the Wednesday “Youth Nights” sponsored by DePaul’s thriving campus ministry.

“I just fell in love with the community and the people – both the students and the adults,” she said. “It was really the people who drew me in. I loved spending time with them and getting to know them and hearing their stories.”

As a DePaul junior, Arand moved into a campus residence set aside for an intentional community of 10 men and women committed to the core values of faith, simple living, social justice and weekly service. She spent half of her senior year in Australia as an exchange student.

“(The Catholic Church) wasn’t as present there, but the way I’ve always seen my faith is through people – seeing Jesus through them,” she said.

Arand moved to New York City in 2012 to offer two years of post-grad service to the Cabrini Mission Corps, living in community with the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She was assigned to Mother Cabrini High School – the sister school of Cabrini High New Orleans – for two years as an unpaid campus minister.

“I chose (the Cabrini Mission Corps) because it had very similar values as the Vincentians, which I grew up with at DePaul,” said Arand, noting that she became “passionate” about the issues of immigration and human trafficking, two of the Cabrini Sisters’ main outreach areas.

“I ate with the sisters. I prayed with the sisters. I really got to know them,” Arand said. “When I spent time with the sisters, it was kind of like just hanging out with another friend of mine. They got to know me very well.”

Raised awareness at Cabrini

As Arand was winding down her time in New York and looking for her next challenge, her Cabrini Corps program director found a good fit: Cabrini High in New Orleans was seeking a campus minister. Arand had visited the city a couple of times – as a post-Katrina volunteer with her high school, and on a trip to visit her sister, a Tulane graduate student.

During her four years as Cabrini New Orleans’ director of campus ministry, Arand also found time to earn a master’s degree in pastoral theology from the Loyola Institute for Ministry.

“I did a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff, like writing prayers and setting up and organizing Masses and retreats,” said Arand of her campus ministry responsibilities, which included helping organize outings to student and faculty service sites such as the Rebuild Center, Vista Shores Assisted Living, St. Michael Special School, St. Jude Community Center and Ronald McDonald House.

Impelled by the mission of the Cabrini Sisters, Arand and Cabrini vice principal Vivian Coutin went to each classroom to teach students about human trafficking and put it on the map for eighth graders during orientation.

“That’s the age where something could happen – eighth grade, ninth grade. We wanted them to be aware and to be safe,” said Arand, who gave all her Cabrini students the human trafficking hotline number and launched a December event called “Dress-ember,” in which students donated to Eden House New Orleans, a shelter for human trafficking survivors, in exchange for wearing a dressy outfit to school.

Oct. 20 event, contests set

Arand begins her new role as director of the MCA – a branch of the Pontifical Mission Societies – just as the worldwide association celebrates its 175th anniversary. Her first big event will be planning and conducting this year’s Children’s Mission Day, open to the archdiocese’s third through seventh graders, on Oct. 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Mary’s Dominican High School.

Inspired by the theme “Voices in Mission: Sharing Our Story,” the young attendees and their chaperones will enjoy presentations by story tellers, each backed by live music. The fun-filled Saturday will include prayer, games, crafts and Mass celebrated by Archbishop Gregory Aymond.

To foster solidarity among local children and their peers in developing countries, the young participants will rotate through several hands-on activity stations, including making World Mission Rosary bracelets and storytelling through drums.
Arand also invites boys and girls in grades 3-7 to explore their missionary calling by taking part in three MCA-sponsored contests planned for school year 2018-19:

➤ A prayer card contest (deadline Nov. 15) asks young people to create art and write a prayer based on the theme “Voices in Mission: Celebrating 175 Years.” Participants may use anything related to the MCA’s 175th anniversary as inspiration for their submission.

➤ A toy contest dubbed “Voices in Mission: Marching to the Beat of Your Own Drum” (deadline Feb. 15) challenges youngsters to make a drum using recycled cans, plastic buckets or other types of containers.

➤ A T-shirt contest (deadline April 15) asks entrants to create art for use on T-shirts to be worn at next year’s Children’s Mission Day event.

In addition to gathering students every October for Children’s Mission Day, the MCA conducts a series of mission assemblies during Lent at host elementary schools. Arand is also available to school principals and mission coordinators throughout the year to bring “mission animation” presentations to interested parishes and schools, and to share her office’s library of books, pamphlets, newsletters, DVDs and artifacts from various mission countries.

To register for the Oct. 20 Children’s Mission Day or to learn more about the MCA’s activities and services, contact Laura Arand at 527-5773 or email [email protected].

Beth Donze can be reached at [email protected].