Many have asked since I returned, "How was Mission??" My immediate response is "it was great and a very fruitful trip." However, it was very different, which is why I haven’t really shared with people about it until now. What was different? Well, I have travelled to Central America on missions for the last five years, but for some reason I left with a sense that there was something very unique about this particular mission trip. I can’t exactly pin-point the one thing that made it different, so instead I will share with you some of the experiences my staff and I encountered on this beautiful two week journey through Honduras and Nicaragua....

Here in the states, we can hardly imagine a life that is so simple, so quiet and so undistracted with things that it would be hard for us to believe that anyone could actually live that way. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Imagine a place with no mall, no billboards, no shopping centers, no IPhones or electronics, no restaurants and no noise. There is such a place!

Ain’t no better time to be Catholic than the present! As Catholics we are called to live out our faith, be involved in our community, and celebrate life! The Shepherd’s Café is one of the finest places to celebrate Catholic life and culture. The world has already sent its message via the media, Hollywood, music etc. and so The Shepherd’s Café is sending a new message. It is this: We are here, we are alive, and we are CATHOLIC.