NEWLY ordained Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Father Patrick Mara is embarking on a pilgrimage with a difference this month, aboard a 1400cc motorbike.
The ride will be a “spiritual journey” for the priest, who is making a 4600km ride from Sydney to Darwin, where he will minister in a parish, detention centre and prison until the end of the year.
The Suzuki GSX1400 was a gift from a fellow MSC priest.
“One of our priests was an avid motorcycle rider for his whole life, but now he’s 74,” Patrick, 35 said. “He had a motorbike and he offered it to me.”
Patrick joined the MSCs in 2007 after a year of lay mission work in Kirabati and Fiji, which allowed him to utilise his first trade, as a plumber.
Patrick was working happily in his trade, paying a mortgage and preparing for a life of marriage and children, when he felt a strong calling from within to do something else.
“I was 24 and I wasn’t sure what that calling was exactly, so I took some time off work to give myself the space to listen,” he said.
Patrick was “horrified” when he realised that it was the priesthood he was being called to, so much so that he did his best to ignore it and continue on with the life he had planned and wanted.
“But the more I tried to shut it out, the stronger it got,” he said. “It began to really weigh me down and I was left with no option but to at least give it a go.”
When he finally made the decision to try the priesthood, a weight was immediately lifted off his shoulders.
Patrick said the MSCs really struck a chord with him.
“The charism of the congregation fits me like a glove, (it’s) a very down-to-earth spirituality which understands the human condition with all its wonderful joys and messiness put together,” he said.
“I found a congregation where I can be ‘me’ as God intended.”
What Patrick particularly loves about the MSCs is that there is a place for each individual to express themselves and their love for God in any particular ministry.
“Our mission is ‘to be on earth the Heart of God’ where one finds their peace and freedom,” he said.
“I have found it in spending time with the homeless, and those who have fallen through the cracks of society through rejection, mental illness, and drug addiction.
“They are the people I love to spend time with; they are the people in whom I meet Jesus.”
Patrick’s father John said he was proud to see his son “very, very happy” in “a wonderful order”.
He described Patrick as a “very talented tradesman” whose religious vocation would allow him to combine his abilities as a plumber with his love of mission.
It has already been quite a journey from plumber to priesthood for Patrick Mara.
As this newly ordained “Rev” revs along the Stuart Highway, he follows a well marked road and a God whose love could lead him to minister anywhere.
To find out more about the MSCs visit the website misacor.org.au
