Along the western shore of Lake Manitoba, three Catholic communities share a ministry that has taken shape over more than a century. Our Lady of Guadalupe in Sandy Bay was established in 1902. Our Lady of the Angels in Amaranth followed in 1924, and Assumption of Our Lady in Alonsa was established in 1939. Today, Our Lady of the Angels serves as the base for Fr. Leo and the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi, Sr. Margaret and Sr. Tabitha, as they serve all three communities.
Most of their ministry takes place in Sandy Bay First Nation, where Our Lady of Guadalupe has a long Catholic history and an active local community. Catechesis, youth ministry and liturgical life are supported by local leaders, while Fr. Leo and the sisters provide pastoral care and help sustain the sacramental life of the mission.
Their responsibilities also take them to Alonsa, where Assumption of Our Lady continues as a mission served from Amaranth. Together, the three churches form a pastoral area that requires regular travel throughout the region. The missionaries drive approximately 3,500 kilometres each month between Sandy Bay, Amaranth, Alonsa and surrounding communities.
That amount of travel is one of the less visible realities of ministry in rural Canada. Celebrating Mass, visiting people, providing pastoral care and maintaining a regular presence across several communities all depend on reliable transportation and a local place for the missionaries to live.
Those practical needs were at the heart of the mission’s latest request to Catholic Missions In Canada (CMIC). Along with assistance for travel and the missionaries’ living expenses, the mission needed repairs to the residence used by the Assumption Sisters. The garage doors required replacement to improve security and help prevent break-ins. The Archdiocese of Winnipeg described the work as part of the ongoing need to keep the residence suitable for continued ministry.
A garage door may seem far removed from the work of a Catholic mission. Here, however, it is part of what allows that work to continue. A secure residence gives the sisters a dependable home base and travel assistance keeps Fr. Leo and the sisters moving between communities. Support for everyday living expenses allows them to remain close to the people they serve. While these are ordinary needs, they are all part of sustaining a ministry that has endured through generations.
Mass continues to be celebrated at Sandy Bay more than 120 years after Catholics first established a mission. The faithful continue to gather in Amaranth and Alonsa. Fr. Leo and the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi continue travelling the roads between them, serving communities with different histories and circumstances but a shared Catholic faith. Through the support of CMIC donors, the practical foundations of that ministry remain in place, helping these three communities continue their life of faith for the years ahead.