"No believer in Christ... can avoid this supreme duty:
to proclaim Christ to all peoples.”
- St. John Paul II

Is God Calling You?
Approximately 2,000 years ago, Jesus sent his disciples out as missionaries to the ends of the earth telling them that: “the harvest is plenty, but laborers are few.” Today, His words are as urgent as they have ever been. The world desperately needs missionary evangelism and service. Two thirds of the over 7 billion people in the world today have never heard the Gospel of Jesus preached; that is to say that most of the world has yet to be invited into a saving relationship with Jesus!
At Family Missions Company, we are lay, Catholic, missionary families and singles engaged in proclaiming the Gospel and serving the poor in foreign lands. We firmly believe what Pope John Paul II wrote in his encyclical “Mission of the Redeemer.”
God is calling many people today to proclaim the Good News. Do you feel called to be a full time missionary? We hope and pray that if you do, you will respond generously to that call with your whole heart, with your whole life. Indeed, it is a great challenge, and those of us who have given our lives as missionaries know that there is no better life than one given completely in the service of the Gospel.
All Catholic families and laity are called to the apostolate of evangelization and sanctification of our world today. There is exciting growth in the numbers of Catholic lay missionaries and families with children giving their lives to foreign mission. Please contact our office if you would like additional information; we would love the opportunity to talk and pray with you. Jesus is begging His Father to send laborers into the vineyard – the task is urgent, come with us into the fields!
- Lay: Though we work closely with clergy throughout the world, FMC missionaries are strictly lay and are not priests, deacons, or other people consecrated to religious life.
- Catholic: We are recognized by the local Bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette. Wherever we serve, we serve with the permission of the local Bishop and we work under the blessing of the local priest. Furthermore, we are excited about our Catholic faith and uphold the magisterial teachings of the Church.
- Missionary: As missionaries, we are sent. That is, sent by our local Bishop, sent by FMC, and ultimately, sent by God, who is the one who affirms the call for each missionary.
- Disciples: As we go forth to make disciples, we strive to stay close to Jesus, being in intimacy with and being taught by Him.
- Practicing Catholic in good standing, fully initiated into the Catholic Church and seeking holiness
- (Married couples) Both spouses must be Catholic
- Children of families who are seeking acceptance may not be fully initiated
- Completed high school one year prior to the start date of missionary training
- (Married couples) Completed one year of marriage prior to the start date of missionary training
- Married couples may begin discerning with FMC before they are married (e.g., when they are engaged). However, we recommend already being married when you enter the application process with FMC.
- Fulfilled all the stages of the application process
Once the initial two years is completed and the missionary or missionary family has discerned to continue with FMC, then they may also discern a new mission post. This discernment is done in conjunction with the point person and leadership of FMC.
- The Discernment Inquiry form (For spouses: each spouse must complete and submit a separate form)
- Initial Phone Call (For spouses: both spouses must be on the phone call)
- Missionary Application (For spouses: each spouse must complete and submit a separate application)
- Includes references and a background check
- Come & See Interview Weekend
- For families: both spouses must be in attendance. All children are encouraged to attend the Come & See with their parents. This is as much a discernment for them as it is for their parents.
- Each applicant will have two in-person interviews. For spouses: the first interview is one on one; the second interview will be with both spouses.
Missionary Training
During the in-person training, we will live in community, eating some meals together, studying and praying together and ministering together. We study Scripture, Papal Encyclicals, and other texts to understand the Church’s teaching about mission and incorporate this learning into our life of service.
There is significant time for prayer. Some of the sessions give ample time to go and be with the Lord and process what is being learned. We greatly stress the importance of seeking Much of the time is spent in hearing and practicing
Discernment
- PRAY! We encourage you to spend time in prayer seeking the Lord’s will, reading the Bible. Ask the Lord to really show you if He is calling you to missions.
- Read Go! You are Sent and Our Family’s Book of Acts, autobiographies by Genie Summers (co-founder with her husband, Frank, of FMC). Reading Genie’s books will provide you with an understanding of our history, spirituality, and approach to mission life. To purchase either these books please contact our office at office@familymissionscompany.com or go to www.familymissionscompany.com/store.
- We encourage those discerning a missionary life to read the Book of Acts, which is the account of the Early Church’s missionary activity. We also recommend reading Mission of the Redeemer, Pope John Paul II’s encyclical on mission. He talks about the urgency of missions and the need for full-time missionaries in the world.
- For those desiring to discern becoming full-time missionaries with FMC, reach out to us on our contact page: select Becoming a Full-Time Missionary and enter in your information. Or you can email the FMC Intake team at intaketeam@familymissioncompany.com or call us at 337-893-6111.

Come & See Dates for 2021
April 12-16*
*The application process is NOW open for April. To take the first step email us at intaketeam@familymissionscompany.com.
Other Dates
June 23-27 (April 1: opening date for receiving applications)**
October 13-17 (August 1: opening date for receiving applications)**
**These dates are subject to change.
The Come & See is five days and four nights spent at the mission base of Family Missions Company in Abbeville, Louisiana. During the Come & See, applicants will learn more about living as a full-time Catholic foreign missionary with Family Missions Company. Applicants will meet and fellowship with the Directors of FMC and other FMC missionaries as they discern their missionary vocation. Children are most welcome!
Each Come & See begins on the Wednesday night at 6:00pm with dinner and ends Sunday at noon after Mass and community brunch. We will pray and eat meals together. Take advantage of our grounds and our beautiful chapel for one on one time with the Lord in prayer and continued discernment. You will hear more about the heart of FMC and learn about the practical details of being a foreign missionary with Family Missions Company. Please come with questions!
Interviews
Since, the Come & See is the last part of the application process for those discerning full-time missions, as a single or as a family, each applicant will have two interviews.
* Spouses will interview individually for the first interview and together for their second interview.
When to Begin Reaching Out
We recommend reaching out to FMC at least four weeks before the Come & See that you would like to attend. The application process involves several steps which need to be completed before arriving for the Come & See.
Come and See Costs
The fee is $150 per single adult or $300 per family (includes spouse and all children), which covers housing and meals during your stay.
For more information contact the FMC Intake team at 337-893-6111 or intaketeam@familymissioncompany.com. You can also send us a message from the contact page, just select Becoming a Full-Time Missionary.
FMC has teams of single women and single men. A family, of itself, is a team. There are at least two men or women on a singles team. During Intake, new missionaries are assigned by FMC leadership to their first two year assigned mission post, along with mission partner(s). New missionaries commit to living and serving at this post through their initial two year commitment. After these first two years, missionaries may discern with their FMC point person and other mission partners about moving to a new post.
The mission of the FMC missionary begins at home while fundraising, inviting them into this great calling and sharing with them the wonderful things God is doing through their support and in the missionaries of FMC. FMC provides the tools and resources to get you started with fundraising. If God has called you to foreign mission, He will provide.
For more information, send us a message from the contact page, just select Becoming a Full-Time Missionary and enter in your information. Or you can reach the FMC Intake team at intaketeam@familymissioncompany.com or by phone at 337-893-6111.