“Every one of us has a special calling and we need each other to discover that,” says Maryknoll Father Daniel Kim, adding that his calling is to be a missionary priest. Fr. Kim first learned what it means to be a missionary from his mother, who taught him about St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. St. Thérèse said that we can share God’s love through everyday acts of kindness. “A missionary,” explains Fr. Kim, “is someone who reflects the love of God through service.” 

Before Fr. Kim became a priest, he witnessed a terrible act of violence: someone being stabbed in a monastery. “That moment really shocked me into action, into discovering and trying to explore my calling in a deeper way.” Soon after, he met a Maryknoll priest who helped him discern his calling. “I am very moved by the genuine passion and love the Maryknoll Missioners have for their work,” says Fr. Kim, “and how profoundly they share the healing power of God’s love with the people whom they serve, especially with the people that society labels as misfits and outcasts.”