Running from the Call
Breanne’s story isn’t the typical missionary journey. A cradle Catholic, she never took her faith seriously growing up. After struggling with addiction as a teenager, she entered rehab, hoping to put her life back together. As she searched for purpose, she toyed with the idea of joining the Peace Corps. Her mother, a devout Catholic, had a different suggestion: “If you’re going to do something like that, you’re going to do it with a Catholic organization.”
That’s how Breanne first encountered Family Missions Company (FMC), a lay Catholic missionary organization. She visited their community in Louisiana, where she quickly decided, “This is not for me.” The missionaries were, in her words, too happy, too joyful, too in love with Jesus. They were constantly singing praise songs and radiating a sense of peace she didn’t recognize. Feeling out of place, she returned home convinced she’d never go back. But God had other plans.
“God, Seriously?!”
For the next several months, Breanne found herself unable to shake the idea of mission work. Scripture passages about selling everything and serving the poor seemed to follow her everywhere. The more she tried to ignore it, the more persistent the message became. One day, frustrated and desperate, she issued an ultimatum: God, if you really want me to be a missionary, I need a sign. Right now.
As Mass began, the visiting priest stepped up to the altar and announced the intention for that day’s Mass: for those discerning mission work. Breanne was stunned. Looking around, she thought, Did anyone else hear that? It was as if God was speaking directly to her.
Her heart sank. She had plans, dreams, ambitions—none of which included being a missionary. But even as she resisted, a deep peace settled in. She knew she had to surrender. A year after vowing never to return to FMC, she walked through their doors again, this time for missionary training.
From the Amazon to the Convent
Breanne’s first mission assignment took her to Ecuador, where she quickly faced a new set of challenges. Surrounded by a party culture, with alcohol and drugs readily available, she battled the old lies that she was unworthy to share the Gospel. “The devil kept whispering, ‘You’re not qualified. Look at your past.’” But she realized that her history uniquely equipped her to reach those struggling with addiction and sin.
Over the years, she has served in Mexico, Ecuador, the Caribbean, Italy, England, Spain, and the Philippines, bringing the Gospel to those on the margins. After several years in mission work, she discerned another surprising call—to religious life. She entered a convent, where she learned a different kind of sacrifice: hiddenness, silence, and prayer. It was here that God prepared her for what would come next: family life.
Mission in the Mundane
Breanne married her husband in 2020, and today she is a wife and mother of three, living in Houston, Texas. While her missionary days may seem far behind her, she insists that being a mother is just as much a mission as evangelizing in foreign lands. “Motherhood is a silent martyrdom,” she says. “It’s waking up at 3 AM to soothe a crying baby. It’s changing diapers that no one thanks you for. It’s offering up the daily grind for the salvation of souls.”
At times, she admits, it feels less glamorous than trekking through the Amazon to bring communion to indigenous tribes. But she finds comfort in the example of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the patron saint of the missions, who never left her convent yet became one of the Church’s greatest missionaries through her prayers and sacrifices.
Breanne and her husband are now focused on cultivating a missionary spirit within their family. Though she’s no longer traveling the world, she teaches her children to serve the poor in small but meaningful ways—making care packages for the homeless, donating toys, and offering prayers for those in need.
A Call for the Jubilee Year of Hope
As the Church celebrates the Jubilee Year of Hope in 2025, Breanne sees it as an opportunity for all Catholics to embrace their missionary call, whether overseas or in their own neighborhoods. “Jesus didn’t say, ‘Some of you go make diciples of all nations,’” she reminds us. “He told all of us to do it.”
Too often, she says, people hesitate to act because they don’t have a clear roadmap. “We get caught up thinking we need to have all the answers before we say yes to God. But that’s not how mission works. It’s about taking the first step and trusting Him with the rest.”
Her great hope for the Church? That more people realize mission isn’t about geography—it’s about surrender. “You don’t have to go to the ends of the earth to be a missionary. Your mission field is your home, your office, your parish. The only question is: “Will you answer the call?”
This Lent, during a year that calls all Catholics to renewed hope, Breanne’s story reminds us that God uses the least likely people to bring His love to the world—even—especially—when they’re running from Him. And if you ever find yourself asking for a sign, be careful. You just might get one. In fact, Breeanne’s story might be that sign.
