In Memory of Raymond Mas(1952 - 2017)
- Name
- Raymond Mas
- Spouse
- Irma Mas
- Children
- Victar, Alexandra, Jacob
- Birth Date
- March 10, 1952
- Blessing Date
- July 1, 1982
- Ascension Date
- February 11, 2017
- Local Church
- New Hope Family Church
Our Beloved brother, Raymond Mas, of New Hope Family Church in Maryland, ascended to Spirit World early Saturday morning, February 11th, 2017, after long illness due to a stroke suffered in 2010.
Ray joined the Movement in 1971 in Washington, D.C., and was called to mission in Bolivia, as the country’s first American missionary, and served throughout Central Africa, and Uruguay. Ray and Irma are a 2075 Blessed Couple and National Messiahs to Turkey, where they lived and championed True Parents for many years. Ray was devoted to the cause of religious freedom, working for the International Coalition for Religious Freedom, Middle East Peace Initiative, and the Ambassadors for Peace initiative. He was also an avid reader and a great lover of music and singing.
Ray is survived by his wife, Irma, and three children Victar, Alexandra, Jacob, and sister Carol.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a fund started by the family.
www.gofundme.com/in-memory-of-raymond-mas
Marilyn and Umberto Angelucci and The Middle East Region Family:
“He was a man of dedication and honor. A man that lived for his ideals and was not afraid to sacrifice for what he believed. He lived in Turkey because that is where God wanted him to be and he loved the people with all his heart. Together with his wife and children they sacrificed their homeland and worked for peace in an unfamiliar land. But, they made this unfamiliar place their home.
Until just recently Ray was contacting me whenever there was a tragedy or celebration in Turkey because his heart was still there. Many people remember him fondly in Turkey and ask us about him constantly. He touched many lives and educated many people to uplift their lives and bring them closer to God. He dedicated himself to that place because that is the place that God had given to his family. I am sure that from the Spiritual World he will still be working for Turkey.”
Articles written by Raymond Mas can be found in the following links:
- Time
- 11:00 AM
- Date
- Saturday, February 18th 2017
- Location
- New Hope Family Church: 4801 Tesla Dr. Bowie, MD 20715
Irmgard F Baynes
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Ray touched my life together with his wife Irma by supporting me in my spiritual journey in my life for many many years> they opened their home to me when I first came to the United States and had to get accustomed to the “american” lifestyle and customs> through the example as missionaries and National Messiah-ship, putting their personal life and comfort last but following the call to action by God and our True Parents. Ray, I will continue to improve my English grammar and vocabulary :), thanks for encouraging me in that. I am glad I could spent the time at the Washington Monument Rally last year with you and Irma. We are bonded forever. With much love and gratitude for love and dedication. Irmgard
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Douglas Burton
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Ray gave his whole life for the church. He had a family because of the church. He left his college career, and took a leap of faith in 1972 and never looked back. That kind of courage is uncommon today, but it was common among UC members who followed True Father in the 1970s. His whole life was an offering worthy of reflection, prayer and celebration.
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Caroline Betancourt
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Michael and I will always be grateful to the Mas family for their support of us during our convalescence from our car accident. We could not drive to our doctor’s appointments for a time and Ray came with his van, loaded me and my wheelchair into the van to go to the doctor. He waited for my appointments to finish, and then reversed the process to take me home. It brought such comfort to me. I have always been in awe of Ray’s and Irma’s sacrifices as missionaries and their positive attitudes towards the personal challenges in their lives. I am truly grateful to Ray and Irma and their children for their contributions to world peace and know in my heart that Ray will be called upon by True Father to take a leadership role in resolving the Middle East conflict. Go Ray!!
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David Stewart
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We had a lot of fun working together in Sun Moon’s language school in Canada. Ray had a good sense of humour and was very professional in his work. We also enjoyed getting to know his family while they were here with us. A good, very good, man warmly remembered here in Hamilton, Ontario.
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Kit and Maria Ogden
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Thank you Ray….. Your smile and bright spirit always lifted our hearts and filled us with belief that we can accomplish our mission in the time we were in Uruguay.
Love to Irma and family.
Chris and Maria Ogden
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Gunnard Johnston
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Ray has always impressed me as a man of deep abiding faith, unmistakeable humility, and immense integrity. He touched everyone who saw him in life, and will always be an inspiration for generations to come.
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Vicki Phelps
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Ray will also be remembered by the staff of The World & I magazine, where he worked as a Current Issues editor for a few years.
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Julian Gray
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Ray is a wonderful brother. I met him 20 years ago at the national messiah workshop in Korea, and we had been in contact over the years from time to time. Always such a warm heart. It is surely a loss for this world that he could not stay longer here. But they are blessed there in the heavenly realms to welcome Ray to the fold — and there we have an expanding and increasingly brilliant community of goodness!
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Robin Graham
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I am very happy to have the Graham-Mas connection, Ray. Long may it prosper.
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Nasser Zomorod
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Ray was a true man of God .I worked with him in Washington with Muslims for a short time.He truly touched my heart as true brother .He was so educated and very humble .He was such a easy person to work with .He loved Muslims people so much and welcome many Imam from different Mosque to our meeting .I am sure he has a nice place in heaven . Nasser
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David and Christa Rennie
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Dear Irma
Since we all met at the blessing in New York we have seen you and Ray together as a heavenly couple of true love and heavenly righteousness. What you have achieved together and how you have constantly served others will remain as a substantial legacy in the vast expanse of eternity that Ray is now entering. May your hearts be overflowing and your family close and may God bless you all, with all our love and gratitude, David and Christa
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Nancy Hanna
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I had the opportunity to know and work with Ray when he was in South America. He was a warm, sincere, loving brother.
We actually went thru a very harrowing experience together that bonded us for life. Farewell precious brother.
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Kiyomi Miyama
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I saw him at the room of ICRF in the Washington Times and knew a man that supported many victims of kidnapping in Japan from U.S. with Dan Fefferman. We were helped out greatly thanks to your cooperation because we had no case of kidnapping in Japan at last year. Thank you a lot, Ray.
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Carmen Kimura
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Irma, I am so sorry for your lose. I know it’s been very difficult for you in these years since Ray has been ill. It’s easy to say platitudes like “Ray is free now.” but really, he is suffering right beside you, knowing that you are having such a hard time. Free your mind and let him peacefully go. He’ll walk with you all the way to the end because of love.
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Dirk Anthonis
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For several years I had the privilege of working with Ray in Uruguay, where he held important responsibilities, including at the daily newspaper Ultimas Noticias, the Banco de Credito and other businesses the Church owned there in the late ’90s. He was very supportive and I will always appreciate Ray for the many times he reached out and offered his help. He was well-respected by the community at large and was an excellent mediator. A missionary at heart, he will undoubtedly continue to be a peacemaker in the heavenly realm.
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Nick Buscovich
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To my special brother who i 1st met in Barrytown back in the 70’s. His faith, personality and loving heart always touched me. Fast forward 30+ years to 2007 @ the Middle East Peace Initiative and it was the same Ray; leading, loving, caring and taking responsibility. You will be missed but never forgotten for all you gave to others and all the hearts you touched. Father, will be happy to see his son and Ray will be FREE again. To Irma and the family our prayers and thoughts will be with you. Oceans of Love
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Alphonse Mayele
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Mayele family will miss his loving hearth.
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Mike Leone
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February 18th, 2017
Dear Irma, Victar, Alexandra, and Jacob-
Your husband and your father Ray lived his life as a wonderful example of what it takes to unite with and follow God and True Parents will. He lived and walked on this earth as a loyal son of our heavenly parent-God – and a great example of what it takes to be a successful disciple of our True Parents. He always found a way to keep a positive and dignified presence, a warm heart, a generous spirit toward everyone, and a great smile and keen sense of humor that helped him to go over and through any difficulties and suffering he was facing.
Ray lived his time with us on this earth as a person of honor and dedication—who lived for his ideals and continually sacrificed for what he deeply believed in—in other words he leaves here as a success before earth and heaven.
Dear brother Ray—I’m so proud to have you call me your Spiritual Father. I very much look forward to eventually joining together with you and having all the time we want to be together as loving sons of God forever.
Thank you Ray, Irma, and the whole Mas Family
God Bless
Mike (and Kozue) Leone
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Judith Grant-Wilson
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Dear Irma and family, What a treasure it was to spend time with you and Ray in Washington DC in September, 2016. I want to say how grateful I am, for the effort you have made over the many years, wherever we were, to keep our families in touch. That is a gift that I will never forget. Your couple has made great sacrifices, over years, to be at the place were the Will of Heaven requires you. I am so proud to have known you both….you inspire me.
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Mitch Dixon
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Hi Ray,
God bless you. Thank you for your hard work and for the work you did at the Sun Moon extension school in Canada. We’ll meet again.
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