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| World Mission Sunday |
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What is World Mission Sunday ?
World Mission Sunday, organized by the Propagation of the Faith, is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church's missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice.
Annually, World Mission Sunday is celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday in October. As described by the late Pope John Paul II, World Mission Sunday is "an important day in the life of the Church because it teaches how to give: as an offering made to God, in the Eucharistic celebration and for all the missions of the world" (see Redemptoris Missio 81).
The late Holy Father also spoke of the Propagation of the Faith's General Fund of support, calling this a "central fund of solidarity." In a message delivered on a recent World Mission Sunday, the Pope said: "The offerings that will be collected [on World Mission Sunday] are destined for a common fund of solidarity distributed, in the Pope's name, by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith among the missions and missionaries of the entire world."
Every year the needs of the Catholic Church in the Missions grow - as new dioceses are formed, as new seminaries are opened because of the growing number of young men hearing Christ's call to follow Him as priests, as areas devastated by war or natural disaster are rebuilt, and as other areas, long suppressed, are opening up to hear the message of Christ and His Church. That is why the involvement and commitment of Catholics from around the world is so urgently needed. Offerings from Catholics in the United States, on World Mission Sunday and throughout the year, are combined with offerings to the Propagation of the Faith worldwide.
Mission dioceses - about 1,100 at this time - receive regular annual assistance from the funds collected. In addition, these mission dioceses submit requests to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples for assistance, among other needs, for catechetical programs, seminaries, the work of Religious Communities, for communication and transportation needs, and for the building of chapels, churches, orphanages and schools. These needs are matched with the funds gathered in each year. The world's national directors of the Propagation of the Faith vote on these requests, matching the funds available with the greatest needs. These funds are then distributed, in their entirety, to mission dioceses throughout the world.
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Kindly Remember the Propagation of the Faith in your Will or Endowment |
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Imagine, if you will, the desperate lives of so many poor people in remote parts of our world. Often times they live on only one, meager meal a day, if they can gather enough even for that. Missionary Priests, Religious Brothers and Sisters as well as dedicated laypeople labor lovingly among these children of God to give those help, hope, and the sure knowledge that Our Heavenly Father has not abandoned them. |
| In order to be present to these unfortunate members of our human family they must sacrifice many of the comforts that they would ordinarily enjoy were they to have stayed home and not answered the call to serve in the Lord’s vineyard in faraway places. |
| Your prayers and financial support are necessary to help them to be present and to give witness to the fraternal love that Christ enjoins of each of us, His followers. |
| Your assistance, together with the generosity of the faithful throughout the world, will permit missionaries to continue their work of love - (your work of love)- among our poor and less fortunate brothers and sisters in the family of God. |
May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly and give you the reward He promises to those who have attended to His needs. (Mt 25)
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In His name,
Thank you.
Fr Saviano |
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