Supporting Overseas Missions By Fr Matthew McAuslin
Children helping Children
Missio is the New Zealand office providing for the Pontifical Missions Societies. These societies are directly under the patronage of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. There are three main arms or operations of the Pontifical Missions Societies which include the Propagation of the Faith (Mission Sunday), St Peter the Apostle (for the support of seminarians and religious in the developing world) and the Holy Childhood Society. This latter operation, the Holy Childhood Society, in New Zealand has always been run through the Catholic primary schools. It holds to the foundational principle of ‘children helping children’. And a key focus of this principle is on almsgiving where schools raise money for the missions. Throughout the diocese many schools get involved in fundraising in a special Missions Day. One school in particular deserves special mention: St. Joseph’s School, Morrinsville.
Every year this country school holds a special fun and fundraising day that generously raises over $1,000 to help children in need overseas. These country children really get stuck in and do so much good to help those in need overseas. Thank you Morrinsville! So where does the money go and why is school involvement in missions so important? Well, the Holy Childhood Fund supports a number of very important projects in the South Pacific, the Philippines and parts of Africa. Donations from New Zealand go to a large number of very worthwhile projects to help in the temporal and spiritual needs of vulnerable children. For example, we have assisted significantly in helping the Sunday School for children at Sacred Heart Parish in Kiribati. The local bishop informed us that they lack office equipment (projector, printer, laptop), books and tables. The people are very poor and have limited opportunity for raising funds. They meet in an old local maneaba (meeting house) that was not able to meet the needs of the parish. But we have been able to help in meaningful ways so that the children can learn the Catholic faith in a much more comfortable setting.
“These country children really get stuck in and do so much good to help those in need overseas. Thank you Morrinsville!”
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FR MATTHEW MCAUSLIN | PARISHES OF THE LIVING WATERS
