22 WORLD MISSION SUNDAY
The Monitor • OCTOBER 4, 2018
World Mission News • ANNUAL REPORT
THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE FAITH The Society for the Propagation of the Faith A MESSAGE FROM
BISHOP DAVID M. O’CONNELL, C.M. Ministrare Non Ministrari
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
A
nnually, the next to last Sunday of October marks the Church’s Eucharistic celebration for the Missions, World Mission Sunday. In his message for this year’s celebration on October 21, Pope Francis explains that “life is a mission.” “Each one of us is called to reflect on this fact: ‘I am a mission on this Earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world’ (Evangelii Gaudium 273),” he writes. Focusing on young people, he notes: “In speaking to you, I also address all Christians who live out in the Church the adventure of their life as children of God.” I invite all of us in this Diocese to see World Mission Sunday as a special moment to live out the mission we share as God’s children, the mission to bring the Gospel to the whole world. I encourage you to be a “voice for mission” through your prayers and through the help that you are able to give in support of the priests, religious and lay pastoral leaders who work tirelessly, day in and day out, proclaiming the Gospel, building the Church, and serving the poor in more than 1,100 mission dioceses in Asia and Africa, the Pacific Islands, and parts of Latin America and Europe. The prayers and material aid generously given to the collection for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith on World Mission
Sunday, the Pope explains, continue to support the “preaching of the Gospel to every nation,” thus “contributing to the human and cultural growth of all those who thirst for knowledge of the truth.” “Mission revitalizes faith,” Pope Francis reminds us, quoting Saint Pope John Paul II in Redemptoris Missio (#2). May your commitment to the Lord’s continuing mission renew your faith and be a blessing in your life. And may you know of my personal gratitude for your generous response on this unique day for the entire Church, and throughout the year, as you are able. Gratefully in the Lord,
The Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, CM, JCD Bishop of Trenton For more about this important celebration of the universal Church, and information about how you can learn about the Missions from Pope Francis himself, please visit missio.org/resources for additional materials.
The Society for the Propagation of the Faith
Dear Friend of our Mission Family,
E
THROUGH YOUTH TO THE WORLD
VOICES for MISSION WMS 2018 poster_FINAL_v7.indd 1
7/9/18 4:18 PM
Diocesan World Mission Sunday Mass
T
he diocesan World Mission Sunday Mass will be celebrated Oct. 21 at 11 a.m. in Immaculate Conception Church, 64 Broad Street, Eatontown. Father Peter James R. Alindogan, diocesan mission director and pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish, West Long Branch, will be principal celebrant and homilist. Among the concelebrating priests will be Father Young June Lee, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church.
October, 2018
very year, something special happens on the next to the last Sunday of October. World Mission Sunday joins all of us, Catholics of the world, into one community of faith. At Mass that Sunday, we recommit ourselves to our common vocation through our Baptism, to be missionaries, through prayer, participation in the Eucharist, and by giving generously to the collection for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. This year, Pope Francis addresses his World Mission Sunday message as we live out the adventure of being children of God. What Father Peter James a wonderful way to imagine the mission we have received from the Alindogan Lord! When all the children of God, at every stage of life, reflect on the fact that our lives are a mission, our faith remains ever young. As we pray and respond on World Mission Sunday, we share in those celebrations taking place in every parish, seminary, school and convent all over the world. Together with children of God in every corner of the globe, we become voices for mission, providing the prayerful and financial support necessary to bring the Lord’s mercy and concrete help to the most vulnerable communities in the Pope’s missions. In a world where so much divides us, World Mission Sunday rejoices in our unity as children of God, His missionaries! And it provides an opportunity to support the life-giving presence of the Church among the poor and marginalized in more than 1,111 mission dioceses. God bless you always for your generosity and love. In Christ,
Rev. Peter James Alindogan Diocesan Director