Diocese of Rockville Centre Pontifical Mission Societies and Mission Office
Rev. Joseph V. McCabe, MM Director www.drvc.org/mission.html
Volume 4, Issue 1
HCA Mission News
Sept./Oct. 2010
Words to Live by: “To be a missioner is to go where you are needed but not wanted, and to stay until you are wanted but not needed.” ~Bishop James E. Walsh, M.M~
Get Excited About Mission!
A Unique Mission Experience
With another school year underway, we want to get everyone excited about MISSION and what it can do for your students to inspire them and help teach them how their faith matters to the world. One way is by following our newly designed Mission Blog, written by our director, Fr. Joe McCabe, MM. Each month he tells a mission story or gives a Christian perspective on what is happening around the globe. He will also feature stories from different missionaries from our diocese about their work in foreign lands.
Each year we offer a mission talk, the opportunity for one of us from the mission office to come to your religious ed. class or school to speak with the students about what mission actually means and how it is relevant to their lives today.
For example, the picture at right, which is worth at least 1,000 words, shows Fr. Joseph Kelly, C.S.Sp., offering Mass for all of Africa on the SUMMIT of MOUNT KILIMANJIRO in Tanzania!! This was back in the Fifties, when he was a missionary there. In his own words: “The area of this one mission was about the same as all of Long Island, but it was mountainous with basically only two directions up or down.” Imagine climbing to the summit to celebrate Mass! These are the types of stories which can capture our children’s imagination and give them true heroes to believe in again. So start checking out our blogs every month: “On Mission Paths” and “Meet Our Missionaries” on www.drvc.org/mission. And get your students excited about MISSION!
This year we will also offer something different — the chance for classes to travel up to Maryknoll to experience mission in a new way. At Maryknoll headquarters (pictured here), the students can meet a missionary who will give them a tour, visit their interactive museum, have lunch, and get a new and exciting perspective on how our Church spreads the love of Christ around the word. For a nominal fee and the cost of a bus ride, you can give your students a unique mission experience. Please contact this office for more info: jmccabe@drvc.org or bpistani@drvc.org.
WORLD MISSION SUNDAY Will be celebrated this year at St. Patrick’s, Bayshore at the 11:30 a.m. Mass. All schools and religious education programs who donated to missionary efforts through our office will receive an award for their contribution. Please join us!
“We Carry Each Other” is published bi-monthly.
Diocese of Rockville Centre Pontifical Mission Societies and Mission Office
Reality Check
Editor: Brenda Pistani bpistani@drvc.org 516-678-5800 x519
The Children’s Page
WHAT IS WORLD MISSION SUNDAY? October 24, 2010 is a red-letter day! World Mission Sunday is celebrated every October in every Catholic parish all around the world. It is a day the Church sets aside to focus on mission: to remember that others still need to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, to thank our missionaries for their sacrifices, and to renew our commitment to live and share the Gospel with others. Spiritual and material sharing enables all of us, rich or poor, to be evangelized and to serve. Even the poorest parishes collect money for missions all over the world. The Society for the Propagation of the Faith is the part of the Church dedicated to mission. With the money raised, they serve: 194,855 schools, 5,246 hospitals, 17,530 health clinics, 577 leprosy centers 80,560 social and pastoral centers 1,150 dioceses in developing nations In our Diocese we celebrate World Mission Sunday with a Mass where students dress up in costumes and carry flags from different countries. We invite missionaries to come and be part of our celebration. There are displays so people can learn about the Church’s work around the world. This year World Mission Sunday is being celebrated at St. Patrick’s Church in Bay Shore at the 11:30 a.m. Mass. Why not come and join us as we reflect and pray on the love of God for all people!