By Fr Henry Adler SVD
AUS Mission Secretary
World Mission Sunday, which we celebrated on October 20, is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit ourselves to the Church's missionary activity through prayer, sacrifice and personal involvement.
In collaboration with the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and with our lay partners in Mission, we as SVD members support and celebrate with the local and worldwide Church our unique calling to God’s Mission.
The observance of Mission Sunday has special meaning for us Divine Word Missionaries. It reminds us that we are followers of the Word and missionaries of the Word. To be effective we all need to grow in our “competence” to witness to the Word and share the Word across the boundaries of culture.
In his reflection on 2013 Mission Sunday, Fr. Tim Lehane, SVD, the Secretary General of the Society of the Pontifical Society of the Propagation of Faith, suggests that this year the celebration of World Mission Day has a very special meaning: “because we celebrate it in an era of new beginnings: The Year of Faith, a New Pontiff and a new SVD Superior General. Each of these inspires innovation and growth in the key services that we offer as missionaries.” (Arnoldus Nota, October 2013, p.4.)
In his message for Mission Sunday, Pope Francis emphasized the obligation of all Christians to share the faith with others: “Faith is God’s precious gift, which opens our mind to know and love him. He wants to enter into relationship with us and allow us to participate in his own life in order to make our life more meaningful, better and more beautiful. God loves us!.... Everyone should be able to experience the joy of being loved by God, the joy of salvation! It is a gift that one cannot keep to oneself, but it is to be shared.”
Read all of Pope Francis' message for World Mission Sunday by clicking here.
Below are photos of the World Mission Day celebrations from St Patrick's Parish, Wainuiomata, New Zealand, where parishioners dressed up in their national dress, showcasing the wonderful multiculturalism of the parish.
