Bishop asks for generosity this World Mission Sunday

In his message for World Mission Sunday, Bishop David M. O’Connell asks the faithful of the Diocese of Trenton for “full support, through prayer and sacrifice” during collections Oct. 21 and 22 to benefit our brothers and sisters in faith across the globe.

“The collection on the next-to-last Sunday in October is unique,” he writes. “It is truly a global effort for the entire Church. It is a central moment each year to provide for the building up of over 1,000 local churches in Asia and Africa, the Pacific Islands, and parts of Latin America and Europe, an area that covers more than half the territory of the globe.
“Through the work of these churches, and their witness to Christ, the poor receive practical help and experience God’s love and mercy, His hope and peace.”

By Baptism, all Catholics are called to participate in the mission of the Church, called to share their faith as missionaries. The funds gathered on World Mission Sunday are distributed in the Pope's name by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith — a Pontifical Mission Society. 

“I invite all of us in this Diocese to see World Mission Sunday as a special moment of encounter with the Pope’s missions throughout the world. Meeting the priests, religious and lay leaders who, day in and day out, witness to the Gospel and serve the poor, will, as Pope Francis says, ‘enable the missionary heart of Christian communities to join in prayer, testimony of life and communion of goods, in responding to the vast and pressing needs of evangelization.’”

Look for Bishop O’Connell’s full message, as well as information about missionaries across the Diocese of Trenton inside the Oct. 19 edition of The Monitor.

Also of interest

• In his message for World Mission Sunday, “Mission at the heart of the Christian faith,” Pope Francis ask the faithful to reflect on the basis and heart of our mission, as well as the essential approaches  we need to take to carry it out.