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A Message From the National Director - November 2008
“To encourage them to have hope. To help them to live in peace.”
These were just two of the many efforts for the suffering in Sudan that a missionary there discussed during a visit to our national office in mid-October. Father Ruben Quisver went to southern Sudan in 2005. An Incarnate Word Father, this native of Argentina spoke of the first activities when his missionary community arrives in an area (see video below).
”Even before we build a small hut for ourselves, we construct a small chapel,” he said. (The priest sleeps outside until that hut is built.) “In the chapel, there is community prayer. We speak about the problems, and pray together.” His work in the Sudan has been “first evangelization,” said this missionary priest. “Our task is to see that many people come to know Jesus who do not know Him, that they come to know about our faith in Him as well,” Father Quisver observed. And there is also the response to the needs of the people, offering them the hope, peace and love of our Lord. “We visit the families, to console them, to encourage them,” he said. “This is complete evangelization — human development but always Christian formation.”
This missionary’s visit brought to mind the importance of each one of us in this “one family in mission.” While we may not “go” physically to Sudan, our presence is nonetheless so very necessary there and in so many other places throughout the Missions. And we are present through prayer, above all, and through the sacrifices we offer through the Pontifical Mission Societies like the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Blessings to you, Father Quisver, and to missionaries everywhere serving in difficult and dangerous circumstances. Blessings as well to each of you for your generous missionary hearts!
Rev. Msgr. John E. Kozar
National Director Pontifical Mission Societies
in the United States
photo by CNS/Nancy Wiechec
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October 20, 2008
Primary Missionary Commitment is Prayer
On October 19, Following a solemn celebration of the Eucharist and the traditional supplication to the Virgin of Pompeii, Benedict XVI prayed the Angelus with thousands of faithful gathered at the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Holy Rosary.
Before the Marian prayer, the Pope entrusted the work of the current Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to the intercession of the Virgin saying, “that it may bring fruits of authentic renewal in all Christian communities.” The Holy Father also recalled how October is “the month of missions and of the Rosary,” pointing out that "the primary missionary commitment of each one of us is, in fact, prayer.
"It is above all by prayer that the way is prepared for the Gospel," he added. "It is by prayer that hearts are opened to the mystery of God and souls are prepared to welcome His Word of salvation."
Click to read more...
High School Essay Contest
The national office of The Society for the Propagation of Faith, a Pontifical Mission Society, announces the relaunch of its essay contest for young Catholics to commemorate a significant milestone for the Church in the United States. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Church in the United States no longer receiving subsidies from the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The Church in the United States – once dependent on the generosity of European Catholics – has now become a vital source of spiritual and financial support to the Catholic Church in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands and remote regions of Latin America. The theme of this contest – “Got Good News”? – emphasizes the importance of missionary activity in promoting Christ’s message of love and peace throughout the world, and to encourage young people to consider how they, by telling stories of missionaries or of their own mission experiences, are themselves proclaiming the “Good News.”
Essay Contest Guidelines
Information for Teachers
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