The Society for the Propagation of the Faith was founded in Lyons, France, in 1822 by a young French laywoman, Pauline Jaricot. Inspired by stories she heard about missionary work in China, she felt called by the Lord to help the Catholic Church's worldwide missionary work. Pauline herself never traveled to the Missions, which, during her lifetime, consisted of the Missions in China — and young dioceses in the United States. Pauline gathered friends and workers in a family silk mill into "circles of ten," asking each person to pray daily for the Missions and sacrifice a penny-a-week (at that time, quite a large sacrifice!). From this idea emerged the Propagation of the Faith.

Today the General Fund of the Propagation of the Faith, which gathers gifts from Catholics all over the world — a concept that originated with Pauline Jaricot and her desire to help all the world's missions — is the basic means of support for the Catholic Church's worldwide Missions.

News From the Philippines

The following message comes from Donna Gaffney, Pontifical Mission Societies Diocesan Director, Colorado Springs:

“This is an update about the destruction from the typhoon I just received from one of our dear friends and a co-worker in the Philippines where my family did mission work.”

May 26, 2008

Dear Donna,

I am in Manila so I am able to open my mail box. It’s been a week since after the typhoon and we have no electricity, no land line, and no internet connection. Alaminos is affected. Other badly hit parishes include: Aguilar, Bugallon, Salasa, L:abrador, Sual, Mabini, Infanta, Eguia, partly Bolinas.

The two radio station towers went down, the roofs of the above Churches and convents were blown away (partly, electric posts went down, trees uprooted, many roofless homes. I have sent proposal to Child Fund Japan to rebuild 11 total homes and 34 partly damaged homes. There are many others in need of help but we can only attend to few.

I hope the government can also help. Food packages are distributed to some families. Tomorrow the sisters of Mother Theresa will come to distribute food packages. We do not only see devastation but also stories of miracles. In spite of the destruction to properties and livelihood, the people are safe. There are only about 39 deaths in 3 provinces. I will write you again next time. I have to hurry back to Alaminos tomorrow.

Let us be one in prayer.

Love, Ester

Congratulations!

The International Secretariat of the Pontifical Mission Society for the Propagation of the Faith announced that on May 24 Pope Benedict XVI appointed His Excellency, Monsignor Henryk Hoser, S.A.C., Bishop of Warsaw-Praga (Poland), retaining the personal title of Archbishop. Until now Archbishop Hoser served as Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and President of the Pontifical Mission Societies.

The same day His Holiness named Monsignor Piergiuseppe Vacchelli, previously undersecretary of the Italian Episcopal Conference and President of the Committee for Charitable Services for Third World Nations, Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and President of the Pontifical Mission Societies. He will be at the same time elevated to the dignity of Archbishop, of the Titular See of Minturno.