Back in 1822 a young French laywoman, Pauline Jaricot, was inspired by stories she heard about missionary work in China. As a result she felt called by the Lord to help our church’s worldwide missionary work. She herself never traveled to missionary lands but she encouraged people to pray daily for the missions and sacrifice a penny-a-week (Remember! That was 1822.) From this idea emerged the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
The notion that we Catholics are “one family in mission” emerged from the work of Pauline and her followers. Eventually the Society established World Mission Sunday, a day set aside for Catholics everywhere to recommit themselves to our church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice. World Mission Sunday is celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday in October, this year, Oct. 19. Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in his message for World Mission Sunday, calls our attention to St. Paul in particular, the apostle to the Gentiles, since this year we are celebrating a special jubilee in his honor. It was Paul who prodded the early Christians to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the world because all God’s children are eager to experience hope and true freedom, neither of which is truly achievable without a meaningful and lasting relationship with our loving God.
There are times, I know, when we Americans presume that World Mission Sunday was established for us, so that we who live comfortably could reach out to people in other nations whose lives are not so generously blessed. We need to remember that it was this very missionary spirit of the church which brought the faith here to Oregon. The first Catholic missionaries who came to the Oregon Territory to preach the gospel traveled from Canada, places like Quebec City and Montreal. Many of our priests and religious historically have come from other lands. Even our first bishops!
Today the story remains much the same. At the present time we have several communities of religious women and men working here in the archdiocese who come from Africa, Vietnam, Korea, China and Mexico. Some 20 priests from other nations who are not incardinated in this archdiocese serve in our parishes and hospitals. They can be found in Portland, Milwaukie, Salem, Corvallis, Roseburg, Tillamook and more. Our Providence Health Care System would be quite limited in priestly resources were it not for priests from other nations. Yes, we still benefit from the missionary mandate of Jesus Christ because men and women still hear the call and travel far from home to preach the gospel, just like St. Paul.
Admittedly, we are doing our part. A number of our women and men serve as missionaries in other lands. Presently two of our diocesan priests, Father Jim Coleman in Bolivia and Father Heiko Junge in Ecuador, serve in the “missions.” But our contribution pales in comparison with the contributions we receive from the churches of other nations. We should admit this with a certain measure of humility and acknowledge it gratefully.
Interestingly, this year, 2008, the Catholic Church in the United States marks the 100th anniversary of our “mission independence.” Back in 1908 the decision was made that the Catholic churches in the United States would no longer be dependent upon support from The Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Although it is true that the financial resources from other nations no longer come in our direction, certainly the human resources do. There still remain many missionary dioceses in the United States which receive financial support from the rest of us in the annual Catholic Home Missions Appeal each spring.
When I was a youngster the National Director of the Pontifical Missions Societies, which includes the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, was Archbishop Fulton Sheen. He served in that capacity from 1950 to 1966. He used television masterfully in those early years to preach the good news and to remind us of the work and witness of missionaries everywhere. The National Director at this time is Msgr. John Kozar who has released several radio messages wherein he reminds his listeners that “we are all part of this ‘one family in mission.’”
On the weekend of Oct. 18-19, together with bishops all over the world, I am asking that a special collection be taken up so that we will all have an opportunity to make contributions to support the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. These offerings will be used to provide pastoral and evangelizing programs, support catechists in catechetical work, build churches and chapels, provide health care and education and make communication and transportation available when and where needed. In making our contributions this year we do so with gratitude for all the missionaries who served and continue to serve in our own growing church. Pope John Paul II once said that World Mission Sunday is “an important day in the life of the church because it teaches how to give: as an offering made to God, in the Eucharistic celebration and for all the missions of the world.” (Redemptoris Missio 81)
Presently approximately 1100 mission dioceses receive regular annual assistance from the funds collected on World Mission Sunday. These dioceses make their requests to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in Rome. National directors of the Propagation of the Faith from all over the world vote on these requests, trying to match the available funds with the greatest needs. The director here in our archdiocese is our Chancellor, Mary Jo Tully.
When I was a youngster, World Mission Sunday was promoted in our Catholic schools and religious education programs. I hope our pastors and teachers will continue that practice. Catholics who are mission-minded can usually trace this inclination from messages and activities during their childhood. World Mission Sunday is a day to remember that the church is much larger than our own parish or diocese. It’s much more than a day for providing financial assistance to the missions. It’s a day for celebrating who we are, disciples in mission, together with our sisters and brothers all over the world.
