World Mission Sunday:
Sharing the 'Good News' of Christ

		Propagation  of the Faith  Msgr. Delbert  Schmelzer

Our Lord Jesus has told us, "As the Father has sent me, so I also send you." He established the Church with a mission mandate to share the "Good News" with the whole world.

Today, more than two-thirds of the world's people have yet to year the great "Good News" of Christ, their Savior, or to experience - through the word and witness of missionaries - the abiding love of His Father.

World Mission Sunday

A great day is coming! World Mission Sunday will be celebrated on Oct. 24, 2004 with the theme, "So that all the nations might hear the Gospel" (2 Tim. 4:17).

World Mission Sunday, organized by the Propagation of the Faith, is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church's missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice.

Annually, World Mission Sunday is celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday in October. As described by Pope John Paul II, World Mission Sunday is "an important day in the life of the Church because it teaches us how to give: as an offering made to God, in the eucharistic celebration and for all the missions of the world" (see Redemptoris Missio 81).

Fund of solidarity

Pope John Paul II has also spoken of the Propagation of the Faith's general fund of support, calling this a "central fund of solidarity." In a message delivered on a recent World Mission Sunday, the pope said: "The offerings that will be collected (on World Mission Sunday) are destined for a common fund of solidarity distributed, in the Pope's name, by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith among the missions and missionaries of the entire world."

Every year the needs of the Catholic Church in the missions grow - as new dioceses are formed, as new seminaries are opened because of the growing number of young men hearing Christ's call to follow Him as priests, as areas devastated by war or natural disaster are rebuilt, and as other areas, long suppressed, are opening up to hear the message of Christ and His Church.

That is why the involvement and commitment of Catholics from around the world is so urgently needed.

Helping meet needs

Offerings from Catholics in the United States, on World Mission Sunday and throughout the year, are combined with offerings to the Propagation of the Faith worldwide. Mission dioceses - about 1,100 at this time - receive regular annual assistance from the funds collected.

In addition, these mission dioceses submit requests to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples for assistance, among other needs, for catechetical programs, seminarians, the work of religious communities, for communication and transportation needs, and for the building of chapels, churches, orphanages, and schools.

These needs are matched with the funds gathered in each year. The world's national directors of the Propagation of the Faith vote on these requests, matching the funds available with the greatest needs. These funds are distributed, in their entirety, to mission dioceses throughout the world.

Prayer, sacrifice

On World Mission Sunday, we are united with Catholics throughout the world in special commitment to our missionary tasks. We should pray for the Church's missionary work and offer our personal sacrifices, our own sufferings, our cares and concerns, in union with the sufferings of Christ on the Cross for the salvation of the world. We offer our financial help for the Church's missionary work.

In his message for this year's World Mission Sunday, our Holy Father has reminded us of the special connection between mission and Eucharist. He says: "The social and religious challenges facing humanity in our day call believers to renew their missionary fervor . . . . Anyone who encounters Christ in the Eucharist cannot fail to proclaim through his or her life the merciful love of the Redeemer."

As Catholics around the world - here at home and in the missions - gather at the Eucharist around the table of the Lord, let us:

• Pray for the Church's worldwide missionary work.

• Offer financial help for the 1,100 diocese throughout Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific Islands.

Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer is director of the Propagation of the Faith for the Diocese of Madison. Contributions to the Propagation of the Faith may be made at the parish or may be sent to: P.O. Box 44983, Madison, WI 53744-4983.

Responding to reader:
On education, parish life

		Grand Mom  Audrey  Mettel Fixmer

I recently received an e-mail from a reader in Illinois that shook me out of my comfort zone, which is good for me occasionally. It was in response to last month's column, "Turning Back the Pages."

In it I talked about returning to a parish we had lived in 50 years ago and discovering that some things hadn't changed much. Like not applauding when the priest congratulated the class of '54 on their golden anniversary and not holding hands during the "Lord's Prayer." Both of these things seemed strange to me because I happen to belong to a parish in which they are every day occurrences.

Catholic education

This gentleman named Craig wanted to know just where I got my Catholic education. Good question.

Here's the answer: I had 12 years of Franciscan sisters in Illinois schools (not a single lay teacher among them) and two more years of Catholic college with Benedictine sisters in Minnesota.

In elementary school I attended Mass daily and sang the Requiem in Latin for most of them. The priest had his back to us mumbling Latin words I did not understand, but the good sisters explained the sacrifice of the Mass in clear English. I got the picture. Jesus loved us enough to die for us and give us his Body and Blood.

In high school the sisters taught me to love great Catholic authors like Chesterton and Mauriac and Greene. They were my models, my idols. I foolishly hoped I could some day write like them.

To pursue that dream I enrolled in the College of St. Benedict to study under Sr. Mariella Gable, the Catholic literary critic. Despite her encouragement I dropped out to get married after my sophomore year.

The funny thing was that's when I got my best Catholic education. Bob and I went through some pretty tough years raising our 10 children. The School of Hard Knocks was my alma mater and God was my headmaster.

All my kids were still at home when Pope John XXIII opened some windows and let in the Holy Spirit. They called it Vatican II.

Suddenly the Mass was offered in English and we could understand it. Not only that, the priest faced the congregation, the communion rails were removed, and suddenly we were no longer spectators, but participants!

Friendly parish

So, Craig, when you say that applause and handholding is not part of the rubrics of the Mass, I agree. And I respect your right to refrain from these practices if it makes you uncomfortable. We travel enough to know that many parishes do not practice these things, and that some, especially in resort communities, are even more relaxed.

I belong to a parish in Fort Atkinson, Wis., and I don't recommend that you visit here. You would be very uncomfortable when someone beside you cheerfully grabs your hand during the "Lord's Prayer" and another guy in front of you turns around and grabs the other. Yes, we link the pews too. Just one big happy family!

And when Fr. Bill asks if there are visitors at that Mass, don't raise your hand. He will ask where you are from and the next thing you know everyone will applaud you to make you feel welcome. All that warmth and love, it would just make you sick!

Love for all

I can tell you one thing from my perspective. Everything I learned in school and in the College of Hard Knocks about Catholicism can be summed up in one word: LOVE.

That's what Christ preached, and that's what we should be living. I believe that here in St. Joseph Parish we have had our eyes open to the true meaning of Christianity.

Love is everywhere, in our prayers for the sick, our efforts for the poor, and in the volunteers who eagerly put in long hours in helping to build our new church.

Could there be a connection between our outward behavior in church and our loving and serving one another? I sure think so!

"Grandmom" likes hearing from other senior citizens who enjoy aging -- contact information.