My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
“Mercy Changes the World!”
On World Mission Sunday, October 23, Pope Francis invites each of us to be part of that change for our world of great need, calls us to announce the mercy of God, “the beating heart of the Gospel” (Misericordiae Vultus, 12).
On this 90th World Mission Sunday, our diocesan family joins our brothers and sisters around the world who will gather at the Lord’s Table to celebrate, with great joy, our common vocation as missionaries. Our prayers and financial help, through the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, support the work of the Mission Church, its witness to Christ and service to the poor.
“Let us not close our hearts within our own particular concerns,
but let us open them to all of humanity.”
Message for World Mission Sunday, 2016
I echo these words of our Holy Father, asking you to open your hearts as you connect on World Mission Sunday with every corner of the globe… with the Americas, where catechists travel to remote areas to bring the Good News of God’s great love to families; with Europe, where new churches are being built to welcome faith communities, renewed after years of persecution, with Asia, where six million children receive an education from Religious Sisters in some 16,000 Church-run elementary schools; with the Pacific Islands, where 1,000 young men are preparing for the priesthood, to bring the Lord’s healing hope and peace to those in need; with Africa, where those who are sick are provided with loving care at 6,400 Catholic hospitals and small clinics.
You can also continue this connection with the Missions all year long, through MISSIO, online at missio.org or on your phone.
Grateful always for your generosity of spirit and heart, and confident of your missionary commitment to share the joy of the Gospel and help the poor, I pray for blessings for your and your families!
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M.
Bishop of Trenton