AMERICA/EL SALVADOR - Bishops’ Exhortation with the launching of the Great Mission in the country: “The Church in El Salvador, along with the entire continent, has declared itself in a permanent missionary state.”

San Salvador (Agenzia Fides) – “The mission that is taking place as a fruit of the Aparecida Conference, should above all be a source of inspiration for Christians in their missionary vocation, strengthening the roots of their faith and awakening in them the responsibility they have in placing all Christian communities in a permanent missionary state,” the Bishops of El Salvador said in a Pastoral Exhortation entitled “A Church on a Permanent Mission,” issued with the launching of the Great Mission in the country, which took place in August.
“The Church in El Salvador, along with the entire continent, has declared itself in a permanent missionary state,” the text reads. The Bishops call this time of the mission “a time of grace, a road to renewal and personal, social, and pastoral conversion,” so as to properly respond to the great challenges of our times.
The mission will take shape concretely in every single diocese, according to the local pastoral plans, in accord with the other Churches on the continent and with celebrations on a continental level, but always with the same objective of “becoming a Church that lives in a permanent missionary state.”
The Bishops offer several main guidelines in their Exhortation. Firstly, they recall the need to pray to the Lord of the harvest, not only to send more workers, but also enable those who are already working to do so in His name and with the strength of His Spirit. They also make a special call to priests, as “their enthusiasm, witness, and personal generosity are indispensable for the mission’s success.” They should also respond to the call of Aparecida to parish renewal, one that “cannot remain in a pastoral labor of conservation, but one that leads the parish to become a missionary community.”
The missionary church, the Exhortation says, “cannot be indifferent before the challenges that we face in El Salvador.” Thus, “we should face up to the problems of a growing secularism, migration of Catholics and other religious groups, inhumane poverty that impedes so many families from living a life with dignity, the phenomenon of people leaving their homes and homeland in search of better economic conditions, with the painful consequences this causes.”
These unfortunate realities demand a response of hope.
The Bishops mention 4 main elements of the mission. First, drinking from the Word, where we find Jesus and which implies a special focus on Biblical pastoral activity. Second is nourishing oneself from the Eucharist, with special emphasis on the liturgy, especially the Sacraments of Initiation, fully aware that “the Eucharist is the unique and privileged place where the disciple comes in contact with Jesus and it is the endless source of renewal for the Christian vocation and missionary zeal.” The third element is building up the Church as a house and school of communion and lastly, serving society, especially in the poor.
The Bishops conclude their exhortation recalling the ardent call made by the 5th General Conference of Aparecida: “May no one remain seated with their arms crossed! Being a missionary means preaching Christ with creativity and audacity wherever the Gospel is not sufficiently announced and received, especially in the difficult and forgotten environments and those beyond the borders of our countries.” And recalling the words of St. Paul, in this his Jubilee Year, “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (RG) (Agenzia Fides 10/9/2008)