Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lahore (Agenzia Fides) – World Mission Day (WMD), which will be celebrated by all the dioceses and local churches, will be an occasion for all the faithful to hear about a great event in the Church: the First Missionary Congress in Pakistan, which will be held in Karachi on November 25-29, 2009. This is what the Agenzia Fides learned from the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Pakistan, who are heading up the organization of the Congress.
Like every year, the PMS have arranged for the distribution of the Holy Father’s Message for World Mission Day, and have provided the parishes with support for spreading awareness of the missions among the faithful. This year, beginning on WMD, all Catholics will be encouraged to begin preparing for the National Missionary Congress, which (in following up to the Asian Missionary Congress in Thailand, in 2006) will have the theme: “Telling Jesus’ Story in Pakistan.”
The Congress, organized by the Bishops’ Conference, will take place in the Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Karachi and will be attended by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Tito Yllana. Various Bishops, priests, religious, and lay persons will gather, from all the dioceses of Pakistan, with the main purpose of continuing Jesus’ mission in Pakistan, awakening the missionary spirit in all the faithful.
“In the celebration of World Mission Day, we ask all the faithful to pray for the Congress,” Agenzia Fides was told Fr. Mario Rodrigues, National Director of the PMS in Pakistan. It will be an important moment for the local Catholic community, which will be able to examine its responsibility and missionary task within the country and in the mission ad gentes. It will be able to consider its relationship with society and with other religious communities, and plan future evangelization projects. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 16/10/2008)
