Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Port Victoria (Agenzia Fides) - “Thanks to Fr. Leon des Avanchers and the first missionaries, we received the Good News of the Gospel. This Good News is what we must make known around us,” writes Fr. Edwin Mathiot, Director of the “L'echo des iles,” the diocesan magazine in the Diocese of Port Victoria, Seychelles, in recalling that the week that precedes Mission Sunday is meant to “awaken Catholics to the Church's mission.” This week, they are encouraged to pray, come together, and reflect.
Mission Sunday is an intense time of prayer: “prayer for the missionaries working all over the world, prayer asking for missionary and priestly vocations...In the Seychelles, we are still in need of missionaries ourselves. One can be a missionary through their prayer, remaining where they are. We take advantage of this week to pray in union with all the Catholics throughout the world, for the Church's intentions. But we should also pray every day of the year. It is part of solidarity to pray with and for the other Catholics in the world.”
Recalling the Pope's Message for World Mission Sunday 2009, Fr. Mathiot mentioned that the collection taken up every year is held throughout the world to support the missions: “we cannot forget that from the beginning the Church has lived out charity.” He also highlighted the role and charism of the Pontifical Mission Societies: the offerings of every nation are then distributed according to the needs of each diocese for the formation of priests, the preparation and payment of catechists full time, to respond to the various needs of the parishes and dioceses. Fr. Mathiot concluded by recalling the idea that inspired Pauline Jaricot to found the Society for the Propagation of the Faith: every Catholic would say a prayer each day and offer a cent each week, “a simple idea that has moved thousands of Catholics. What solidarity!” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 15/10/2009)
