Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides) – On the occasion of the 83rd World Mission Sunday (WMS), which will be celebrated this Sunday, October 18, Missio, the foundation within the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI) for missionary ministries, is encouraging all parish communities and Catholic groups to recall the sacrifice of Fr. Ruggero Ruvoletto, recently killed in Brazil. “He was a fidei donum priest originally from the Diocese of Padua,” says Fr. Fianni Cesena, Director of Mission. “He is an honor to our country, having dedicated his life to working for the most abandoned of this world and the Gospel in Manaus, where he carried out his apostolate.”
The theme that the Church in Italy has chosen for WMS is “The Gospel Without Barriers,” in the awareness that the ad gentes mission is a constant task for every baptized person. “The decrease in missionary vocations “ad vitam” in Italy is something to be reflected on, especially considering that in 1990, there were 24,000 Italian missionaries, while in 2000 the number did not even reach 14,000. The current number is expected to be around 10,000. A recent letter from Italian missionaries to the CEI also noted that Italy can no longer be considered merely a launchpad for sending out missionaries to other lands. And thus, missionary service cannot be considred a kind of solitary adventure, but first and foremost, a shared task.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 16/10/2009)
