Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Pamplona (Agenzia Fides) - "The missionary is someone who has given up everything for Christ, and not for a Christ who is idealized or distant, but for a Christ-God who has come to him and left a deep impression on him. He has won him over and convinced them, as He did with Paul, Peter, Philip, John and Andrew ... It is impossible to truly proclaim Christ if you have not had experience with Him. So, the strength and effectiveness of missionary's word depends on the strength of his experience of the Lord and His Word.” These are the opening words of a Letter from Archbishop Francisco Perez of Pamplona-Tudela, National Director of Pontifical Mission Societies in Spain, written for the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, December 3, and entitled “Missionaries with our Diocesan Church - you are too!”
The letter presents the life of St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552) as that of a saint guided by the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (16:24) when he said to his disciples: "If anyone would come after me must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it. What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? What can a man give in exchange for his soul? ".
Archbishop Perez writes that: "St. Francis Xavier was born and raised in a family where God abounded. The missionary is not someone who decides to be a witness to Christ in a personal moment of euphoria. The missionary is born in the midst of a community that is guided by the Holy Spirit. Surely the first of these communities is the family. Later it may be the parish community or a group. (...) This means that we must strengthen these groups in our parishes, enliven them with the presence of the Spirit of Christ, so that new genuine vocations will come to 'replace' our missionaries."
In Pamplona, the Feast day of St. Francis Xavier, December 3, is a great celebration, as the saint was born at Xavier in Navarra. It is celebrated by Catholics throughout the area, in all the towns, even in the smallest villages. The main Mass is celebrated at noon by the Archbishop of Pamplona, who presents the missionaries present with crucifixes. It is an act deeply lived by all the missionaries who participate, as St. Francis Xavier is the Patron Saint of the Missions and also because Pamplona celebrates the Day of the Diocesan Mission on that day. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 2/12/2009)
