VATICAN - Feast day of Saint Therese of Lisieux opens Missionary month of October with its culminating event on 24 October World Mission Day: “Eucharist and Mission” open the Year the Eucharist

Friday, 1 October 2004

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Vatican City (Fides Service) - Today the feast day of Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897), proclaimed patron of the missions with St Francis Xavier in 1927, is the first day of the Missionary month of October which will have its culminating event on 24 October World Mission Sunday. In many parts of the world October is celebrated with a variety of initiatives to remind Catholics of the duty of every baptised person to cooperate with the Church’s universal mission. October was chosen to recall the ‘discovery’ of America and a new page in the history of evangelisation. In front line in initiatives for the month the Pontifical Mission Societies offices all over the world organise activities to promote missionary animation and cooperation at all levels.
In many countries a special activity is assigned to each week of October: personal or community prayer for the missions, (Masses for the Evangelisation of Peoples, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; offering of suffering and pain for the missions (acts of penance, visiting the sick helping them to offer their suffering for the missions...); promotion and support of mission vocations: charity (World Mission Day collection on Sunday Masses and other initiatives such as charity sales, exhibitions etc...); thanksgiving for gift of faith.
This year the Church is underlining the close bond between Eucharist and Mission the subject of the Pope’s Message for World Mission Day 2004 which, in a way, opens the special Year of the Eucharist convoked by Pope John Paul II: “It is necessary to re-launch mission "ad gentes" with courage, starting with the proclamation of Christ, Redeemer of every human person. The International Eucharistic Congress which will be celebrated at Guadalajara in Mexico in the coming month of October, the missionary month, will be an extraordinary opportunity to grow in choral missionary awareness around the Table of the Body and Blood of Christ. Gathered around the altar, the Church understands better her origin and her missionary mandate.” (n.1). (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 1/10/2004 - Righe 27; Parole 357)