Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Sydney (Fides Service) - To reflect on evangelisation in Oceania and celebrate the 30th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s great missionary exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi a series of thought-provoking conferences were held in September in different Australian cities organised by the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Catholic Mission (Pontifical Mission Societies Australia) in collaboration with the Australian Conference of Superiors of Religious Institutes. The conferences held in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane, were attended by scholars, clergy, religious and lay Catholics interested in re-launching evangelisation in Oceania. These events were also the launch of October, World Mission Month which culminates with World Mission Sunday this year 23 October.
Themes included Mission and Eucharist and Mission and Youth. Participants also included young people who travelled to Germany for World Youth Day last August and are already dreaming of the next World Youth Day in 2008 for which the Pope chose Sydney to be host.
National PMS director for Australia Terry Bell said the meetings served to increase mission awareness among Australian Catholics and were an excellent way to prepare to celebrate Mission Sunday focussed on the Pope’s Message “Mission: Bread Broken for the Life of the World”, and as a special sub theme in Australia “Proclaiming Life for All”. Mission Sunday 23 October is also the date of the official closing of the Year of the Eucharist. In the capital Sydney Mission Sunday will be celebrated with a ‘Walk with Jesus’ Procession with the Blessed Sacrament to underline the close bond between Eucharist and Mission.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 14/10/2005 righe 25 parole 258)
