EUROPE/SWITZERLAND - Extraordinary Missionary Month: from the oldest baptistery to the sending on a mission

Thursday, 7 March 2019 extraordinary missionary month local churches missionary animation

SWITZERLAND

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Friborg (Agenzia Fides) - With a ceremony to be held on 1 October at the Riva San Vitale baptistery in Ticino, the Extraordinary Missionary Month (EMM) will begin in Switzerland. According to information sent to Agenzia Fides by Missio Switzerland, this baptistery dedicated to St. John the Baptist is the oldest Christian building in Switzerland. With the opening ceremony in this place of historical importance, all the faithful will be invited to become aware of their baptism and to live it every day.
The celebration of World Mission Day, October 20, will have the theme: "Baptized and sent". On this Sunday the sending of Christians into the world and also the solidarity aspect of the universal Church will be in particular emphasized. A sending ceremony will conclude the Month: "This celebration will focus on sending on missions and will aim to reiterate that the Church's mission is not over, it goes beyond the Missionary Month", is what is written in the text of Missio Switzerland. The place and modality of this celebration will be announced later.
A Forum was dedicated to the initiatives of the Extraordinary Missionary Month in Switzerland, which on March 5th about twenty people, qualified representatives of the various missionary realities, gathered at the headquarters of the Swiss Bishops' Conference (CES) in Friborg. This missionary Forum, organized on the initiative of the working group for the preparation of the EMM, allowed to inform about the ongoing projects and to share ideas and suggestions.
The EMM of October 2019, announced by Pope Francis, is implementing one of the key words that characterize the papacy of this Pope, said deacon Martin Brunner-Artho, Director of Missio Switzerland to the participants. Just like the "Joy of the Gospel" and the Year of Mercy, the mission is the sending of the whole Church. Mission is a challenge for every individual and for communities. EMM will be celebrated globally and locally. Local Churches and the Pontifical Mission Societies are called to work together on the territory. (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 7/3/2019)