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1988 - The presence of Mary in the universal mission of the Church

…wherever the Church carries out missionary activity among the peoples, Mary is present: present as Mother who co-operates in the regeneration and formation of. the faithful (cf. Lumen Gentium , 63); she is present as the "Star of Evangelisation"…in order to guide and console the heralds of the Gospel and to support in the Faith the new Christian communities which, through the power of the Word and the grace of the Holy Spirit, have come into being from the missionary proclamation…

Beloved Brothers and Sisters!

1. I am addressing my Message for the coming World Mission Day as the Marian Year that I proclaimed in preparation, for the Jubilee Year 2000 is drawing to a close. In so doing, I desire to invite all members of the People of God to reflect on a particular aspect of evangelisation: the presence of Mary in the universal" mission of the Church.  This mission consists in the proclamation of the Good News of salvation, which is obtained through Faith in Christ, according to the mandate that the Risen Lord himself, gave to the apostles: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations" (Mt 28, 19) ."The man who believes in it and accepts baptism will be saved; the man who refuses to believe in it will be condemned" (Mk 16, 16).

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was "the first, to believe in her Son and was proclaimed blessed because of her faith (cf. LK 1, 45). Her life was a journey and a pilgrimage of faith in Christ, in which she "went before" the disciples and always !"goes before" the Church (cf.  Redemptoris Mater, 6, 26) .
Therefore, wherever the Church carries out missionary activity among the peoples, Mary is present: present as Mother who co-operates in the regeneration and formation of. the faithful (cf. Lumen Gentium , 63); she is present as the "Star of Evangelisation"-as-my predecessor Paul VI affirmed - (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 82) , in order to guide and console the heralds of the Gospel and to support in the Faith the new Christian communities which, through the power of the Word and the grace of the Holy Spirit, have come into being from the missionary proclamation. 
The presence and the influence of the Mother of Jesus have always accompanied the missionary activity of the Church. In presenting the mystery of Christ and the truths of the faith to non-Christian peoples, the heralds of the Gospel have also depicted the person and the function of Mary, who "figured profoundly in the history of salvation and in a certain way unites and mirrors within herself the central truths of the faith", and "when she is preached and venerated, summons the faithful to her Son and his sacrifice and to love for the Father" (Lumen Gentium,65). And every nation and people, accepting Mary as Mother, enriches her cult and devotion with new titles and expressions in response to their particular necessities and to their own religious spirit. In their filial love toward the Mother of Jesus, many of these Christian communities, fruit of the Church's work of evangelisation, have found support and consolation to enable them to persevere in the Faith during periods of trial and of persecution.

2. In her vocation and evangelising solicitude, the Church draws example and encouragement from Mary, the first to be evangelised (cf.  Lk  1, 26-38) and the first evangeliser (cf. Lk 1, 39-56). It is she who accepted the Good News of Salvation withfaith, transforming it into proclamation, canticle and prophecy. It is she who has given to all men the best spiritual directive they ever received: "Do whatever He (Jesus) tells you" (Jn 2, 5). In the school of Mary, the Church learns to consecrate herself to the mission. 
The knowledge that more than two-thirds of the human race still does not know or does not share faith in Christ the Redeemer, urges the Church continually to prepare new generations of apostles, to intensify prayer and commitment, so that numerous missionary vocations may be awakened in every Christian community.  If it is true, as the Council states, that every disciple of Christ has the obligation to do his part in spreading the faith, according to his own possibilities, this obligation devolves in a special way on those whom the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, calls to the missionary vocation, awakening within the Church, institutions that assume as their specific obligation, the task of the first announcement of the Gospel (cf. Ad Gentes, 23). It is a reason for consolation, for hope and for gratitude to the Lord, to know that missionary services of the particular Churches are multiplying through, the sending of Diocesan Priests, the very praise- worthy "Fidei donum", of laymen and, of volunteers, in order to assist the more needy sister Churches as well as to bring the first announcement  of the Gospel and the solidarity, of charity among peoples and non-Christian human groups.
We note with particular joy, that in addition to the Churches of ancient foundation, the Churches of Africa, of Asia and of Latin America are participating more and more in the universal mission. The sending of 'ad Gentes' missionaries by these ecclesial communities, still in the phase of development, demonstrates that authentic, Catholic and missionary spirit which ought to animate the new Churches; they too should send their own missionaries to proclaim the Gospel all over the world, even though they themselves are suffering from a "shortage of clergy" (Ad Gentes, 20).
The heralds of the Gospel, often unknown, forgotten or persecuted, who spend their lives at the outposts of the Church's mission, find in Mary a perfect model of dedication and fidelity; Mary, who "devoted herself totally as a handmaid of the Lord. to the person and work of her Son" (Lumen Gentium, 56).

Therefore, on the occasion of World Mission Day, I am happy to render homage to the missionary men and women, dispersed over all the five continents for their generous. commitment, which even in our day is at times heroic to the point of martyrdom. To them, and to all the Religious Families and Secular Institutes, both of men and of women,  whose dedication to the mission is a fundamental component of their consecration, I address an affectionate greeting and lively encouragement in the name of the whole Church, exhorting them not to be discouraged because of the difficulties" of their apostolate, but to confide in Mary and to follow in her path.
To all of you, missionary men and women. who are working to extend the maternity of the Church through, the birth and the formation of new Christian communities, I, repeat from my heart the exhortation made to priests on Holy Thursday of ,this Marian Year: "Each of us, then, has to I take her, to. our, own home).1 as the Apostle John on Golgotha. .. as Mother and mediatrix of that great mystery' (cf Eph 5:32
which we all wish to serve with…our lives" (In Cenaculum, No.4).

3. In preparing ourselves to celebrate the Jubilee of the Year 2000 and to begin the third Millennium of the Christian Faith with the hope and the dedication of a new Advent the Church proposes to renew 'and' to increase her missionary effort, so that the proclamation of the Gospel may be brought with greater efficacy to those peoples who have not yet received or accepted it. To Mary, who prepared the first coming of the Lord, I entrust this hope: through her maternal mediation, may she obtain, for all the People of God an ever more vivid and active consciousness of their own responsibility for the coming of the Kingdom of God through missionary evangelisation.
I address myself first of all to the Pastors of the Particular Churches, to the Priests, their collaborators, and to those who are involved in pastoral activity: by word, through, catechesis and by ex-ample, educate the faithful entrusted to you a truly missionary spirit, "to become conscious of-the responsibility which as members of Christ they: bear for all men" (Ad Gentes, 21) May the Christian communities, under your guidance, express the maturity and the vitality of their faith and-ecclesial communion, opening themselves to the universal mission of the Church through prayer, the promotion of missionary vocations :through solidarity and the sharing of goods, both spiritual and material with the most needy in the world. May families especially be conscious of their obligation to offer "a special contribution to the missionary cause of the Church, by fostering missionary vocations among the sons and daughters" (Familiaris Consortio, 54).

In speaking of the missionary animation of the Christian community it is only right to recall the Pontifical Missionary Societies, which are distinguished in the Church for their undertaking and perseverance in awakening missionary, co-operation with manifold and appropriate initiatives of animation, information and formation for a truly universal missionary spirit. Because they are entrusted with the vast area of charity and material assistance, I invite, everyone to give generously for the maintenance and support of seminarians, for the formation of the laity, in particular, of catechists, for the construction of churches, schools, hospitals and social works.

But the primary role of these Societies is missionary animation, to begin with, the first, the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, which has as its principal task, education, formation and sensitisation.
Then, everyone has, at heart the promotion of vocations for the missionary Church. This task of-fundamental importance for the efficacy of the 'ad Gentes' mission entrusted in particular to the Pontifical Society of St. Peter Apostle for priestly and religious vocations in the young Churches, and to the Pontifical Missionary Union of Priests and Religious which is committed to forming the missionary spirit in those who in the Church exercise the office of pastors, animators and pastoral workers. The Pontifical Society of the Holy Childhood on its part, provides for "the missionary education and animation of children from their earliest years.
Taking up again the underlying idea that inspires this Message, I cannot fail to emphasise once again that those who promote and live missionary and vocational animation in the Church can find in Mary a Mother and a model who inspires and sustains their commitment. In fact, as I emphasised at the beginning of this Message, she can rightly be called 'the first Missionary., because "she was "the Mother of Jesus, the Delegate of the Father, the first and the greatest Evangeliser, who united herself to his mission and collaborated in it with maternal affection. At the school of this Mother, all the sons and daughters of the Church learn the missionary spirit that should animate their Christian life and their apostolic endeavours.
I cannot close this Message without opening my heart in a particular way to you, young people,.. who are the sign of the vitality and the great hope of the Church. The future of the mission and of missionary vocations is linked to your generosity, in responding to the call of God, to his invitation to consecrate your life to the proclamation of the Gospel. From Mary, may you too learn to say the' yes' of total, joyful and faithful adherence to the will of the Father and to his plan of love.
May the Blessed Virgin, whom we invoke as Mother of the Church and of all peoples, intercede with her Son, so that a new spirit of Pentecost may animate all those who in Baptism have received the inestimable gift of Faith. May she make them ever more aware of their missionary responsibility, so that through their perseverance and generosity, too, the Gospel may be announced to call peoples, and Faith in Christ may bring light and salvation to the whole world.
To all, I cordially impart my Apostolic Benediction as pledge of copious heavenly favours.

Given at the Vatican, on the Solemnity of Pentecost, May 22 of the year 1988,  the tenth of my Pontificate.
(signed) Joannes Paulus PP. II

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