On October 23-24 this year will be the annual, worldwide Eucharistic celebration of World Mission Sunday for Missions and missionaries of the world. “We cannot but speak about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20), Pope Francis teaches us about our shared baptismal call to mission. We encourage our parishioners to answer that call on that special Sunday through prayer and generous sacrifice to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
This October, the Holy Father gives us the opportunity to share our zeal. We can speak about our faith, about our passion for mission – and what support of this evangelizing work means for more than 1,100 mission dioceses. He reminds us, “as Christians, we cannot keep the Lord to ourselves,” as we “recall with gratitude all those men and women who by their testimony of life help us to renew our baptismal commitment to be generous and joyful apostles of the Gospel.”
With gratitude for the generosity to the Missions in October and year-round, and with prayers for a fruitful celebration for the Mission Church, I remain
Sincerely in the Lord,
Most Reverend Peter A. Libasci, D.D.
Bishop of Manchester