FACES OF THE MISSION
This photo collage is a representation of the body of Christ. We are all called to take part in the mission of the Church, and to be partners in evangelization. We are from different cultures and traditions, and so, invited to respect our diversity; and to be in conversation with the least and the lost. To do mission and to work in evangelization is our responsibility as a Church; therefore, we create an atmosphere of welcome for these people. In this way, we will see a flourishing of the faithful in our churches.
RADAR
The Pontifical Society of the Propagation of the Faith (POPF) turns 200
Throughout this year, celebrations in various countries are marking its anniversary. Founded by Blessed Pauline Jaricot the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) support the Church’s missionary-related projects with prayer, animation and financial assistance
BY the Worldwide editorial team
A brief history
At the end of the 18th century, the Church emerged from a severe persecution under the French Revolution. During the Napoleonic period (1804–1815), the Foreign Missions of Paris (Missions Etrangères de Paris) managed to send only two missionaries to the Far East. In this context, the charism of the Spirit was placed on a young woman from Lyon, Pauline Marie Jaricot, who, after a comfortable life, rediscovered the authenticity of faith in Christ and dedicated herself wholeheartedly to the mission and evangelisation of the Church.
In 1816, Pauline took a vow of chastity and rediscovered her purpose in life in devotion to the Eucharist. She established a union of prayer among ten pious servant girls, known as the ‘Repairers’. Each of them was committed to finding ten other people who prayed weekly and donated a penny for the Missions. The idea inflamed hearts and the project spread like wildfire, this leading to the official founding of the Association of the Propagation of the Faith on 3 May 1822. One hundred years later, in confirmation of her missionary spirit and service to the universal Church, Pope Pius XI, declared the Society of the Propagation of the Faith “Pontifical” (POPF, in Latin).
The PMS’ aims are to open the heart of every believer to the vastness of the missionary horizon, through spiritual and material support for the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Through a constant and energetic commitment to missionary formation and animation, it promotes a missionary spirituality which, through prayer and sacrifice, helps to revive the missionary ardour of Christian communities and the faithful, through meditation on the Word of God, Eucharistic Adoration and the missionary Rosary. It also aims at universal solidarity through contribution to the Universal Solidarity Fund for the Evangelization of the world, especially on World Mission Day which is celebrated on the penultimate Sunday of October, an event of the people of God manifesting their catholicity.
A remarkable woman
France, this year 2022, coinciding with the 200 anniversary of her foundation (Samasumo 2022). Cardinal Tagle, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, accompanied by several Bishops and more than 500 priests from all over the world, presided over the Eucharist of the Beatification.
In his homily, Cardinal Tagle told the faithful: “Pauline Jaricot was a woman who loved Jesus Christ, letting Him, the Word of God, live, act, love in her and through her. We see in her a living testimony to the power of love for Jesus, a love that identifies with Jesus,” the Cardinal said.
Noting her extraordinary spiritual and missionary insights, the Cardinal added, “The Holy Spirit opens new paths so that the Word and the love of Jesus can reach more people. In this, Jaricot followed the great spiritual and social tradition of the Church of Lyon,” he said.
Pauline Jaricot lived a life dedicated to evangelisation and the missions. The motto, ‘a penny and a prayer’ for the missions aptly sums up her life. It is a remarkable testament to a young woman who founded POPF in her teens.
The prayers and the contributions encouraged by Jaricot for the missions were decisive for the growth and development of particular mission Churches in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Pacific.
On 26 May 2020, Pope Francis authorized the publication of the decree recognizing the miracle attributed to the intercession of the then Venerable Pauline Jaricot, the miraculous healing of three-year-old Mayline Tran (Bob Mission 2022) who lost consciousness while choking on food, which caused multiple cardiorespiratory arrests and further complications that left her with no hope of survival. Thanks to the intercession of Pauline Jaricot, doctors confirmed that the little girl completely recovered by May 2014, after a complex and long period of rehabilitation.
| Dates To Remember |
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October 1 – St Thérèse of the Child Jesus 2 – International Day of Non-Violence 3 – World Habitat Day 4 – St Francis of Assisi 5 – World Teachers’ Day 9 – World Post Day 10 – St Daniel Comboni 10 – World Mental Health Day 11 – International Day of the Girl Child 13 – International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 15 – International Day of Rural Women 16 – World Food Day 17 – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 23 – World Mission Sunday 31 – World Cities Day November 2 – All faithful departed 2 – International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists 6 – International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict 10 – World Science Day for Peace and Development 13 – World Day of the Poor 14 – World Diabetes Day 19 – World Toilet Day 20 – Christ the King 20 – Africa Industrialization Day 20 – World Children’s Day 21 – World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 25 – International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 29 – International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People |