Rome (Italy). In Salesian tradition, the month of October is characterized by special attention to the missions and the missionary spirit with deepened awareness of the various pastoral realities with children and young people through initiatives aimed at sensitization, knowledge, prayer, and support of missionary works and of the missionaries.
“You shall be my witnesses” is the theme of Pope Francis’Message for the 130th World Mission Day 2022, which is celebrated on 23 October 2022. In the Message, the Pope mentions some important anniversaries for the life and mission of the Church: 400th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, today called for the “Evangelization of Peoples”, and the 200th anniversary of the Work of the Propagation of the Faith, through the initiative of a young French laywoman, Pauline Jaricot, whose beatification was celebrated on 22 May 2022.
This Work, which soon spread throughout France and other European countries, together with the Work of the Holy Childhood and the Work of St. Peter the Apostle, 100 years ago were recognized as ‘Pontifical’ Works, Works at service of the Church to support the missions and the young Churches with prayer and charity, especially the most fragile ones.
In the Message for the Day 2022, the Pope recalls that it is in the identity of each Christian to be a missionary witness. “As Christ is the first sent, that is, missionary of the Father (cf. Jn 20:21) and, as such, He is His ‘faithful witness’ (cf. Ap 1:5). In a similar way, every Christian is called to be a missionary and witness to Christ. And the Church, the community of Christ’s disciples, has no other mission than that of bringing the Gospel to the entire world by bearing witness to Christ. To evangelize is the very identity of the Church.”
In October, the Missions Sector of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians urges us to pray and support all the missionaries around the world, in particular FMA, Salesians of Don Bosco, volunteers, members of the Salesian Family Groups that operate in contexts threatened by war, persecution, violence, famine, and natural disasters.
Lives that speak Video-testimonial
To look from above Short film produced by Agenzia Fides for the beatification of Pauline Jaricot
