Rome (Italy). On 24 March 2025, the date of the assassination of Msgr. Oscar Romero on 24 March 1980 in San Salvador, celebrates the 33rd Day of the Missionary Martyrs, in memory of all the missionaries killed for the Gospel.
From the example of Msgr. Romero, the Missionary Youth Movement of the Missio Foundation – CEI, today Missio Giovani, launched the idea of establishing this Day to remember all those who put their lives at the service of the Gospel and of the least.
“His commitment to the Salvadoran people in their struggle against a regime indifferent to the conditions of the weakest and of the workers, and his figure so close and attentive to the latter, made him a point of reference. His figure still fascinates young people today, because he is able to embody a symbol of a Christian life attentive to prayer and the Word, as well as attention to sisters and brothers who remain on the margins of society”, explains Elisabetta Vitali, National Secretary of Missio Giovani, in the introduction to the Resource.
According to the annual report published by Agency Fides, there are 13 Catholic missionaries – 8 priests and 5 lay people – killed in 2024 and, as in previous years, in Africa and America the highest number of pastoral workers killed: five on both continents. In recent years, Africa and America have alternated at the top of this tragic ranking. From 2000 to 2024, the total of missionaries and pastoral workers killed is 608. In 2024, two priests died as a result of violent assaults in two European Countries.
“As the reliable and verified information on their biographies and the circumstances of death show, the missionaries and pastoral workers killed were not in the spotlight for their outstanding works or commitments, But they worked by bearing witness to their faith in the ordinariness of everyday life, not only in contexts marked by violence and conflict”, illustrates the report.
“Go and invite” is the slogan of the Day 2025, in reference to the passage from the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 22:9) that accompanied missionary October 2024. In the parable told by Jesus, it is the command that the king gives to his servants at the moment when the guests do not show up for the banquet and then he decides to invite everyone, even those who are at the crossroads. In particular, the emphasis of the two verbs, “go” and “invite” reminds us that, following the example of the missionaries, “the mission is a tireless journey towards all humanity to invite it to encounter and communion with God. Tireless! God, great in love and rich in mercy, is always going out to every man and woman to call then to the happiness of His Kingdom, despite indifference or rejection.” (from the Message of Pope Francis for the XCVIII World Mission Day 2024)
The Missionary Martyrs’ Day 2025, is part of the Lenten and Jubilee “Pilgrims of Hope” journey. “In the journey of this Lent, accompanied by the many missionaries who bear witness to the Gospel, together we want to remember them in prayer, engage ourselves in our own realities in the light of their example, and offering a concrete contribution that is the fruit of our fasting, to support assistance, and development projects where opportunities for a clearer and more dignified future are lacking,” concludes Elisabetta Vitali.
On this day of prayer and solidarity, their witness to life lived in the light of the Word incarnate in the daily lives of the people with whom they shared it, calls for living their faith with authenticity. The example of so many missionaries, witnesses of a full life, encourages everyone to renew their commitment to helping the neediest, fighting injustice, and taking a stand against acts of arrogance, remembering that even in the most dramatic human situations a light of Hope can be lit.
As every year, the Missio Foundation (CEI) provides material for the preparation and animation of the Day with useful resources for the animation of moments of celebration in Lent. Link to download resources
