The Pontifical Mission Societies include the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Holy Childhood Association, the Society of St. Peter Apostle, and the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious. These Societies promote a prayerful missionary spirit among baptized Catholics and to gather a fund of support for the evangelizing and pastoral programs of more than 1,150 local churches of the Developing World.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Moments from the Missions


Endless vegetable gardens and rice paddies. That's what I saw on a mission visit to Vietnam. And there in those paddies and gardens, I watched women and men work, carefully planting, keeping the crops fresh, nurturing their growth with great care.

Missionaries too lovingly plant the seeds of faith. They foster its growth by their loving actions. And, eventually, there is joy as more are welcomed into the family of the Church.

Each of us is called to help faith grow, as we give daily witness to our Lord's abundant love. It's a lesson from the Missions.


What is it that the poor of our world can give to us? Missionaries know the answer because they've experienced it firsthard. Missionaries tell of being humbled and uplifted by the profound example of faith the poor offered. Fixing their gaze on Christ, our brothers and sisters in the Missions hold the Lord close in their daily struggles. Their faith helps them hope and even find joy in the face of what we would consider impossible odds.

Each day, we too should celebrate our faith as God's precious gift -- and share it with others.It's a lesson from the Missions.


These are just a few of the scripts for our radio / audio messages -- "Mission Lessons." In fact, these are from the new volume of 10 (in English and Spanish) set for release in mid-September; this will be our seventh release of these messages which are set to "teach and inspire." I am grateful to Catholic radio networks and stations throughout the United States for bringing these "moments from the Missions" to listeners. To hear more "Mission Lessons," please click here.