World Mission Sunday is “that one time,” apart from liturgical feasts, that is celebrated in the Church around the world, said Deacon Mickey Friesen, director of the Center for Mission in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. This year, it falls on the weekend of Oct. 22-23.
It takes place in every parish, in every diocese, in every country of the Catholic Church, Deacon Friesen said. “It is by design, a way for the whole Church to join, in a sense, renewing our missionary commitment and to, together, collectively support the Church’s missionary efforts around the world.”
Deacon Friesen recently spoke with “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley about World Mission Sunday. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the founding by Pauline Jaricot of what became the Pontifical Mission Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Jaricot was beatified May 22 in Lyons, France. Hearing stories of the Church’s mission and what, at that time, was considered “the foreign lands, exotic lands of what we could call Louisiana today, the Americas, the missions,” Deacon Friesen said, inspired Jaricot to gather with others in small groups, mostly women, “to hear these stories, to pray for the Church’s mission, particularly the rosary.”
Deacon Friesen hopes every parish, in its own way, celebrates World Mission Sunday as part of their weekend liturgy, in the way “… that we call to mind that we are part of this universal Church and this is an experience … of mission” but also “a deep sense of what it means to be Catholic,” he said, to be part of a reality “bigger than ourselves” and our own local Church. “We’re part of our universal community, a universal communion, universal mission,” Deacon Friesen said.
It’s also an opportunity for Catholics to join in the missionary effort, whether serving, giving or doing both. “We have an opportunity to give of ourselves by sharing, making our own sacrifice for the sake of the Church’s mission beyond our borders,” he said.
People across the archdiocese have felt that call to serve, Deacon Friesen said, sometimes for a short time, sometimes for a lifetime. “And there’s a place for … people to become these kind of living bridges, to leave the comforts of your own home, to go and serve in another place, to bring the Gospel and to be that living bridge of faith in the Church,” he said. Center for Mission staff can meet with people who are discerning a call to missionary work, he said, and connect them to others who can help them further their discernment.
“Please consider celebrating and giving what you can to the missionary Church,” Deacon Friesen said. “We are the vehicle to help connect our local Church with the universal Church.”
To hear the full interview, listen to this episode of the “Practicing Catholic” show 9 p.m. Oct. 14, which repeats 1 p.m. Oct. 15 and 2 p.m. Oct. 16 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
To learn more about the Center for Mission, visit centerformission.org.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Barb Ernster from the World Apostolate of Fatima, who describes a special seven-day tour of the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima; and Fay Connors, co-founder of Twin Cities Prison Ministry, who describes ministry for the incarcerated.
Listen to their interviews after they have aired at:
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