Archdiocesan News
October 2013
Fr Tony Kearns
Missionz, New Zealand national office of the worldwide Pontifical Mission Societies, reminds us that 20 October is Mission Sunday.
Promotional material for the 2013 Mission Sunday was reviewed at the Missionz annual general meeting, held at the Homes of Compassion in Island Bay on 8-9 August. The theme this year is taken from Pope Francis’s Message for Mission Sunday: ‘… faith is God’s precious gift … that one cannot keep to oneself, but it is to be shared.’ We are all called to ‘become bearers of the Good News of Christ’.
The AGM also discussed ways that the message and educative functions of Missionz can be promoted.
Missionz promotes and encourages a missionary spirit here in New Zealand. The directors discussed among other initiatives providing reflective resources to schools and colaleges to engender in young Cath0olics this missionary attitude. Missionz also takes in funds for young Churches in developing countries.
The AGM was visited by the newly arrived Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Martin Krebs; his last appointment was as Apostolic Nuncio of Guinea and Mali, so has some experience of the Church in missionary areas.
Missionz is made up of four Missionary Societies: Association of Holy Childhood, which promotes a missionary attitude and compassion among children in New Zealand towards children in missionary parts of the world; Propagation of the Faith, which supports the young Church in missionary areas of the world by responding to requests to help build chapels and churches, pastoral centres, clinics and hospitals and to provide medications, pastoral care and emergency relief; Society of St Peter the Apostle, which promotes the need to support the activities in missionary parts of the world to provide training for seminarians, catechists, religious sisters and brothers; and Missionary Union, which promotes the work of those who have been in missionary activity by providing support on their return and to help them continue to witness to that work back in New Zealand.