VATICAN CITY, SEP 20, 1999 (VIS) - Made public today was Pope John Paul's letter, written in French and dated September 14, to Archbishop Louis-Marie Bille of Lyon, France, the birthplace two centuries ago of Venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot, foundress of the Work of the Propagation of the Faith.
The Pope recalled the just-concluded celebrations for this bicentenary in Lyon and Paris, as well as the "prayers and thanksgiving" of Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, present at the Lyon commemoration. He also recalled the "actuality" of Venerable Pauline's work and message, especially the "collection she created for the missionary activity of the Church."
"Beyond her concern for the mission 'ad gentes'," Pope John Paul went on, "she dedicated herself to evangelizing the work places of her region, perceiving quite well the difficulties of workers' condition. She sought to establish a social project founded on Christian values, so as to install justice in the world of work."
"It was in her deep and intense spiritual life that she found the energy for her mission," the Pope said, citing her "great prayer initiative, the 'living rosary'," her daily participation in the Eucharist and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and her desire to live "two inseparable dimensions of the mystery of the Eucharist: thanksgiving and reparation."
Saying that "Pauline's witness reminds us that 'mission is an issue of faith'," the Holy Father asked "the local communities to promote the missionary spirit. ... Communities which give and those which receive are equally filled with the Lord's grace."
In closing he expressed gratitude and encouragement to all who dedicate themselves to missions in general and to the Pontifical Missionary Works in particular.
JPII-LETTER;BICENTARY JARICOT;...;LYON; BILLE;VIS;19990920;Word: 280
You can learn more about Pauline Jaricot by visiting: http://www.philomena.org
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