VATICAN CITY, OCT 1, 2007 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter from Benedict XVI to Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, for the Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, patron saint of missions, in which he recalls that "the 'Pilgrimage of Lisieux' and the 'Missionary Cooperation' of the French Episcopal Conference hope that the year 2007 will be a Year of Mission in Lisieux."
In the text, which is dated September 12, the Pope affirms that with such a hope the faithful are encouraged "tirelessly to recognize the importance of mission, so that Christ may be known and loved everywhere." This is what Pius XII wrote 50 years ago in his Encyclical "Fidei donum" when he invited Christians "to pay renewed attention to missions at the confines of the earth, affirming the need for cooperation among the entire Church in order to spread the Gospel."
"With this same spirit," writes Benedict XVI in his Letter, "and aware of the concern felt in France for the missions of the Church, it is my hope that missionary vocations may be forthcoming among priests consecrated people and laity, like those of missionaries of earlier centuries who traversed all the continents. May the Lord awaken in the hearts of many young people the desire to commit themselves completely to announcing the salvation of Christ, above all in Africa, South America, Asia and Oceania!"
The Pope recalls how "Therese of Lisieux, without leaving her Carmelite convent, ... lived, in her own way, an authentic missionary spirit, ... presenting the entire world a with a new spiritual path, which earned her the title of Doctor of the Church. From Pius XI to our own times, Popes have never failed to reiterate the links between prayer, charity and action in the mission of the Church."
"I hope, then," the Holy Father concludes, "that the celebrations in Lisieux for this Year of Mission may strengthen the baptized in their sense of mission, through prayer, the witness of life and Christian commitment in all its forms, so that all the faithful may become missionaries in the places where they live."
BXVI-LETTER/MISSIONS/LISIEUX:DIAS VIS 20071001 (370)
In the text, which is dated September 12, the Pope affirms that with such a hope the faithful are encouraged "tirelessly to recognize the importance of mission, so that Christ may be known and loved everywhere." This is what Pius XII wrote 50 years ago in his Encyclical "Fidei donum" when he invited Christians "to pay renewed attention to missions at the confines of the earth, affirming the need for cooperation among the entire Church in order to spread the Gospel."
"With this same spirit," writes Benedict XVI in his Letter, "and aware of the concern felt in France for the missions of the Church, it is my hope that missionary vocations may be forthcoming among priests consecrated people and laity, like those of missionaries of earlier centuries who traversed all the continents. May the Lord awaken in the hearts of many young people the desire to commit themselves completely to announcing the salvation of Christ, above all in Africa, South America, Asia and Oceania!"
The Pope recalls how "Therese of Lisieux, without leaving her Carmelite convent, ... lived, in her own way, an authentic missionary spirit, ... presenting the entire world a with a new spiritual path, which earned her the title of Doctor of the Church. From Pius XI to our own times, Popes have never failed to reiterate the links between prayer, charity and action in the mission of the Church."
"I hope, then," the Holy Father concludes, "that the celebrations in Lisieux for this Year of Mission may strengthen the baptized in their sense of mission, through prayer, the witness of life and Christian commitment in all its forms, so that all the faithful may become missionaries in the places where they live."
BXVI-LETTER/MISSIONS/LISIEUX:DIAS VIS 20071001 (370)
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