World Mission Sunday October 19

A mission message from Bishop Kulick

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This year the Church marked the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea at which the Bishops of the Church gathered to formulate the Creed which we profess every Sunday. The Nicene Creed articulates the faith of the Church. As a sign of the importance of this faith in our lives, we strive to share that faith in word and deed. We could say that this is our mission in life – inspired by the Holy Spirit, we draw others closer to God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

On World Mission Sunday, the Church draws our attention to those places throughout the world where the faith is in its nascent and beginning stages. These are regions where the Church is still young, growing, and often facing poverty and
persecution.

The missionary work of the Church continues to announce with urgency the necessity for individuals to hear the Word of God and to accept Jesus Christ as their
Savior. This year’s theme for World Mission Sunday, “Missionaries of Hope Among the Peoples,” has an obvious tie to the Jubilee of Hope that the Church is celebrating this year.

The Church’s missionaries are enlivened by hope, and through their evangelization
efforts, they witness to this hope, bringing the light of Christ into places darkened by suffering, war, poverty and other painful realities. However, although the ease of
suffering is an important aspect of the work, the primary goal of missionaries is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, as they offer the possibility of salvation to those who are longing to hear the Good News.

I urge you to participate in this universal mission and to respond generously to this call. You can do this by offering prayers for the success of the Church’s missionary activities and for the missionaries who have dedicated themselves to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I also invite you to offer sacrifices and material support on World Mission Sunday through a contribution to the collection for the missions.

I sincerely commend to your consideration participation in the celebration of World
Mission Sunday by seeing your prayer and donation as a spiritual and missionary act of love, giving aid to the Church where it cannot yet sustain itself. The proceeds from World Mission Sunday help missionaries to proclaim God’s love to the world, especially in the over 1,000 territories where the Gospel has not yet been received, or only recently embraced, or is courageously upheld in the face of persecution.

Your contributions on the weekend of Oct. 18-19 will support seminaries, future religious sisters, catechists, schools and health care centers. Together, let us rejoice in the opportunity to share God’s love with the world, inviting everyone to share in the joy and hope that Christ has brought to the world through His Death and Resurrection!

With every blessing,

The Most Reverend Larry J. Kulick, JCL
Bishop of Greensburg