SUMMER MISSION APPEAL
We might be
tempted to discouragement when we look around us and notice a decline in church
attendance and a decrease in the number of vocations to the priesthood,
religious life, and sacramental marriage.
This is not the trend in the Church universal. The growth of the Church in Africa and parts
of Asia is astounding. By the photos
above and below you can get a sense of the vibrancy of Catholicism in the
Archdiocese of Onitsha, Nigeria. The
Archdiocese is served by over 500 priests, 117 religious men, and 498 religious
women, who serve some 2,185,137 lay faithful.
It has 750 seminarians.
Christians
in Nigeria have been the victims of horrific attacks by Islamic militants, and
the government has been accused of not providing them with adequate protection. Human rights organizations have accused some
officials of complicity. According to
Genocide Watch, in the first four months of this year 1,470 Christians have
been murdered. The Church in Nigeria
continues to grow despite the persecutions, bringing hope and renewal to the
people by preaching the gospel, catechizing the faithful, and doing works of
mercy. The Archdiocese of Onitsha is
especially dedicated to educating children in poor areas where government
programs do not reach them.
The Pontifical Mission Society of the
Archdiocese of Philadelphia arranges for the visit of missionaries every summer
to parishes to raise awareness of the missionary dimension of the Church and to
appeal for practical support. This year
we welcome Father Livinus as a representative of the Archdiocese of
Onitsha. He will speak of its efforts to
form young men and women in the Catholic faith so that they can live happy and
healthy lives and advance the common good of their society. His presence reminds us of the universality
of the Church, that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and have a
responsibility for one another. The
fathers of the Second Vatican Council taught that “Since the whole Church is
missionary, and the work of evangelization the fundamental task of the people
of God, this sacred Synod invites all to undertake a profound interior renewal
so that being vitally conscious of their responsibility for the spread of the
Gospel they might play their part in missionary work among the nations…So all
the children of the Church should have a lively consciousness of their own
responsibility for the world, they should foster within themselves a truly
Catholic spirit, they should spend themselves in the work of the Gospel” (Decree
on the Missionary Activity of the Church).
Thank you for your support for the Church’s missions!
Father
Scott
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