Category: Propagation of Faith

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Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

Followers of Christ are all called to be missionaries

Propagation of Faith by Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

“Go teach all nations all things that I have commanded you.” These words of Our Divine Savior remind us of the share that all Christians have in the mission of Jesus.

When Our Lord read from the prophecy of Isaiah at his first public appearance in the synagogue at Nazareth, He quoted: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, release of captives, recovering of sight for the blind, and to announce a year of favor from the Lord.”

Then He said, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your midst.”

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Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

Making a world of difference

Propagation of Faith by Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

Mukuru, a slum in the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi, is home to some 10,000 people living in wood and corrugated metal shacks, crowded together, with no running water, electricity, or sewage systems.

Sunday Mass at St. Mary’s Church in Mukuru is packed. At the Offertory procession, with the gifts of bread and wine are baskets of vegetables, flour, rice, bread, and other necessities for the less fortunate members of the parish.

Spreading the Good News

Then, at the end of Mass, the new words of dismissal — “go and announce the Gospel of the Lord” — come to life immediately as the missionary priest and others navigate narrow dirt paths, spreading the Good News of God’s love to the sick and those suffering in any way.

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Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

This Lent: Helping hope live in the missions

Propagation of Faith by Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” is the familiar cry of Jesus on the cross.

In our own lives, we may also sometimes feel abandoned, with hope seeming to disappear. As we cope with the serious illness of someone close to us. As we face economic challenges, perhaps even the loss of our job. In the gray loneliness that follows the death of a beloved wife or husband.

God does not abandon us

And yet, in the midst of our darkness, we remember that God did not abandon His beloved Son and the suffering of Good Friday transformed into the hope of our Lord’s Resurrection. God does not abandon us.

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Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

An ‘angel’ for the missions every day: Work and witness of Religious Sisters in the Developing World

Propagation of Faith by Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

In our world today —perhaps in our own lives — there are times it seems that not too much “good news” exists.

We hear of war and natural disasters around the globe. At home, we may be afraid as we face a loved one’s illness, or financial difficulties.

In those moments, we call to mind the angel’s announcement that first Christmas, taking comfort in the message of God’s love, as it supports us every day through life’s challenges.

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Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

World Mission Sunday: An important day

Propagation of Faith by Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

World Mission Sunday, organized by the Propagation of the Faith, is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice. In 2010, World Mission Sunday is celebrated on October 24.

Annually, World Mission Sunday is celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday in October. As described by Pope John Paul II, World Mission Sunday is “an important day in the life of the Church because it teaches how to give: as an offering made to God, in the Eucharistic celebration and for all the missions of the world” (see Redemptoris Missio 81).

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Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

Witnessing to hope — Stories from the missions

Propagation of Faith by Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

Hopelessness. At times the feeling may overwhelm us — maybe as we watch the pain and suffering of others, as we all witnessed recently from the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Perhaps we feel hopeless from the challenges and trials in our own lives, maybe our financial worries, an illness, or anxieties for someone we love, or for ourselves.

On a small island in the Philippines, Nene watched her mother experience such feelings. Confined to her bed because of illness, Nene’s mother couldn’t care for her family. She felt helpless — hopeless.

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Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

The loving service of Religious Sisters in the missions

Propagation of Faith by Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

In thinking about Christmas, children are immediately brought to mind. So many children in the missions tragically live with immense suffering and violence, even war and all that comes with it. Other children in the developing world face extraordinary poverty and its related challenges.

But thanks to the work and witness of religious Sisters, these mission children also come to experience what sustains us — the message of God’s great love for us, the “Good News” proclaimed by the angels that first Christmas.

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