Pope Francis has set October 2019 as an Extraordinary Missionary Month to foster greater awareness of Missio Ad Gentes and to animate the missionary transformation of Church life and pastoral activity.
Pope Benedict XV, the missionary pope wrote the Apostolic Letter Maximum Illud, in 1919. Pope Francis wants the Church to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this foundational mission document. Missionary Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XV in 1919 that emphasizes the missionary mandate, mission ad gentes (To the Nations), missionary leadership, missionary formation, local missionaries and new missionary methods with new missionary enthusiasm.
The rationale of EMM: Need for missionary enthusiasm in the Church today.
The theme of EMM: Baptized and Sent – The Church of Christ On Mission in The World
Four Dimensions:
- Personal Encounter with Risen Christ – essentially to be renewed in all the baptized in and through: The Word of God, Eucharist and Sacraments, Prayer (personal and communitarian), In silence and solitude or contemplation
- Testimony of the encounter experience – to be shared with all through: Holiness of life, Witnessing, Sharing personal encounter experience, Proclaiming the love of Jesus experienced.
- Missionary formation for all the baptized – systematically to be provided with its Biblical, Theological, Liturgical and Catechetical dimensions for: Empowering the laity for evangelization, Supplementing all levels of seminary formation with missionary emphasis, On-going formation of priests and religious with missionary enthusiasm, Engaging laity in the direct mission.
- Missionary Charity – missionary outreaches and exposures with services, contributing personnel and funds for mission towards mission ad gentes: Christ Encounter experience to be initiated and regularly deepened, Intercession for Evangelization to be initiated, Full-time Lay Missionaries to be encouraged, Helping the Baptized to be familiar with the Word of God.
Logo and its Meaning: The Logo depicts a missionary cross whose traditional colors recall the five continents. The Cross embraces the world and connects people, in communication between people with the universal Church and as a link, it creates real bonds between people.
The Cross is the instrument and the efficacious sign of the communion between God and humanity for the universality of our mission. The Cross is luminous, full of color, a sign of
victory and resurrection.
The world is transparent, because our action of evangelization has no barriers of boundaries, it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The cross embraces every person of this world, and thanks to the Cross we are united, connected, and open to communion for mission.
The words baptized and sent, which accompany the image, indicate the two characteristic and inalienable elements of every Christian: “Baptism and the Proclamation of the Gospel.
The colors of the Cross are those traditionally attributed to the five continents: red for America, green for Africa, white for Europe, yellow for Asia, and blue for Oceania.
May the Extraordinary Missionary Month prove an intense and fruitful occasion of grace, and promote initiatives and above all prayer, the soul of all missionary activity. May it likewise advance the preaching of the Gospel and works of Christian charity.
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