Bishop Colm O’Reilly calls Catholics “together in mission” to renew their commitment to proclaim the Gospel throughout Mission Month October 2010

07 Oct 2010

PRESS RELEASE
7 October 2010

Bishop Colm O’Reilly calls Catholics “together in mission” to renew their commitment to proclaim the Gospel throughout Mission Month October 2010

Each year the Catholic Church designates the whole month of October as mission month.  The year Sunday 24 October is Mission Sunday, the worldwide day of prayer for the missions.  World Missions Ireland www.wmi.ie –  the work of the Pontifical Mission Societies – brings the prayers, solidarity and financial help of the Church in Ireland to Christian communities in other parts of the world, especially those in greatest need.

Bishop Colm O’Reilly, Chairman of the Bishops’ Council for the Missions, today joins with the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI to highlight Mission Month as an “opportunity to renew the commitment to proclaim the Gospel and to give pastoral activities greater missionary perspective.”

“October in the Church calendar is a special time to reflect on Mission, as well as to renew our Missionary work for today”, Bishop O’Reilly continued.

Resources for Mission Month 2010 are now available at www.catholicbishops.ie and include:

  • A short video interview with Bishop Colm O’Reilly about the Church’s celebration of Mission Month each year, the continuing need for a missionary presence across the world, and how people can support the missionary work of the Church
  • The Message of Pope Benedict XVI for Mission Sunday 24 October 2010 on the theme ‘Building Ecclesial Communion is the Key to Mission’
  • Details of the Mission Alive project 2010.  Mission Alive is the Mission Awareness Project of the Irish Missionary Union and provides resources for members and supporters of the Irish Missionary Movement to reflect on the theme for Mission Month 2010.
  • Information from World Missions Ireland on Mission Sunday, the worldwide day of prayer for the missions which takes place in Ireland on 24 October 2010
  • Articles from Intercom, the Irish Bishops’ pastoral and liturgical resource magazine, by Fr Gary Howley SPS, National Director of World Missions Ireland and Ronan Barry, Mission Alive Coordinator at the Irish Missionary Union

Notes to editors:

  • Bishop Colm O’Reilly is Bishop of Ardagh & Clonmacnois and Chairman of the Bishops’ Council for the Missions
  • Each year Mission Sunday is celebrated throughout the world in order to raise awareness of the centrality of the Church’s call to proclaim the Gospel.  ‘Together in Mission’ is the 2010 theme for this Mission month of October.

Further information:
Martin Long, Director of Communications 086 172 7678
Brenda Drumm, Communications Officer 087 310 4444