- RTÉ to broadcast Mass from its Donnybrook studios on Mission Sunday 22 October
As part of the celebrations organised by World Missions Ireland to mark October as ‘Mission Month’, Masses for World Mission Sunday, the worldwide day of prayer for the missions, will take place this weekend across Ireland, on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 October.
Special collections will take place at these Masses. Donations are collected to support churches, hospitals, schools and vocations in countries where the Church is new, young or poor. It is also the one Sunday in the year when the generosity of the lay faithful goes directly to help mission parishes overseas as we reach out with Jesus’ message of hope and love. Mission Sunday is one of only three Papal Collections and has been especially chosen by the Holy Father Pope Francis as the means by which we share what we have with our brothers and sisters in need.
To mark Mission Sunday, RTÉ will broadcast television and radio Mass at 11.00am from its Donnybrook studios in Dublin. This Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly SMA, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly and chair of the Bishops’ Council for Missions. The congregation will include missionaries, other religious and clergy, representatives of World Missions Ireland, members of the Religious Formation Ministry programme from Loreto House, Dublin, and the choir will be provided by the National Centre for Liturgy in Maynooth.
The 2017 theme for Mission Month is ‘Reach Out and Spread the Joy’. The twofold purpose of the month is to raise awareness about the evangelising work of Irish missionaries abroad, and to raise funds to support their work. World Missions Ireland is part of Pope Francis’ official charity for overseas mission and is responsible for coordinating resources and for distributing these equitably on the basis of need.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
World Missions Ireland is made up of four Pontifical Mission Societies:
- The Society for the Propagation of the Faith informs Catholics of the life and needs of the Catholic Church in the Missions;
- The Society of Missionary Children which educates children about their part in the Church’s mission work and challenges them to share what they have with children growing up in developing countries;
- The Society of Saint Peter Apostle which supports the education of priest and religious;
- The Pontifical Missionary Union which supports animation and formation of clergy, religious, seminarians and laity to promote the missionary spirit in their respective communities.
For media contact: Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Katie Crosby 00353 (0) 86 862 3298; or the World Missions Ireland office: 00353 (0) 4 497 2035; www.wmi.ie
