Mission Commission to launch mission awareness and involvement program

The Commission on Mission drew up its plan for the celebration of the Mission Month in October in its first coordinators' meeting, July 4.

Presided over by Fr. Nolasco "Tom" Pascua, Jr., the newly-appointed commission director, assisted by Sr. Evangeline Pabalate, MCST, the meeting was called to put in order its program of activities for a meaningful celebration of the month of mission.

The Commission has set itself to (1) make the people, especially school children, aware of the missionary life of the Church, (2) develop the virtue of generosity in them, (3) stir up the missionary spirit in them hopefully culminating in involvement, and (4) visit chosen apostolate area/areas as beneficiaries of the “missionary” gifts of the people.

To realize these, (a) a catechesis on mission in both the parish and the classroom settings shall be given. A lesson guide for this purpose shall be made available for use of the catechists. (b) A “mission desk” shall be put up in a strategic place outside the parish churches where voluntary contributions for the Pondo para iti Misyon, in the fashion of the ‘widow’s mite’, may be made by parishioners, including the school children. (c) Business establishments shall be requested to sponsor “mission cans,” which the catechists will prepare, into which their clients may meaningfully ‘waste’ their scraps. Students and pupils of the diocesan schools shall also be encouraged to prepare and sponsor mission cans as a class or individually. (d) The PPC and PFC of the parishes shall be humbly asked to help catechists look for donors as well as to contribute in cash for the Pondo or in kind. (e) Catechists shall also do their share of sacrifice for the Pondo.

This plan presupposed the approval and generous support of the Priests' Assembly, especially the parish priests and school directors. The assembly gave its nod during its monthly meeting, July 15.

The Commission will select the beneficiary/beneficiaries in the next coordinators’ meeting on August 1. Whether to hold the outreach on the parochial, vicarial or diocesan level, or a combination of two, will finally be decided.