MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER PAUL VI
FOR THE MISSIONARY DAY 1977

Dear Brothers and Sons of the Catholic Church!

Conscious of the duty to promote evangelisation, we address the customary address that we address to you in view of the forthcoming Mission Day, opening this year in memory of a distinguished woman from whom the Church received and still receives a strong missionary impulse: Saint Teresa of Lisieux, who just fifty years ago was proclaimed, together with Saint Francis Xavier, special patroness of the Catholic Missions (cf. Decretum S. Congregationis de Propaganda Fide ,14 December 1927). During this period the missionary vocations were innumerable and the collaboration was also intense, accompanied and enriched by the sacrifices of many faithful, for the primary work of spreading the Gospel. Indeed, in all missionary eras it can be seen that the presence of a saint becomes the starting point for a new apostolic impetus, and this is the ideal and at the same time auspicious reason for the reference we made to the illustrious and holy Carmelite nun.

Are we perhaps facing a new era? Is a further stage in sight in the work of evangelization? In the Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Nuntiandi”, published shortly before the end of the Holy Year, we said that we had “perceived as never before the needs and invocations of a multitude of brothers … awaiting the Word of salvation from the Church”, and therefore we invited to draw up “a program of pastoral action … for these years which mark the eve of a new century”, not without noting that “evangelization is the fundamental aspect” of such a program (cf. PAULI PP. VI Evangelii Nuntiandi , 81). Yes, on the eve of the third millennium of Christianity, a new phase can be expected in the proclamation of the Gospel, a phase marked by the demands of authenticity, unity, truth, fidelity and apostolic charity: «The world which, despite innumerable signs of rejection of God, paradoxically seeks him in unexpected ways and painfully feels the need for him, calls for evangelizers who speak to it of a God, whom they know and who is familiar to them, as if they saw the In visible» (PAULI PP . VI Evangelii Nuntiandi , 76). Therefore, “it is necessary to evangelize – not in a decorative way, like a superficial varnish, but in a vital way, in depth and down to the roots – the culture and cultures of man, in the sense . . . that these terms have in the Constitution “ Gaudium et Spes ”( Ibid . 20). «It is not just a matter – we said – of preaching the Gospel in ever wider geographical areas. . . but also to reach and almost overthrow with the power of the Gospel the criteria of judgement, the determining values, the points of interest, the lines of thought, the sources of inspiration and the models of life of humanity, which are in contrast with the Word of God and with the plan of salvation” (Ibid. 19) .

Urgency of Missionary Formation

If this should be the level of evangelization today, if this is its grafting into the modern cultural context, our desire for this year’s Day is to recommend the need for missionary formation. “For all workers of evangelization – we said again – careful preparation is necessary” (Ibid. 73) and this concerns each member of the People of God, because “the whole Church is missionary, and the work of evangelization is a fundamental duty of the People of God” (cf. Ad Gentes , 35). Only from this formation will effective cooperation follow, even if in different ways: prayer, sacrifice, economic help, personal service, types of participation according to different times and degrees, total and permanent consecration.

There is sometimes an incongruous use of the word “mission” to the point that it is generically applied to any good and positive action, especially if it has a social content. Now, if all of the Church’s apostolic action springs from Christ’s mission, we must not forget or underestimate the essential aspect of this mission: the sending “ad gentes” (Matthew 28, 19; Mark 16, 15; Luc 24, 47). In this regard, what the Second Vatican Council repeated, in coherence with tradition, is always valid: “The specific purpose of missionary activity is evangelization and the foundation of the Church in those peoples or groups in which it is not yet rooted” (Ad Gentes, 6). Therefore, missionary activity cannot be assimilated or equivalent to any activity that is carried out in the so-called “third world”: if this were the case, it would lose its particular character and would also be historically precarious, since many countries, where the Church is not yet established, do not belong, or will no longer belong soon, to the “third world”.

There is therefore a need for apostles properly trained for the mission “ad gentes” according to the criteria developed in the homonymous decree of the Council. If they are educated to this special task, with a strong sense of universalism, the fruit of a penetrating human and ecclesial sensitivity, then we will have new apostles, who from the same difficulties will be able to derive as many possibilities for evangelization. Only an in-depth formation that disposes to generous dedication can create the conditions for a new and flourishing period for the Missions. And this is a goal that cannot be improvised, but must be courageously pursued in a process of prayer, study, reflection, dialogue and commitment. And it is also a goal that we want to point out to everyone: not only to future Missionaries and Sisters, but also to Priests,

Guidelines for Missionary Formation Today

Wishing to propose some suggestions in such an important sector, we invite first of all to re-read the most recent documents on the Missions and on evangelization, especially the cited conciliar Decree “Ad Gentes” and our Exhortation “Evangelii Nuntiandi”. Here, in fact, there is ample material to better understand – setting the missionary nature of the Church as a basis, centered on the exact concept of evangelization – what the method and style, qualities and aims of missionary formation should be today. Assuming these texts of the Magisterium, we then add that Christian formation itself, from the first sacramental catechesis to the study of theology, must be framed in a universal missionary perspective, this being not a simple ornament, not a marginal element or an accessory datum, but a constitutive dimension of the Catholic faith. Nor do we mean only theoretical formation: rather, it is necessary to organize the preparatory process in such a way as to concretely achieve the dedication of individuals and Christian communities to the cause of evangelization. Formation, as well as being imparted through conferences, schools, books, courses, will also be attended to through retreats, spiritual exercises, prayer meetings and, especially, in close contact with those who already exercise the mission and know their needs and problems through direct experience.

From this formation will derive a greater number of missionary vocations, as well as their better selection and a more consoling perseverance. Therefore, it must not be lacking in formation centres, seminaries, religious houses, novitiates, parishes, and will have as orientation poles the generosity of evangelical service and openness to Christian universalism.

A particular goal, but equally important to achieve, is the inspiration and – we could say – the missionary imprint in priestly vocations and in the various forms of consecrated life. The Pontifical Missionary Union tends precisely to this, which – as we said in the Apostolic Letter “Graves et Increscentes”, of 5 September 1966 – is “the soul of the Pontifical Mission Societies”. If this component were missing in the preparation of the most responsible people, such as priests and those who profess the life of perfection by vow, it would be difficult to achieve the missionary formation of the People of God.

We also hope that work will be done to acquire this formation also through historical research and missiological specialization. Indeed, these sciences can be of great use in making many missionary figures known and in deepening their knowledge of the basic principles which are the source of apostolic zeal. Finally, we hope that there will be no lack of valid initiatives to establish or consolidate study and missionary animation centers, to disseminate publications and use modern tools of social communication.

Today, more than in the past, there is a need for courageous apostles who do not get lost in useless discussions or sterile questions, but who consecrate their whole life to the universal mission, sowing «not doubts and uncertainties. . . but some solid certainties, because they are anchored in the Word of God” (PAULI PP. VI Evangelii Nuntiandi , 79).

This is the formation which We confidently await from those who are preparing for the apostolate or who are already collaborating in it: to them aspiring-Missionaries, as well as to Missionaries in the field of work and to all the children of the Church, who will assist them with prayer and sacrifice on the occasion of the annual “Day”, we cordially impart the comfort of the Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, on the Solemnity of Pentecost, May 29 of the year 1977, the fourteenth of Our Pontificate.

 PAUL VI

 

Credit: Dicastery for Communication, to the Holy See