Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
New York (Agenzia Fides) - "I do not want to be a missionary for just a few years, but I would like to have been one since the creation of the world and to be one until the end of time", said Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, Patron saint of Missions (cf. Story of a Soul, Manuscript B, f. 3r). In view of World Mission Sunday on October 20, the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, in collaboration with the Catholic prayer app "Hallow", offer the opportunity to participate worldwide from October 11 in a novena in honor of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, Patron saint of Missions who never set foot in a mission country but whose life was entirely dedicated to the "loving and making Jesus loved".
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches), will lead the novena in English and accompany the prayer with daily reflections. Members of the international network of the Pontifical Mission Societies participating in the novena also include Sister Regina da Costa Pedro, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Brazil, who will lead the novena in Portuguese, and Father José María Calderón, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Spain, who will lead the novena in Spanish.
The novena focuses on the life of St. Therese and her deep devotion to spreading the Gospel through small acts of charity. Known for her “little way,” St. Therese is one of the most venerated saints by Catholics around the world.
Participants can join the novena using the Catholic meditation and prayer app "Hallow", which, thanks to the collaboration with the international network of the Pontifical Mission Societies, allows participants from all over the world to pray together in their mother tongue. By downloading the app, users have access to guided prayers, daily reflections and special features for a spiritual journey with the patron saint of missions. Participants can also follow the novena through the social channels of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States (Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn). (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 8/10/2024)
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