Bishop DiMarzio's weekly column
THE TABLET
October 18, 2008
Renewing Missionary Efforts
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This week we celebrate Mission Sunday. The Holy Father’s message for this 82nd World Mission Day follows the theme of “A New Humanity for a New World.” Humanity is continually renewed; and, as the human race changes, so does the world. In the new globalized world in which we live, mission activity takes on a wonderful new meaning. We recognize that our world is interconnected. It is important that we share the message of Christ with a world that is now much easier to reach, not only through missionaries, but also through mission activity of all kinds, including transmissions over the air waves and by the use of the Internet.
Humanity suffers, in many, many ways; the only remedy for our suffering is redemption. Our Holy Father reminds us in this message that humanity is in need of liberation. He says: “Humanity needs to be liberated and redeemed. Creation itself – as St. Paul says – suffers and nurtures the hope that it will share in the freedom of the children of God (cf. Rm 8:19-22).” These words continue to resonate in our world today.
We need to come to recognize our relationship to God. As God’s children we are not just human beings who are constantly at war with ourselves and one another. Rather, we are individuals able to contemplate our own dignity. The transformation that needs to happen in our relationships must first happen within ourselves, when we accept the Good News that Jesus Christ has died, risen and has redeemed all of humankind from its very beginning to its very end.
The mission that we speak of is always a question of love. The Holy Father writes: “So it is God, who is Love, who leads the Church towards the frontiers of humanity and calls the evangelizers to drink from the original source, which is Jesus Christ, from whose pierced heart flows the love of God” (Deus Caritas Est, n. 7). Yes, it is the love of Christ that tells us, as St. Paul says, that it is love which drives us and demands that we evangelize, that we make sacrifices of our lives and our resources for the cause of evangelization.
In our own Diocese, in Brooklyn and Queens, I am happy to report that the newly created Mission Office under the direction of Fr. Terence Mulkerin is doing well. The newly formed Mission Office combines several related mission activities. Besides heading the Propagation of the Faith within the diocese, Father Mulkerin is also our Catholic Relief Services representative. Additionally he also serves as the coordinator of the Immaculate Conception Mission Society instituted by Bishop Daily to enable the Diocese to coordinate mission activities, training for seminarians and assistance to diocesan missions.
Fr. Mulkerin, although he has had a long career in mission activity and serving the armed forces as a Chaplain, has come back to the Diocese not to retire, but to take up new and challenging work. This type of dedication to mission activity is the kind of example we need. His vast experience and knowledge of languages makes him a natural for this new responsibility. I take this opportunity to thank him and his staff for the wonderful service that they provide to our Diocese, so that we can participate in the worldwide mission of evangelization.
Our Diocese has a proud history of sending missionaries to the far corners of the globe. In the last century, a Brooklyn native, Francis X. Ford left America to be a missionary to the Chinese, and later went on to become a Bishop. In 1952 he was called upon to shed his blood for our faith and became a martyr. Innumerable religious women from Brooklyn and Queens also went on to serve in the missions. We must never forget the brave sacrifice of Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford (Bishop Ford’s young cousin) who laid down their lives serving the poor in El Salvador. Most recently, we were privileged to witness the great example of Fr. John Brogan, who labored to the very end making sure that his responsibilities were taken care of. On the day before Father John died I happened to be at 310 Prospect Park West. I watched in admiration and prayer as he was wheeled in on an office chair to his desk. Though he was so very ill he wanted to clean up any final lose ends. He went home to God the next day. These men and women embody the refrain of our Sacred Scriptures “Zeal for Your House Doth Consume Me O’ Lord.”
Mission Sunday will be celebrated at the Cathedral as usual, by giving awards to the children of our schools who have participated in the Holy Childhood Association. We must begin our mission awareness at a young age. In the past, this lifelong relationship with the missions has carried through that many of our older Catholics have decided to cite the Propagation of the Faith in their wills. Hopefully, this wonderful tradition will be maintained as new generations take the place of the old. Our response to Mission Sunday certainly must be one of praying for the missions, and also supporting them financially. Over the years, our Diocese has sent 120 men and women to work in the missions. Today, we are privileged that Fr. John Vesey and so many good religious and laity have taken up the call to preach the Gospel despite the many great personal sacrifices. While all of us may not be one of them, we can support them by our prayers and offerings.
As I read the Holy Father’s message, I came upon words that truly warmed my heart and they are these: “Dear Brothers and Sisters, duc in altum (put out into the deep)! Let us set sail in the vast sea of the world and, following Jesus’ invitation, let us cast our nets without fear, confident in his constant aid. St. Paul reminds us that to preach the Gospel is no reason to boast (cf. 1 Cor 9:16), but rather a duty and a joy.”
I cannot add anything to the Holy Father’s words, except to add that I promise to put the Diocese of Brooklyn out into the deep so that we can truly be supportive of the worldwide mission activity of the Church.