"The true greatness of any church in not how many
it seats but how it does the mission of Christ"
MwanaaSuu
it seats but how it does the mission of Christ"
MwanaaSuu
The Consolata Missionaries in Toronto, Canada, celebrated the World Mission Sunday, which took place on the 20th of October, together with members of the community of St. Andrew parish, in which they serve, with benefactors and friends of Consolata, at the Consolata Centre, 2671 Islington, Toronto. The very day was preceded by a missionary vigil of prayer at the parish, with the aim of praying for the missions, the Consolata missionaries all over the world, and in a way, sharing mission experience with the faithful.
During the Holy Mass ate the Consolata Centre, which was presided over by Fr. Peter Turrone, and concelebrated by Frs. Michael Mutinda, José Fernandes and missionary student Yair Alberto, the president reminded all those present that the World Mission Sunday aims at reminding Catholics to recommit themselves to the missionary activities of the Church through prayer and sharing. And so, as we gather here today, we are called to commit ourselves together with the Consolata missionaries and the Church at large, through different levels of contribution – spiritually and materially, especially to those missions in hardship situations, he added.
Recalling the message of Pope Francis for the day, we were reminded that it is necessary to proclaim courageously and in every situation, the Gospel of Christ, a message of hope, reconciliation, communion, a proclamation of God's closeness, his mercy, his salvation, and a proclamation that the power of God's love is able to overcome the darkness of evil and guide us on the path of goodness.
After the celebration of the Eucharist, all were invited to gather at the Consolata hall for a sharing of lunch, organised by the Consolata missionaries with great help from the perpetual volunteers of the same.
On the same time, some slides of the Consolata missionaries in the world were shown and thereafter, a few words from the Consolata missionaries where conveyed to the present. Addressing the gathering of friends and benefactors, the coordinator of the Canada Consolata group, Fr. José Fernandes, reminded those present that our mission has an essential element of "go" and this "go" should be accepted from the two sides of the community, the missionary and the faithful, for the better realization of Christ's mission, which is our mission.
Founded in 1901 (priests and brothers) and in 1910 (sisters) by Blessed Allamano in Turin, Italy, the Consolata missionaries now count with about two thousand members (priests, brothers and sisters) working in 21 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and América.
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Fr. Michael Mutinda, IMC. Consolata Centre, Toronto
