Moodubelle: Parishioners respond generously to Mission Sunday fund collection

By Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Pics by Anil Alva
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 24 Oct 2012: Like in the previous years  this year also the parishioners of St. Lawrence Church, Moodubelle responded generously in collection of funds for the Mission Sunday. On Saturday and Sunday, October 20 and 21 respectively
people not only contributed considerable amount of money during the offertory  in the course of the mass but also bid enthusiastically during the auction of different articles after the mass on both days.

 
This year the chief attraction of the Mission Sun day Fund collection was the food stalls that were organized by The Stree Sanghattan of the parish under the presidentship of Mrs. Helen D’Souza, Manager of the Moodubelle Charitable Trust. Home cooked pork including sorpatel and chicken dishes along with idlis and mude were the chief attraction on both the days. Besides, there were tea and coffee stalls with snacks.  On both the days the collection from the stalls was Rs.38,070/-

 

 
Auctioning of different items on both Saturday and Sunday brought in the maximum amount of collection (Rs.1,28,800). The items included perfumes, sarees, shirt and, pant pieces,  varieties of vegetables, coconuts, banana Bunches, snack packets, etc. There were also  rabbits, cocks and hens as well as one cow that was auctioned for Rs. 8000/- In a most generous bidding one person claimed 100 coconuts for Rs.10,000/- As usual Mukunda Kamath,  a great devotee of St. Lawrence was present to participate in the exciting auctioning exercise.

 
According to Rev. Fr. Joswey Fernandes, parish priest of Moodubelle, the parishioners took active part in all the activities associated with raising of the Mission Sunday Funds. He said that last year the Mission Sunday collection from all sources was around Rs. 1,75,000/- securing eight position among the parishes of the Mangalore Diocese. This year so far the collection from all sources is Rs. 2,31,293/-  He expects this amount to increase further as many of the parishioners are yet to return the Mission Sundays Boxes with small savings. Rev. Fr. Joswey Fernandes has expressed gratitude to all the parishioners who had donated generously various items for auction and also all the people who had participated in the bidding and helped in generating good amount. He also thanked the office bearers and members of the Stree Sanghattan for keeping the stalls of home-cooked food.

 
About Mission Sunday:

World Mission Sunday, organized by the Propagation of the Faith, is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice. In 2012, World Mission Sunday is celebrated on October 21.
Annually, World Mission Sunday is celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday in October. As described by Pope John Paul II, World Mission Sunday is "an important day in the life of the Church because it teaches how to give: as an offering made to God, in the Eucharistic celebration and for all the missions of the world"

Pope John Paul II has also spoken of the Propagation of the Faith’s General Fund of support, calling this a "central fund of solidarity." In a message delivered on a recent World Mission Sunday, the Pope said: "The offerings that will be collected [on World Mission Sunday] are destined for a common fund of solidarity distributed, in the Pope’s name, by the Society for the
Propagation of the Faith among the missions and missionaries of the entire world."

Every year the needs of the Catholic Church in the Missions grow - as new dioceses are formed, as new seminaries are opened because of the growing number of young men hearing Christ’s call to follow Him as priests, as areas devastated by war or natural disaster are rebuilt, and as other areas, long suppressed, are opening up to hear the message of Christ and His Church. That is why the involvement and commitment of Catholics from around the world is so urgently needed. Offerings from Catholics in the United States, on World Mission Sunday and throughout the year, are combined with offerings to the Propagation of the Faith worldwide.

Mission dioceses - about 1,100 at this time - receive regular annual assistance from the funds collected. In addition, these mission dioceses submit requests to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples for assistance, among other needs, for catechetical programs, seminaries, the work of Religious Communities, for communication and transportation needs, and for the building of chapels, churches, orphanages and schools. These needs are matched with the funds gathered in each year. The world’s national directors of the Propagation of the Faith vote on these requests, matching the funds available with the greatest needs. These funds are then distributed, in their entirety, to mission dioceses throughout the world.