Home Mission Sunday
Home Mission Sunday takes place this year on 20 September 2009.
‘They will know Him by the good works that you do.’
We all know someone who needs to hear the Good News that God loves and forgives them. Home Mission Sunday provides Catholic parishes, communities, families and individuals the opportunity to reflect, pray and be resourced to share that Good News with the many different people that they encounter every day.
This year’s theme is ‘They will know Him by the good works that you do,’ and has been chosen in prayerful response to the content of the Scripture readings for the day and the current economic climate. Parishes and individuals are being invited to consider how they can evangelise by showing their faith through loving support and service of those in need at this time. They are reminded to use the opportunities that present themselves to explain the reason for their actions – in response to the love of Christ. (1 Peter 3:15)
Resources
Home Mission Sunday 2009: Leaflet (pdf)
Home Mission Sunday 2009: Letter and Gift Aid form (pdf)
Home Mission Sunday 2009: Homily notes (pdf)
Home Mission Sunday 2009: Ideas for celebrating a Liturgy of the Word with Children (pdf)
Home Mission Sunday 2009: Children's handout (pdf)
Little Way Week 2009: Flyer (pdf)
Little Way Week 2009: Flyer folded (pdf)
Get involved
On Home Mission Sunday this year we're invited to reflect on the ways in which we can share our faith with others through service and acts of charity. Resources are provided by the Catholic Agency to Support Evangelisation (CASE) - an agency of the Bishops’ Conference.
Leaflets on CASE and its work will be available on Home Mission Sunday in Catholic churches across England and Wales (one per family) with additional materials accessible from caseresources.org.uk.
There will be a second collection in support of the work of CASE on 20 September; whilst this collection is optional the Agency is part-funded by it and relies on diocesan support.
Newsletter
CASE September 2009 newsletter: latest evangelisation news and resources (pdf)
Interesting news articles
One Act a Time, Charity Transforms the World
Carl Anderson Addresses Rimini Meeting
RIMINI, Italy, AUG. 31, 2009 (Zenit.org)
In this installment of Civilization of Love, Zenit offers an excerpt of an address Carl A. Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, gave at the Meeting of Friendship Among Peoples held in Rimini, Italy (23 August - 29 August 2009).
Click for full article on Zenit.org.
Meeting of Friendship Among Peoples site
CASE initiatives and websites
Life4seekers
The Catholic Enquiry Office offers free and confidential information about the Catholic Faith to enquirers.
Click here.
Come Home for Christmas
A site for non-practising/resting Catholics.
Click here.
Yfaith
CASE has developed an evangelistic site for 11–13 year olds.
Click here.
World Mission Sunday
18th October 2009
The prayers and donations offered on World Mission Sunday help to support churches, hospitals, schools and vocations in countries where the Church is new, young or poor. It is the Catholic Community’s chance to show its love and solidarity with its brothers and sisters; to support them in our shared mission of showing the love of God for all. Thanks to World Mission Sunday everyone can join with the whole Church in bringing spiritual and material help to those who need it most.
For more information visit the Missio website.
Links
littlewayweek.org.uk
St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP)
Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN)
National Justice and Peace Network (NJPN)
Catholic Agency For Overseas Development (CAFOD)
Acknowledgments
Illustration by Elizabeth Wang:
‘Through our smallest words and actions Christ shows out His love to other people’ © Radiant Light 2009