September, 2024
Dear Friend in Christ,
Greetings to you as we approach the excitement of the mission month of October! Earlier this year, the Holy Father announced the theme for this year’s World Mission Day — “Go and invite everyone to the banquet “ (Mt. 22:9). Throughout the year, we have been meditating on this mandate.
The Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith (POF) was founded to go and invite all of our brothers and sisters to the banquet. In all corners of the world, missionaries are living this command every day.
In the Diocese of Kurnool, India, POF is working to ensure that the mission to go and invite everyone to the banquet is achieved literally. The faithful of Kurnool trace their spiritual heritage to Jesuit missionaries who arrived in the region in the 1700s. The faith is thriving in villages like Pedda Kottala where more than 3,000 are part of a parish community.
When Pedda Kottala was in need of a space to gather, POF joined many others to support the construction of a multipurpose hall. The hall was to be dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus and would provide a space for catechism lessons, wedding celebrations, parish youth meetings, Baptisms and Holy Communion services, and other parish events. The hall would also give the parish some income to support its work.
But the construction of the hall met obstacle after obstacle. Winter brought heavy rains and a shortage of labour. The summer brought drought. It was the continued support of the POF that finally made the hall a reality. The parishioners and missionaries of Pedda Kottala succeeded and they blessed their new hall in August last year. The Holy Father’s message to us is clear, and with your support, we can respond to this great need together.
Please help us enter into this month of mission with the gift of your prayers and, if possible, a donation to the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith today.
With sincere thanks and prayer.
