Last week, the Liturgy and Mission Group organised various activities related with the Missions. The theme was ‘Are you a Missionary?’ The message which the Group wished to convey is that every human being has a mission to accomplish. Being a missionary does not necessarily mean going to poor countries, although this is a noble way of realising our mission. Our mission is realised in the immediate environment where we live. Our mission is to live true love by being sensitive to the needs of the people around us and to try to bridge the differences between us.
The week’s programme started on Monday afternoon when the seminarians watched the film about Bishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez, who was proclaimed saint on the 14thOctober 2018. The new saint lived in difficult times in El Salvador. He worked steadfastly in favour of freedom which was being stifled by corrupt politics.
On Wednesday, at 1.00pm, the seminarians led the meeting held annually on Missions Day at the Minor Seminary. The seminarians talked to the students about the mission that every human being has: to live love. Dr Francienne Muscat, a Gozitan lawyer who, this summer, joined the Gozo Half Marathon group on a missionary experience in Guatemala, explained to the students how this experience has marked her way of life in Gozo.
On Thursday morning, the seminarians visited the Sir M.A. Refalo school. They talked to the students about the main theme of this year’s theme of Mission Day.
During the visit, the students were presented with a bookmark drawn by seminarian Carlos Vargas. The drawing on the bookmark symbolizes our mission to live love together. On the back of the bookmark, there is the message of Pope Francis for Mission Day: ‘Every man and woman are a mission and they are on earth for this reason. The heart, especially in youth, feels two emotions: it feels attracted and it feels sent. We feel the strenght of love that promises a future and that pushes us ahead in life. Nobody feels that strenght of love that penetrates and attracts as much as young people do. To live happily the responsability that we have towards the world is a big challenge’.
On Friday evening, the seminarians prepared moments of Adoration linked with Missions Day. They prayed the Rosary, with every mystery dedicated to a particular continent. The evening ended with the reading of a selection from the Gospel of St Matthew (Mt 28:16-20), followed by a reflection on the text.
On Saturday morning, during the mass which was celebrated by Fr Alex Cauchi, Fr Alex and Sr Josepha Gauci shared their missionary experience.
The activities for the week came to an end during the weekend when the seminarians continued to spread the message among the groups in the parishes where they are assigned for their pastoral work.