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The traditional understanding of mission is
of professional persons, generally clerics and
religious, who have dedicated their lives to the
work of evangelization, spreading the Gospel of
Jesus, at home or abroad, either to those who have
not heard it or whose faith is weak for lack of
ministers.
Since Vatican Council II
(1963-1965) and the pronouncements of Pope Paul VI
and John Paul II, mission is understood in a much
broader sense. As the People of God, we are
all called to be missionaries, but not limited
exclusively to the traditional form of missions.
The idea of mission today
encompasses various activities, which fall into
different categories, namely: the Traditional,
Corporal Works of Mercy, and Immersion.
1. The traditional view is of
missionaries, Clerics, Religious and sometimes
even Lay persons who are dedicated to spreading
the Gospel by word and deed, either for life or
for a fixed period of time, either at home or
abroad. Missionary endeavors are their sole
purpose in life during this period and their
home communities generally support them.
2. Another view of mission is The People of God
bringing material aid such as food or medicine
to those in dire need, offering their time and
resources in the corporal works of mercy.
3. A new vision of mission, growing out of
Vatican Council II, is of the People of God who
go primarily to the poor at home or abroad to
simply accompany them and learn to understand
and appreciate other cultures and values. Such
activities, called, mission immersion
experiences allow people to reach out to
others as equals rather than as merely objects
to be taught or helped as if they were little
children. Parishes and dioceses that go into an
immersion experience do so to strengthen their
own faith as they try to understand the nuances
of how the faith is lived in other cultures.
This is also a preparation for what often
becomes a more formal mission relationship
called Parish Twinning or Diocesan Twinning.
Twinning means that the parishes or the dioceses
on each side of the border share their faith and
their gifts through a process of ongoing mutual
exchange and celebration.
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