World Mission Sunday at Consolata Missionary Centre

Make disciples of all nations

Not long ago in 2004, the Consolata missionaries took a responsibility of working in the parish of St. Andrew. Today, new missionaries from Portugal, Kenya, and Columbia have been sent to work in the Mission Center and the Parish.

 

Today, World Mission Sunday, we are invited to reflect on our vocation as Christians and as missionaries by the virtue of our Baptism.

 

Blessed John Paul II writes in his encyclical Redemptoris Missio that the "The mission of Christ the Redeemer, which is entrusted to the Church, is still very far from completion…and that we must commit ourselves wholeheartedly to its service."

 

As the Church celebrates once again World Mission Sunday, we are reminded that this mission of the Church is not yet completed. As a matter of fact, Blessed John Paul II reminded the Church that the need for missionary activity is more urgent than ever.

 

During his midday audience on October 20, 2013 – World Mission Sunday – Pope Francis, once again reminded the faithful that the mission of the Church is "to spread in the world the flame of faith, which Jesus ignited in the world."

 

In a local setting, the Consolata Missionaries celebrated Holy Mass in the Missionary Center: about one hundred and fifty people attended. We were privileged to have Fr. Peter Turrone as a main celebrant, Fr. Michael Munywoki and Fr. Fernandes concelebrated, with Seminarian Yair Ligardo serving at the altar.

 

In his homily, Fr. Peter thanked the congregation for their continued spiritual and material support to the missionaries around the world. He also reflected on the generosity of all who contributed on the stain glass windows depicting the Founder of Consolata Missionaries, Blessed Joseph Allamano, and the first native North American Saint, Kateri Tekakwitha. He urged all the faithful to keep their work always in their prayers.

 

After Mass, all gathered for lunch to celebrate the occasion. It was a good opportunity for the community to share their experiences and in particular thanked the missionaries for their dedication and faithfulness in spreading the Good News.

 

But the Mission of the Church to announce the risen Christ and present among us does not end in our own parishes and dioceses. Christ commanded his disciples and, by extension, us, in the gospel of Matthew: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28: 19-20).

 

Now it is our challenge to respond to this call to bring the Gospel message every time and everywhere we are, through our words and deeds.

Paul Mageto

Allamano and Tekakwita

The Chapel of the Consolata Missionaries Centre, in Toronto, has been enriched with two new stained glass windows: one dedicated to our Blessed Founder Joseph Allamano, and the other one dedicated to Kateri Tekakwitha, the patron saint of the native Americans.

This stained glass project started in 2003 and came to a close this past Tuesday, October 15th, 2013, with the installation of the two last windows.

We are very grateful to all the benefactors who contributed to make this possible: now everyone can pay homage to Blessed Joseph Allamano, the Founder of the Consolata Missionaries, and to the Flower of the Algonguins - the Lily of the Mohawks.

The work was completed by Joseph, a German artist from Artistic Glass Company who had also completed the previous windows.

The stained glass window of our Blessed Founder, Joseph Allamano, is particularly striking: We are pleased that it was installed prior to World Mission Sunday which we will celebrate this coming weekend.  Even though his feet never touched Canadian soil, his obedience to the Holy Spirit eventually led to arrival of the Consolata Missionaries in this country, bathed with the blood of the first Canadian martyrs.  

The window dedicated to Blessed Joseph Allamano is a small tribute to a man deeply in love with both God and humanity.

Fr. Peter Turrone