Catholic Mission and the wider Catholic community will celebrate World Mission Month in October, recognising missionaries around the world who are reaching out to people who are marginalised.
Cardinal Giorgio Marengo IMC, apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, in Mongolia, invites Catholics to reflect on the “importance of depth” and to take action:
“We are again reminded of the importance of depth — being solid in prayer, always aware that not bearing fruit may mean we have to intensify our prayer … not by words, but by visible signs of compassion, care, or forgiveness.”
Using his experience as a missionary, Cardinal Marengo invites people to reflect on the role of missionary work within the broader global community, especially in countries like Mongolia, with small Catholic communities.
“We have also started a joint venture in serving the people of God there, and not only the people of God — the members of the Church — but the larger community in Mongolia that we serve,” he says.
When Cardinal Marengo first arrived in Mongolia, the Catholic community was small, with only a few hundred Catholics. Today, it has grown to 1500.
“The growth happened because many people from different walks of life were attracted by the Gospel; they were moved by what the first missionaries were doing,” he says.
“For our people, many times the first connection with the Church is precisely through the witness of a friend within the community — someone whose life has been transformed by faith.”
One of the key projects the Church has recently created to offer vital support, the House of Mercy in Ulaanbaatar, provides shelter to people facing homelessness.
Details: www.catholicmission.org.au/see-our-work-in-action/mercy.
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World Mission Month: Acts of Kindness and Faith in Action (Catholic Mission)
