Listen to this article now
The Propagation of the Faith is blessed to support the multitude of "farmers" around the world -- men and women called by God to plant the seeds of our faith. They are missionaries, tending a sacramental crop, depending on the prayers and support of every Catholic, so that our Church can grow.
In China, a family brings their baby to be baptized; through gifts to The Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Church is there -- hidden, but waiting -- to welcome this precious child. With water and oil, the seeds are sown. His family and Church will nourish a budding faith.
Children in the shanty towns of Peru process into their "capilla" -- parish chapel -- in white robes to receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time. The robes are a sign of their purity before God, but also an equalizer. Many come from families too poor to afford a traditional First Communion outfit. Missionaries teach them about Jesus, truly present in the sacrament. Their faith begins to bloom.
Before Mass in a Zambian outstation, a priest hears confessions in the corner of a church built by local labor and by donors to the Society. The graces poured out onto the fertile souls of parishioners will yield a crop beyond measure.
Youth in Sri Lanka invite the Holy Spirit into their hearts at Confirmation to help their gifts grow. Now, their faith, fostered by missionaries, takes root and can blossom for the benefit of others.
Couples are joined in marriage in Uganda. Their faith, taught by missionaries, will help them raise their family and nourish each other until they near the end of their work in God's landscape. Then, perhaps they will be visited by a priest who will anoint them for their final season.
Here in Boston, the Lord's vineyard was planted by French missionaries who depended on support from the earliest collections of the Propagation of the Faith. Between 1830-1845, our young diocese received $45,000 to help to build our churches, health care facilities, and provide faith formation. In today's dollars, that's close to two million dollars! In 1840, Bishop Fenwick wrote, "Comparing the diocese in 1840 with the diocese in 1825, the difference is very great, thanks to the succors (help) of The Society for the Propagation of the Faith. A few more years of kind attention on the part of the good Society, and all will be well; the diocese will be able to take care of itself, and of its own institutions."
Join us in sowing the seeds of faith by making a gift to The Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
- Maureen Crowley Heil is Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies, Boston.