What Is a Mission?
The
Mission is a Preaching Event. God's Word is proclaimed through the
Bible and Catholic doctrine. It is also proclaimed through the life,
learning, and personal experience of the preacher. The Mission begins Sunday night and ends
Thursday night. The services last about one hour and
fifteen minutes, give or take five or ten minutes depending on
attendance and other factors. Services are in the evening at a time
to be determined by the parish, taking into account parents of young
children and the elderly. The weekend the mission starts, the
missionaries will preach at all the weekend Masses. The weekend
homily is a last invitation to the mission.
Parish Priest (s), Deacon (s), Staff,
and Pastoral Council:
Experience has taught us that it is
necessary that the pastor, associates, deacons, staff, and pastoral
council be involved in the preparation, planning and promotion of
the mission. We consider it absolutely necessary that they be
present during the mission.
Parish People:
We consider it vital to the
goal and purpose of the mission that lay leadership be involved in
the mission preparation and promotion. Thus we strongly suggest a
staff or parish council member NOT chair the mission committee.
Involving as many people lessens
the burdens and increases attendance. These same people may
cooperate with pastor, staff, and council in any follow-up programs
that evolve from the mission experience.
No religious, education, or
parish activities and events should be scheduled that would conflict
with the evening mission services. Rather than tell people there is
no meeting, we suggest telling groups "the meeting begins at (insert
mission time) in the church."
