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Mission in the Catholic Church |
Many people shy away from the idea of "mission" in the Catholic (or any) Church because of its association with the world's long, sad history of religious wars, crusades, and coersion. It is true that at times and places people and governments have caused pain and suffering in the name of religion.
But "mission" can also mean the great history of service, sacrifice, generosity, and enlightenment as peoples have migrated around the globe these past 10,000 years.
On this small web page we can hardly do justice to this history. But we include a few facts and links to further resources.
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"God our Savior desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." -
1 Tim 2:3-4, basis of the 2nd tenant of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
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To the Ends of the Earth -
A Pastoral Statement on World Mission by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops
#39 Mission Is Not Coercive --
Jesus' call to discipleship was a free invitation. In the same way, the Church does not coerce others to accept the gospel and join her ranks. Mission presupposes love for those being evangelized and, as Paul VI said, "the first sign of this love is respect for the religious and spiritual situation of those being evangelized." 37 The Church extends an invitation, realizing that others may not respond. If we extend our invitation well, witnessing in the love of God and the image of Christ, and with the fire of the Holy Spirit, we have fulfilled Christ's mandate. 38 Acceptance of the gospel and conversion to Christ is the working of God's grace, a mystery beyond comprehension which we accept in faith. 39
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St.
Francis Xavier, SJ,
(1506-1552) Patron Saint of Missions (bio)
"I and Francis Mancias are now living amongst the Christians of Comorin [India] . . .
We could not understand one another, as I spoke Castilian and they Malabar; so I picked out the most intelligent and well-read of them, and then sought out with the greatest diligence men who knew both languages. We held meetings for several days, and by our joint efforts and with infinite difficulty we translated the Catechism into the Malabar tongue. This I learnt by heart, and then I began to go through all the villages of the coast, calling around me by the sound of a bell as many as I could, children and men. I asembled them twice a day and taught them the Christian doctrine: and thus, in the space of a month, the children had it well by heart." (Click for source)
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Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Patroness of Missions, too:
" Jesus needs neither books nor Doctors of Divinity in order to instruct souls; He, the Doctor of Doctors, He teaches without noise of words. "
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Missions of the Catholic Church |
The missions "of" the Catholic Church are vast. They are in almost every country, every area of human suffering, and serve more people than almost any other organized charity and most governments. We don't say that too often (because of the trouble caused by the information on that column to the left.) |
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COAR proudly takes its place as . . .
 A work of service to the impoverished children of El Salvador and the community of Zaragoza
The product of the generosity of Fr. Ken, the Incarnate Word Sisters, the people of Zaragoza, and the thousands upon thousands of donors in North and Central America and Europe
A legacy of the ultimate sacrifice of Archbishop Romero, Sr. Dorothy Kazel, OSU, Jean Donovan, Sr. Stanislaus Mackey, and thousands of Salvadorans who died in the civil war
A beacon of enlightenment for the truths that the COAR Children teach us with their joy, perseverence, and generosity of spirit.
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