World Youth Day USA Guides International Pilgrimage Leaders Guide | Page 85

Missionary Direction

They are fervent in their faith and in

Explain: Saint John Paul II wrote the

Christian living. They bear witness to the

encyclical letter Redemptoris Missio, subtitled, On

Gospel in their surroundings and have a

the permanent validity of the Church's missionary

sense of commitment to the universal

mandate. Published on December 7, 1990, the

mission. In these communities the Church

encyclical is devoted to the subject of “the

carries out her activity and pastoral care.

urgency of missionary activity” (RM, no. 1) and
in it, he wished “to invite the Church to renew

Thirdly, there is an intermediate situation,

her missionary commitment” (RM, no. 2).

particularly in countries with ancient

Listen to his words:

Christian roots, and occasionally in the
younger Churches as well, where entire

The fact that there is a diversity of

groups of the baptized have lost a living

activities in the Church’s one mission is not

sense of the faith, or even no longer

intrinsic to that mission, but arises from the

consider themselves members of the

variety of circumstances in which that

Church, and live a life far removed from

mission is carried out. Looking at today’s

Christ and his Gospel. In this case what is

world from the viewpoint of evangelization,

needed is a “new evangelization” or a “re-

we can distinguish three situations.

evangelization.” (RM33).

First, there is the situation which the

Explain: Here are three situations in which we

Church’s missionary activity addresses:

are called to be missionaries: (1) t