WMS 2024 Magazine .spub : simplebooklet.com

Supporting the missions is now as easy as 1,2,3!Lord, give me a heart that is open and warm,from which your love can ﬂowto those around me.Give me a spirit that embraces the whole world,the earth and all its peoples.Let me live in each moment today,conscious of your call to give the Good News,to be part of a Church which bringsjustice, peace and hopeespecially to those who are most in need.Let my every word and gesturecontribute to healing, restoring and unitingall your children everywhere.Missio Scotland prayerYou can also donate on our website:www.missioscotland.comand click the donate buttonThen choose Mission Sunday 2024or use your phone to scan the QR code on the rightWorld Mission Sunday20 October 2024Solidarity in faith, hope and loveWhat is World Mission Sunday?It is one of the three annual Papal collections when the global Church comes together to support our Catholic brothers and sisters who are in need of our help. Every collection and donation on this day supports churches, hospitals, schools and vocations in countries where the Church is new, young or poor.Where and why does it take place?World Mission Sunday Masses take place in every single Catholic parish throughout the world. Through our prayers and ﬁnancial support two things happen. Firstly, it helps struggling Catholic communities survive and ﬂourish and secondly, it strengthens the bond which unites the whole Church so that we can truly say we are a family.What happens to my donations?World Mission Sunday is organised by Missio in all the countries where the Church exists and your donations build much-needed infrastructure, from chapels and schools to orphanages, clinics and dispensaries.Missio is proud to be the Pope’s charity for world mission and works with the global Missio network to help the local churches be self-sufﬁcent. Lord, give me a heartthat is open and warm,from which your love can ﬂowto those around me.Give me a spirit that embraces the whole world,the earth and all its peoples.Let me live in each moment today,conscious of your call to give the Good News,to be part of a Church which bringsjustice, peace and hopeespecially to those who are most in need.Let my every word and gesturecontribute to healing, restoring and unitingall your children everywhere.You can also donate on our website:www.missioscotland.comand click the buttonThen choose Mission Sunday 2024or use your phone to scan the QR code on the rightMissio Scotland prayerdonateWorld MissionSunday20 October2024Solidarity infaith, hopeand loveWhat is World Mission Sunday?It is one of the three annual Papal collections when theglobal Church comes together to support our Catholicbrothers and sisters who are in need of our help. Everycollection and donation on this day supports churches,hospitals, schools and vocations in countries where theChurch is new, young or poor.Where and why does it take place?World Mission Sunday Masses take place in everysingle Catholic parish throughout the world. Throughour prayers and ﬁnancial support two things happen.Firstly, it helps struggling Catholic communities surviveand ﬂourish and secondly, it strengthens the bondwhich unites the whole Church so that we can truly saywe are a family.What happens to my donations?World Mission Sunday is organised by Missio in all thecountries where the Church exists and your donationsbuild much-needed infrastructure, from chapels andschools to orphanages, clinics and dispensaries.Missio is proud to be the Pope’s charity for worldmission and works with the global Missio network tohelp the local churches be self-sufﬁcent.

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Message from the Right Reverend Frank DouganBishop of GallowayAs a new bishop, I am very conscious of how many parts of my life have changed: living in a different place, with a different ministry and different responsibilities. However, one thing has not changed, my call to follow Christ and to continue to go out and preach the Good News to all the world. Whether we are Pope Francis, a bishop, parent, grandparent, young person or a child in primary school, all of us share in that mission given to each and every disciple baptised in Christ.!One source of comfort and encouragement is that I do not carry out my role as a bishop and my mission alone. I do it in communion with others: with all the faithful and priests of the Diocese of Galloway. I also share it with our Holy Father and the entire People of God throughout the world.!World Mission Sunday is a moment when everyone in the Church everywhere afﬁrms our unity and is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate our solidarity as a family. As we share at the table of the Eucharist, so too Photo by kind permission of Paul McSherrywe share our material and spiritual goods with one another. We all pray for one another and those parts of the Church which are ﬁnancially better off share with those who are in need. The real vibrancy and the prayers of the growing Church in Africa, Asia and South America is also a source of hope and inspiration to us here in the Western world.!This year, Pope Francis has chosen as the theme for World Mission Sunday: “Go and invite everyone to the banquet.” The Church in mission countries is doing that to great effect but they need our help. I would urge you, therefore, to be as generous as you always are in supporting our brothers and sisters on this World Mission Sunday.!May God bless you and our parish communities.Bishop Frank Dougan on behalf of the Bishops of Scotland“Mission is something that you share with someone, and they share it back with you. It’s not a one-way street at all. It brings immeasurable beneﬁts back to the people who are prepared to go on mission, who are prepared to be sent by the Lord and by the Church with the Good News.” Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews and Edinburgh Archdiocese Message from the Right Reverend Frank DouganBishop of GallowayAs a new bishop, I am very conscious of how many parts ofmy life have changed: living in a different place, with adifferent ministry and different responsibilities. However,one thing has not changed, my call to follow Christ and tocontinue to go out and preach the Good News to all theworld. Whether we are Pope Francis, a bishop, parent,grandparent, young person or a child in primary school, allof us share in that mission given to each and every disciplebaptised in Christ.  One source of comfort andencouragement is that I do not carry out my role as abishop and my mission alone. I do it in communion withothers: with all the faithful and priests of the Diocese of Galloway. I also share it withour Holy Father and the entire People of God throughoutthe world.World Mission Sunday is a moment when everyone inthe Church everywhere afﬁrms our unity and is awonderful opportunity to demonstrate our solidarity as afamily. As we share at the table of the Eucharist, so too we share our material and spiritual goods with oneanother. We all pray for one another and those parts ofthe Church which are ﬁnancially better off share withthose who are in need. The real vibrancy and the prayersof the growing Church in Africa, Asia and South Americais also a source of hope and inspiration to us here in theWestern world.This year, Pope Francis has chosen as the theme forWorld Mission Sunday: “Go and invite everyone to thebanquet.” The Church in mission countries is doing thatto great effect but they need our help. I would urge you,therefore, to be as generous as you always are insupporting our brothers and sisters on this World MissionSunday.May God bless you and our parish communities.Bishop Frank Douganon behalf of the Bishops of ScotlandPhoto by kind permission of Paul McSherry“Mission is something that you share with someone, and they share it back with you. It’s not aone-way street at all. It brings immeasurable beneﬁts back to the people who are prepared to go onmission, who are prepared to be sent by the Lord and by the Church with the Good News.” Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews and Edinburgh Archdiocese

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Dear brothers and sisters!The theme I have chosen for this year’s World Mission Day is taken from the Gospel parable of the wedding banquet (cf. Mt 22:1-14). After the guests refused his invitation, the king, tells his servants: “Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you ﬁnd” (v. 9).“Go and invite!” Mission as a tireless going out to invite others to the Lord’s banquet. In the king’s command to his servants we ﬁnd two words that express the heart of the mission: the verbs ‘to go out’ and ‘to invite’.Mission, we see, is a tireless going out to all men and women, in order to invite them to encounter God and enter into communion with him. Tireless! God, great in love and rich in mercy, constantly sets out to encounter all and to call them to the happiness of his kingdom, even in the face of their indifference or refusal. The Church will continue to go to the ends of the earth, without ever losing heart in the face of difﬁculties and obstacles.I take this opportunity to thank all those missionaries who have left everything behind to go far from their homeland and bring the Good News to places where people have not yet received it, or received it only recently.Let us not forget that every Christian is called to take part in this universal mission by offering his or her own witness to the Gospel in every context. “Today’s drama in the Church is that Jesus keeps knocking on the door, but from within, so that we will let him out! Often we end up an ‘imprisoning’ Church which does not let the Lord out”.To return to the king’s command in the parable, the servants are told not only to ‘go’, but also to ‘invite’: “Come to the wedding!” (Mt 22:4). The servants conveyed the king’s invitation with urgency but also with great respect and kindness. In proclaiming to the world the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ, missionary disciples should do so with joy, magnanimity and benevolence that are the fruits of the Holy Spirit within them (cf. Gal 5:22). Not by pressuring, coercing or proselytising, but with closeness, compassion and tenderness, and in this way reﬂecting God’s own way of being and acting.Christ’s disciples are called to continue [the] mission of their Lord and Master. “The time for missionary activity extends between the ﬁrst coming of the Lord and the second…, for the Gospel must be preached to all nations before the Lord shall come (cf. Mk 13:10)”.The ﬁrst Christians sensed the urgency of the preaching of the Gospel. While the world sets before us the various ‘banquets’ of consumerism, selﬁsh comfort, the accumulation of wealth and individualism, the Gospel calls everyone to the divine banquet, marked by joy, sharing, justice and fraternity in communion with God and with others.This fullness of life, which is Christ’s gift, is anticipated even now in the banquet of the Eucharist, which the Church celebrates at the Lord’s command, where [He] feeds us with his word and with his Body and Blood. In this regard, I would reiterate that we cannot approach the Eucharistic table without being drawn into the mission which is meant to reach all people.In this year devoted to prayer in preparation for the Jubilee of 2025, I wish to encourage all to deepen their commitment above all to take part in the celebration of Mass and to pray for the Church’s mission of evangelisation.The last reﬂection concerns the recipients of the King’s invitation: ‘everyone’. This is the heart of mission: that ‘all’, excluding no one. Today, in a world torn apart by divisions and conﬂicts, Christ’s Gospel calls individuals to encounter one another, to recognise that they are brothers and sisters, and to rejoice in harmony amid diversity. Let us never forget, that we are asked to preach the Gospel to all. Christ’s missionary disciples have always had a heartfelt concern for all persons, whatever their social or even moral status. The mission for all requires the commitment of all. Consequently, close missionary cooperation is today all the more urgent and necessary, both in the universal Church and in the particular Churches. I recommend to all dioceses throughout the world the service of the Pontiﬁcal Mission Societies. They represent the primary means “by which Catholics are imbued from infancy with a truly universal and missionary outlook and [are] also a means for instituting an effective collecting of funds for all the missions, each according to its needs” (Ad Gentes, 38). For this reason, the collections of World Mission Day in all the local Churches are entirely destined to the universal fund of solidarity that the Pontiﬁcal Society of the Propagation of the Faith then distributes in the Pope’s name for the needs of all the Church’s missions. Let us pray that the Lord may guide us and help us to be a more synodal and a more missionary Church.Holy Mary, Star of Evangelisation, pray for us!An abridged version of the Holy Father’s message forWorld Mission Sunday 2024Go and invite everyone to the banquet (Matt. 22:9) An abridged version of the Holy Father’s message forWorld Mission Sunday 2024Dear brothers and sisters!The theme I have chosen for this year’s World Mission Day is taken from the Gospel parable of the wedding banquet (cf. Mt 22:1-14). After the guests refused his invitation, the king, tells his servants: “Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you ﬁnd” (v. 9).“Go and invite!” Mission as a tireless going out to invite others to the Lord’s banquet. In the king’s command to his servants we ﬁnd two words that express the heart of the mission: the verbs ‘to go out’ and ‘to invite’.Mission, we see, is a tireless going out to all men and women, in order to invite them to encounter God and enter into communion with him. Tireless! God, great in love and rich in mercy, constantly sets out to encounter all and to call them to the happiness of his kingdom, even in the face of their indifference or refusal. The Church will continue to go to the ends of the earth, without ever losing heart in the face of difﬁculties and obstacles.I take this opportunity to thank all those missionaries who have left everything behind to go far from their homeland and bring the Good News to places where people have not yet received it, or received it only recently.Let us not forget that every Christian is called to take part in this universal mission by offering his or her own witness to the Gospel in every context. “Today’s drama in the Church is that Jesus keeps knocking on the door, but from within, so that we will let him out! Often we end up an ‘imprisoning’ Church which does not let the Lord out”.To return to the king’s command in the parable, the servants are told not only to ‘go’, but also to ‘invite’: “Come to the wedding!” (Mt 22:4). The servants conveyed the king’s invitation with urgency but also with great respect and kindness. In proclaiming to the world the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ, missionary disciples should do so with joy, magnanimity and benevolence that are the fruits of the Holy Spirit within them (cf. Gal 5:22). Not by pressuring, coercing or proselytising, but with closeness, compassion and tenderness, and in this way reﬂecting God’s own way of being and acting.Christ’s disciples are called to continue [the] mission of their Lord and Master. “The time for missionary activity extends between the ﬁrst coming of the Lord and the second…, for the Gospel must be preached to all nations before the Lord shall come (cf. Mk 13:10)”.The ﬁrst Christians sensed the urgency of the preachingof the Gospel. While the world sets before us the various‘banquets’ of consumerism, selﬁsh comfort, theaccumulation of wealth and individualism, the Gospel calls everyone to the divine banquet, marked by joy,sharing, justice and fraternity in communion with God andwith others.This fullness of life, which is Christ’s gift, is anticipated even now in the banquet of the Eucharist, which the Church celebrates at the Lord’s command, where [He] feeds us with his word and with his Body and Blood. In this regard, I would reiterate that we cannot approach the Eucharistic table without being drawn into the mission which is meant to reach all people.In this year devoted to prayer in preparation for the Jubilee of 2025, I wish to encourage all to deepen their commitment above all to take part in the celebration of Mass and to pray for the Church’s mission of evangelisation.The last reﬂection concerns the recipients of the King’s invitation: ‘everyone’. This is the heart of mission: that ‘all’, excluding no one. Today, in a world torn apart by divisions and conﬂicts, Christ’s Gospel calls individuals to encounter one another, to recognise that they are brothers and sisters, and to rejoice in harmony amid diversity. Let us never forget, that we are asked to preach the Gospel to all. Christ’s missionary disciples have always had a heartfelt concern for all persons, whatever their social or even moral status. The mission for all requires the commitment of all. Consequently, close missionary cooperation is today all the more urgent and necessary, both in the universal Church and in the particular Churches. I recommend to all dioceses throughout the world the service of the Pontiﬁcal Mission Societies. They represent the primary means “by which Catholics are imbued from infancy with a truly universal and missionary outlook and [are] also a means for instituting an effective collecting of funds for all the missions, each according to its needs” (Ad Gentes, 38). For this reason, the collections of World Mission Day in all the local Churches are entirely destined to the universal fund of solidarity that the Pontiﬁcal Society of the Propagation of the Faith then distributes in the Pope’s name for the needs of all the Church’s missions. Let us pray that the Lord may guide us and help us to be a more synodal and a more missionary Church.Holy Mary, Star of Evangelisation, pray for us!Go and inviteeveryone tothe banquet (Matt. 22:9)

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7 ways to share in the mission of the ChurchCommunion of Goods and Communion of LifeAll we have is not our own - it has been given to us to use for the Kingdom of God. We can share our material wealth with our Catholic brothers and sisters in other parts of the world where they are in need. We can learn from their experience of being the Church in another place and culture. Donate through Missio Scotland. Spread the Good NewsOften in the media and elsewhere we only hear bad news about the Church. The Church is a wonderful family throughout the world and does amazing things in the lives of its members and for the wider community. Tell others about the good the Church has done and is doing.PrayerPrayer is one of the aspects of the Church’s life which unites us all at a deep level. We can pray for the Church throughout the world especially where it is being persecuted or suﬀering. Those in the Church far away pray for us. We should also pray for missionaries every day.We are the Body of ChristThe Eucharist makes us one body - the Body of Christ. The Church in mission countries desperately needs priests and religious sisters and brothers so that people can have Mass, the sacraments, education and healthcare. We can support seminarians studying for the priesthood and novices through Missio Scotland.Building churches where Jesus can be among usOur churches in Scotland are beautiful and help us to pray and be together as a parish. Communities in some parts of the world struggle to have somewhere to gather. By donating to Missio Scotland we can help parishioners in Africa, Asia, South America, the Caribbean and Oceania have a church or chapel where they can be proud to meet and pray.Knowledge of the worldwide Church’s missionIn this age of instant information we can learn about and study the Church’s work in diﬀerent parts of the world. We can access news and information by going to www.missioscotland.com, the Missio Scotland Facebook page, Twitter account Instagram or YouTube.CommunicationWe can form a group of friends to get together to pray for the missions, either physically or via social media, by contributing something to help the Church in foreign lands and by sharing our experience of trying to live out the mission of the Church in our daily life.Through your prayers and donations during the past year parishioners in Scotland have so far shown solidarity with our Catholic brothers and sisters in:Bangladesh £130,000Democratic Republic of Congo 6,200India 17,682Mission Students in Rome 29,000Nigeria 24,000Sri Lanka 35,200Uganda 20,100People often ask what is the difference between Missio and SCIAF?Missio (The Pontiﬁcal Mission Societies) is the means by which the Church in Scotland shows year-round solidarity with the Church in poorer countries.SCIAF (The Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund) is the means by which the Church in Scotland provides development aid and emergency relief to poorer people in the world.Funding poor dioceses and parishes.Building and funding clinics and dispensaries run by religious sisters.Feeding and educating children.Building parish schools and classrooms. Building churches, chapels, parish/community centres,parish houses and convents.Educating novices and seminarians.Helping catechists and their families. “Mission means being able to live and to share your Faith. Faith cannot grow unless you share it, because if you don’t share your Faith, eventually it will die. Mission requires a constant relationship with God to a point that it is inevitable that you have to share that experience with other people.” Fr Bernard Makadani Zulu, ZambiaSri LankaCongoNigeriaUgandaMission students and novices studying in RomeBangladeshIndiaCameroonIn 2023 the members of the Catholic Church in all the parishes of the world gave a total of81,576,294 US dollarsto help the Church in mission countries through the Pontiﬁcal Mission Societies, of which Missio Scotland is a part. 7 ways to sharein the mission of the ChurchPrayerPrayer is one of the aspects of the Church’s life whichunites us all at a deep level. We can pray for the Churchthroughout the world especially where it is beingpersecuted or suﬀering. Those in the Church far away prayfor us. We should also pray for missionaries every day.We are the Body of ChristThe Eucharist makes us one body - the Body of Christ.The Church in mission countries desperately needs priestsand religious sisters and brothers so that people can haveMass, the sacraments, education and healthcare. We cansupport seminarians studying for the priesthood andnovices through Missio Scotland.Building churches where Jesus can be among usOur churches in Scotland are beautiful and help us to prayand be together as a parish. Communities in some parts ofthe world struggle to have somewhere to gather. Bydonating to Missio Scotland we can help parishioners inAfrica, Asia, South America, the Caribbean and Oceaniahave a church or chapel where they can be proud to meetand pray.Knowledge of the worldwide Church’s missionIn this age of instant information we can learn about andstudy the Church’s work in diﬀerent parts of the world. Wecan access news and information by going towww.missioscotland.com, the Missio Scotland Facebookpage, Twitter account Instagram or YouTube.CommunicationWe can form a group of friends to get together to pray forthe missions, either physically or via social media, bycontributing something to help the Church in foreign landsand by sharing our experience of trying to live out themission of the Church in our daily life.Spread the Good NewsOften in the media and elsewhere we only hear bad newsabout the Church. The Church is a wonderful familythroughout the world and does amazing things in the livesof its members and for the wider community. Tell othersabout the good the Church has done and is doing.Communion of Goods and Communion of LifeAll we have is not our own - it has been given to us to usefor the Kingdom of God. We can share our material wealthwith our Catholic brothers and sisters in other parts of theworld where they are in need. We can learn from theirexperience of being the Church in another place andculture. Donate through Missio Scotland. In 2023 the members of the Catholic Church in all the parishes of the world gave a total of81,576,294 US dollarsto help the Church in mission countries through the Pontiﬁcal Mission Societies, of which Missio Scotland is a part.“Mission means being able to live and to share your Faith. Faith cannot grow unless you share it,because if you don’t share your Faith, eventually it will die. Mission requires a constant relationshipwith God to a point that it is inevitable that you have to share that experience with other people.” Fr Bernard Makadani Zulu, ZambiaPeople often ask what is the differencebetween Missio and SCIAF?Missio (The Pontiﬁcal Mission Societies) is the means by which the Church in Scotland shows year-round solidarity with the Church in poorer countries.SCIAF (The Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund) is the means by which the Church in Scotland provides development aid and emergency relief to poorer people in the world.Through your prayers and donations duringthe past year parishioners in Scotland haveso far shown solidarity with our Catholicbrothers and sisters in:Bangladesh Democratic Republic of Congo India Mission Students in RomeNigeria Sri Lanka Uganda £130,0006,20017,68229,00024,00035,20020,100Funding poor dioceses and parishes. Building and funding clinics and dispensaries run by religious sisters.Feeding and educating children.Building parish schools and classrooms.Building churches, chapels, parish/community centres,parish houses and convents.Educating novices and seminarians.Helping catechists and their families. Missionstudents andnovicesstudying in RomeIndiaNigeriaUgandaCongo Sri LankaCameroonBangladesh

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Your generosity enables Missio Scotland to act on behalf of the Catholics in Scotland to support Church communities in the parts of the world which are designated as mission countries - in Africa, Asia, South America, Oceania and the Caribbean. This year we hope to fund projects in many places but in this issue of our Mission Month magazine we thought to highlight some projects for the Church in the Diocese of Kumbo in the West African state of Cameroon.Cameroon is very dear to my heart because I lived there for many years. I went there in 1982 to ﬁnd the will of God. Three years before this, I had cancelled my ordination to the priesthood, got a ﬂat in the west end of Glasgow and a job in the northeast of the city. However, I was still a deacon and had said 'yes' to God so I could not just drift along. The issue had to be sorted. I took up an offer to go to a remote parish in the English-speaking part of Cameroon to try and understand what I should do with my life.After a year of living with the Bangwa people, I gradually came to the realisation through them that God was calling me to the priesthood. Rural Africa has a way of simplifying the complicated European heart and soul. There were no mobile phones, no internet,!videos or retail parks. Life was trekking through the forests and over the mountains to visit the people in their villages and isolated compounds. Sitting in the evening sharing a meal and stories, reﬂecting on life and faith around a ﬁre or under the stars. And so it was that after a year I came back to Scotland, got ordained one rainy night, and three weeks later returned to resume my life with the Bangwa.It was Pa Mathias Anu, a saintly, old Catechist who summed it up very well. Pa was like a father to me and so when I came to leave in 1997, I went to ask his advice and blessing as any son would do when leaving home.As I knelt before him, he said:!“You were born twice. The Fr. Vincent LockhartNational Director of Missio Scotlandﬁrst time was when your mother delivered you. The second time you were born was here because when you ﬁrst came to Bangwa you did not know what God wanted of you. It was here that you discovered the will of God for your life. That is the real birth, the most important birth.!So always remember that you are a son of this soil. You have eaten at our table. You will be our 'word' to the people you will meet out there in the world.”He put his hand on my head and said a prayer of blessing and then we embraced. When I went outside, I bent to the ground and scooped up a handful of soil in front of his door. I keep that soil in a small box and when I die it is my wish that the soil of Bangwa be placed over my heart, next to my skin!and buried with me.‘Mission’, therefore, is not a one-way street where the ‘missionary’ is the only one who ‘gives’. Mission is born out of dialogue, of giving and receiving on both sides. It creates the presence of God among us which ultimately is what the Church is all about, what Missio (the Pontiﬁcal Mission Societies) and Mission Sunday are all about.The Pontiﬁcal Mission Societies are the Pope’s ofﬁcial means by which all the members of the Church share what they have – primarily their prayers for one another but also their ﬁnancial means and the exchange of priests, sisters and lay missionaries.On this World Mission Sunday, Pope Francis reminds us that we are all called to share the Eucharist, our prayers and resources with one another and to invite others to become part of this family. It is in this way that the worldwide Church bears witness to the presence of Christ on earth and makes the Church as a family a reality which can inspire everyone.We hope you enjoy the magazine.Sharing faith, life and the will of God around the table in Cameroon Your generosity enables Missio Scotland to act on behalfof the Catholics in Scotland to support Churchcommunities in the parts of the world which aredesignated as mission countries - in Africa, Asia, SouthAmerica, Oceania and the Caribbean. This year we hopeto fund projects in many places but in this issue of ourMission Month magazine we thought to highlight someprojects for the Church in the Diocese of Kumbo in the West African state of Cameroon.Cameroon is very dear to my heart because I lived there for many years. I went there in 1982 to ﬁnd the will of God. Three years before this, I had cancelled my ordination to the priesthood, got a ﬂat in the west end of Glasgow and a job in the northeast of the city. However, I was still a deacon and had said 'yes' to God so I could not just drift along. The issue had to be sorted. I took up an offer to go to a remote parish in the English-speaking part of Cameroon to try and understand what I should do with my life.After a year of living with the Bangwa people, I gradually came to the realisation through them that God was calling me to the priesthood. Rural Africa has a way of simplifying the complicated European heart and soul. There were no mobile phones, no internet,videos or retail parks. Life was trekking through the forests and over the mountains to visit the people in their villages and isolated compounds. Sitting in the evening sharing a meal and stories, reﬂecting on life and faith around a ﬁre or under the stars. And so it was that after a year I came back to Scotland, got ordained one rainy night, and three weeks later returned to resume my life with the Bangwa.It was Pa Mathias Anu, a saintly, old Catechist who summed it up very well. Pa was like a father to me and so when I came to leave in 1997, I went to ask his advice and blessing as any son would do when leaving home.As I knelt before him, he said:“You were born twice. The ﬁrst time was when your mother delivered you. Thesecond time you were born was here because when youﬁrst came to Bangwa you did not know what God wantedof you. It was here that you discovered the will of God foryour life. That is the real birth, the most importantbirth.So always remember that you are a son of this soil.You have eaten at our table. You will be our 'word' to thepeople you will meet out there in the world.”He put his hand on my head and said a prayer of blessing and then we embraced. When I went outside, I bent to the ground and scooped up a handful of soil in front of his door. I keep that soil in a small box and when I die it is my wish that the soil of Bangwa be placed over my heart, next to my skinand buried with me.‘Mission’, therefore, is not a one-way street where the ‘missionary’ is the only one who ‘gives’. Mission is born out of dialogue, of giving and receiving on both sides. It creates the presence of God among us which ultimately is what the Church is all about, what Missio (the Pontiﬁcal Mission Societies) and Mission Sunday are all about.The Pontiﬁcal Mission Societies are the Pope’s ofﬁcialmeans by which all the members of the Church sharewhat they have – primarily their prayers for one anotherbut also their ﬁnancial means and the exchange ofpriests, sisters and lay missionaries.On this World Mission Sunday, Pope Francis reminds us that we are all called to share the Eucharist, our prayers and resources with one another and to invite others to become part of this family. It is in this way that the worldwide Church bears witness to the presence of Christ on earth and makes the Church as a family a reality which can inspire everyone.We hope you enjoy the magazine.Fr. Vincent LockhartNational Director of Missio ScotlandSharing faith, life and the will of God around the table in Cameroon

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How Missio Scotland is helping Sister Hedwig heal the wounds of warby Gerard GoughTHERE are a multitude of reasons why our missionaries are such cherished brothers and sisters in faith, but I would posit that two of the most impressive are their desire to spread the Good News in the most trying of circumstances and their ability to build strong and lasting connections with people, both on a national and international level.One such sister who epitomises these dual talents is Sr Hedwig Vinyo, a Tertiary Sister of St Francis in the Diocese of Kumbo in Cameroon. Sr Hedwig was delivered by the Franciscan Sisters in the hospital that they run and, after a period working with them in one of their orphanages as a teenager, she decided to become a sister too.“The sisters were just so caring,” Sr Hedwig said. “And their example of going out and serving the people made me want to join them, because that is something that I love to do. Four of our sisters died during the Covid-19 pandemic just because we were and are wedded to that call to serve the people. And in our work, we don’t ask someone which Church they go to. We’re concerned more about the soul of each individual person and making them realise that they are loved.”While serving with the sisters in Cameroon, Sr Hedwig came into contact with Fr Bernard Fox, a Mill Hill Missionary Father now based in Scotland, but who spent many years in the African country. That strong connection played a major part in Missio Scotland deciding to focus on projects in Cameroon this year—some of which are being overseen by Sr Hedwig herself.As previously mentioned, missionaries are no strangers to working in difﬁcult circumstances and the violent conﬂict in Cameroon—also referred to as the Anglophone Crisis—between the Government (mainly Francophone, French-speaking) and paramilitaries known as the Ambas (pro-Anglophone, English speaking) that has been raging since 2017—is the situation that Sr Hedwig and the Franciscan Sisters ﬁnd themselves in. Unfortunately, children and young people are often affected by war most acutely. Many have had to ﬂee their burning homes, while others have witnessed their mothers and fathers being killed, kidnappings occur on an almost daily basis and schooling can be a distant memory with a number of schools having been destroyed.One particularly harrowing situation, Sr Hedwig recalled, concerned a young boy who had been taken into a police cell along with his older brother. After his older brother was beaten by an iron bar and killed, he was made to clean up the blood before being released. The killing not only traumatised the young boy, but also severely affected his mother’s mental health.“He came to us,” Sr Hedwig explained. “We made sure he could avail of the appropriate counselling and eventually his trauma subsided and we were able to help him get his life back on track. However, his mother was still deeply troubled. She would come to us, see me, fall down and start crying for her son who had been killed. We helped focus her mind with some farm work and we visit her often, so she is doing better but she cannot forget the killing of her son. To this day, whenever she sees me, she is joyful, but she still cries because she knows that I’m aware of everything that has happened to her as a result of the conﬂict. It was quite a distressing situation for everyone involved, but I couldn’t allow myself to wallow in sadness. I had to be strong to try and help that family.”So, in the midst of the chaos, Sr Hedwig and her fellow sisters—whose charism is to have an option for the poor and marginalised—have been offering a spiritual and physical refuge to those affected. In fact, the hospital run by the sisters has ceased to function just as an ordinary hospital and is now expected to no longer heal individuals, but the ills of a war-torn country, which is far from ideal, but something that Sr Hedwig embraces.“I’ve a soft heart for people who are suffering,” she said. “And I ﬁnd myself drawn to them. However, this is not just something that has moved within me during the crisis, my fellow sisters and I have always sought to bring the Word of God to the people not by preaching, but by doing.! We need to let people know that they are loved and cared for.”“Mission is something that each of us is called to. It’s something that has been put in your heart to bring to the world. It’s the reason for which you, personally, were created. It’s the task that’s entrusted to you, that only you can carry out. It’s unique to you, as unique as you are. That’s your mission.” Stephen Callaghan, Director of the Archdiocese of Glasgow Arts Project How Missio Scotlandis helping Sister Hedwigheal the wounds of warby Gerard GoughTHERE are a multitude of reasons why our missionariesare such cherished brothers and sisters in faith, but Iwould posit that two of the most impressive are theirdesire to spread the Good News in the most trying ofcircumstances and their ability to build strong and lastingconnections with people, both on a national andinternational level.One such sister who epitomises these dual talents is Sr Hedwig Vinyo, a Tertiary Sister of St Francis in the Diocese of Kumbo in Cameroon. Sr Hedwig was delivered by the Franciscan Sisters in the hospital that they run and, after a period working with them in one of their orphanages as a teenager, she decided to become a sister too.“The sisters were just so caring,” Sr Hedwig said. “And their example of going out and serving the people made me want to join them, because that is something that I love to do. Four of our sisters died during the Covid-19 pandemic just because we were and are wedded to that call to serve the people. And in our work, we don’t ask someone which Church they go to. We’re concerned more about the soul of each individual person and making them realise that they are loved.”While serving with the sisters in Cameroon, Sr Hedwig came into contact with Fr Bernard Fox, a Mill Hill Missionary Father now based in Scotland, but who spent many years in the African country. That strong connection played a major part in Missio Scotland deciding to focus on projects in Cameroon this year—some of which are being overseen by Sr Hedwig herself.As previously mentioned, missionaries are no strangers to working in difﬁcult circumstances and the violent conﬂict in Cameroon—also referred to as the Anglophone Crisis—between the Government (mainly Francophone, French-speaking) and paramilitaries known as the Ambas (pro-Anglophone, English speaking) that has been raging since 2017—is the situation that Sr Hedwig and the Franciscan Sisters ﬁnd themselves in. Unfortunately, children and young people are often affected by war most acutely. Many have had to ﬂee their burning homes, while others have witnessed their mothers and fathers being killed, kidnappings occur on an almost daily basis and schooling can be a distantmemory with a number of schools having beendestroyed.One particularly harrowing situation, Sr Hedwig recalled, concerned a young boy who had been taken into a police cell along with his older brother. After his older brother was beaten by an iron bar and killed, he was made to clean up the blood before being released. The killing not only traumatised the young boy, but also severely affected his mother’s mental health.“He came to us,” Sr Hedwig explained. “We made sure he could avail of the appropriate counselling and eventually his trauma subsided and we were able to help him get his life back on track. However, his mother was still deeply troubled. She would come to us, see me, fall down and start crying for her son who had been killed. We helped focus her mind with some farm work and we visit her often, so she is doing better but she cannot forget the killing of her son. To this day, whenever she sees me, she is joyful, but she still cries because she knows that I’m aware of everything that has happened to her as a result of the conﬂict. It was quite a distressing situation for everyone involved, but I couldn’t allow myself to wallow in sadness. I had to be strong to try and help that family.”So, in the midst of the chaos, Sr Hedwig and her fellow sisters—whose charism is to have an option for the poor and marginalised—have been offering a spiritual and physical refuge to those affected. In fact, the hospital run by the sisters has ceased to function just as an ordinary hospital and is now expected to no longer heal individuals, but the ills of a war-torn country, which is far from ideal, but something that Sr Hedwig embraces.“I’ve a soft heart for people who are suffering,” she said. “And I ﬁnd myself drawn to them. However, this is not just something that has moved within me during the crisis, my fellow sisters and I have always sought to bring the Word of God to the people not by preaching, but by doing. We need to let people know that they are loved and cared for.”“Mission is something that each of us is called to. It’s something that has been put in your heart tobring to the world. It’s the reason for which you, personally, were created. It’s the task that’s entrustedto you, that only you can carry out. It’s unique to you, as unique as you are. That’s your mission.” Stephen Callaghan, Director of the Archdiocese of Glasgow Arts Project

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CameroonPopulation: 30 million Languages: French - 86% and English - 14%Religion: 66.3% Christianity; 30.6% Islam; 4.4% traditional faithsThe Anglophone CrisisFor the past 7 years there has been a civil war centred on the English-speaking provinces in the west of the country. The United Nations estimates that more than 1.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the north-west and south-west regions. At least 628,000 people have been internally displaced by violence in the two regions, while more than 87,000 have ﬂed to Nigeria.The Diocese of Kumbo covers the northern part of the English-speaking region.One such place in which people are being loved and cared for is the St Francis Home for Formation and Skills Training in Njavnyuy. The centre primarily operated to provide those who have ﬁnished primary school, from the ages of 15 and upwards, with skills such as: agriculture, welding, carpentry, sewing and embroidery—as well as English, French and Arithmetic lessons. However, since 2016, the sisters have been taking in a number of children too, providing them with a safe haven, having been displaced from where they can attend the community primary school—a school which has so far survived the conﬂict.“I’m not directly involved with the centre anymore, even though I helped to found it, but regardless I am so proud of the many success stories that have emanated from there. It is not always easy work, but when you see the difference that it has made, and is continuing to make to people’s lives, it is really rewarding. And in any case, challenging work actually helps me to grow, which in turn helps others to grow.”Missio Scotland is providing ﬁnancial assistance to Sr Hedwig and the Franciscan Sisters so that they can support these children but also the young people availing of the workshops at the centre, who will be provided with food, materials and medication.Another vulnerable group among children and young people affected by the conﬂict are those who have a disability as it can often be challenging to supply them with the required medicines, sensory and mobility devices. So, Sr Hedwig implored Missio Scotland to help 143 disabled children in Bui Division, a request which the Pope’s ofﬁcial charity for overseas mission duly acquiesced to. As a result, the sisters will be able to provide these children and young people with wheelchairs, crutches, hearing aids and epilepsy medication. This will not only strengthen inclusivity, but will also help the sisters to restore their dignity.“Children and adults living with disabilities in our communities face lots of challenges, which have become even worse with the advent and continuation of the Anglophone crisis,” Sr Gloria Wirba Kenyuyfoon, Provincial Superior of the Tertiary Sisters of St Francis, said. “The caregivers of most of these children living with disabilities ﬁnd it very difﬁcult to provide them with medication and other devices to enable them to relate to their environment and hopefully reach their potential.“For a long time, the sisters have journeyed with these people living with disabilities and we are very happy that Missio Scotland is supporting us to be able to reach out to more of these deserving children and young people.”“Our aim is to bring life to people and to be a voice for the voiceless,” Sr Hedwig added. “We want to change the situation of the people we work with for the better and thanks to Missio Scotland we will be able to do that. So, thank you Missio Scotland and everyone who supports you, and thank you Fr Vincent Lockhart and Fr Bernard Fox. We are united in prayer. God bless you all.”To gain a greater insight into the vocation and mission of Sr Hedwig Vinyo, visit: https://www.missioscotland.com/blogSt Francis Home for Skills TrainingTuition, sanitation needs, feeding and material costs for one student per year inSewing department: £407Embroidery department: £407Welding department: £433Carpentery department: £433Medication costs needed to cover the entire centre for a year: £194 CameroonPopulation: 30 millionLanguages: French - 86% and English - 14%Religion: 66.3% Christianity; 30.6% Islam; 4.4% traditional faithsFor the past 7 years there has been a civil war centred on the English-speaking provinces in the west ofthe country. The United Nations estimates that more than 1.7 million people are in need of humanitarianassistance in the north-west and south-west regions. At least 628,000 people have been internallydisplaced by violence in the two regions, while more than 87,000 have ﬂed to Nigeria. The Diocese ofKumbo covers the northern part of the English-speaking region.Tuition, sanitation needs, feeding and materialcosts for one student per year inSewing department: £407Embroidery department: £407Welding department: £433Carpentery department: £433Medication costs needed to cover the entire centre for a year: £194The Anglophone CrisisSt Francis Home for Skills TrainingOne such place in which people are being loved andcared for is the St Francis Home for Formation and SkillsTraining in Njavnyuy. The centre primarily operated toprovide those who have ﬁnished primary school, from theages of 15 and upwards, with skills such as: agriculture,welding, carpentry, sewing and embroidery—as well asEnglish, French and Arithmetic lessons. However, since2016, the sisters have been taking in a number ofchildren too, providing them with a safe haven, havingbeen displaced from where they can attend thecommunity primary school—a school which has so farsurvived the conﬂict.“I’m not directly involved with the centre anymore, even though I helped to found it, but regardless I am so proud of the many success stories that have emanated from there. It is not always easy work, but when you see the difference that it has made, and is continuing to make to people’s lives, it is really rewarding. And in any case, challenging work actually helps me to grow, which in turn helps others to grow.”Missio Scotland is providing ﬁnancial assistance to Sr Hedwig and the Franciscan Sisters so that they can support these children but also the young people availing of the workshops at the centre, who will be provided with food, materials and medication.Another vulnerable group among children and youngpeople affected by the conﬂict are those who have adisability as it can often be challenging to supply themwith the required medicines, sensory and mobilitydevices. So, Sr Hedwig implored Missio Scotland to help143 disabled children in Bui Division, a request which thePope’s ofﬁcial charity for overseas mission dulyacquiesced to. As a result, the sisters will be able toprovide these children and young people withwheelchairs, crutches, hearing aids and epilepsymedication. This will not only strengthen inclusivity, butwill also help the sisters to restore their dignity.“Children and adults living with disabilities in our communities face lots of challenges, which have become even worse with the advent and continuation of the Anglophone crisis,” Sr Gloria Wirba Kenyuyfoon, Provincial Superior of the Tertiary Sisters of St Francis, said. “The caregivers of most of these children living with disabilities ﬁnd it very difﬁcult to provide them with medication and other devices to enable them to relate to their environment and hopefully reach their potential.“For a long time, the sisters have journeyed with these people living with disabilities and we are very happy that Missio Scotland is supporting us to be able to reach out to more of these deserving children and young people.”“Our aim is to bring life to people and to be a voice for the voiceless,” Sr Hedwig added. “We want to change the situation of the people we work with for the better and thanks to Missio Scotland we will be able to do that. So, thank you Missio Scotland and everyone who supports you, and thank you Fr Vincent Lockhart and Fr Bernard Fox. We are united in prayer. God bless you all.”To gain a greater insight into the vocation and missionof Sr Hedwig Vinyo, visit: https://www.missioscotland.com/blog

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A universal Church is a beautiful oneInterview with Mgr George Nkuo, Bishop of Kumbo, Cameroon by Gerard Gough“A Godly presence, being present with the power of Christ in difﬁcult times, in trying times, in sad times, but also in wonderful, joyful and peaceful times in people’s lives. That to me has been my priestly ministry.”!These are the words of Bishop George Nkuo, Bishop of Kumbo Diocese in Cameroon, a rural area of the country where the Catholic population numbers some 350,000. Bishop Nkuo struck up a friendship with Missio Scotland National Director, Fr Vincent Lockhart, during his time on mission in Fontem, thanks to their joint passion for education. That friendship—indicative of the universal Church in action—led to Missio Scotland being able to support the construction of a new Church in the outstation of Ngeptang, which will enhance that Godly presence in people’s lives, especially in the midst of violent conﬂict.!“The conﬂict is not something that will be over in one or two years,” Bishop Nkuo said. “A lot of people have been displaced because of it and it’s had a terrible impact on the life of the people. It’s painful to see how people have suffered. The only comforting thing is that the Church where I am, has been able to stand beside the people, be close to them and be with them. People who could have helped them have run away, but in all my parishes, the priests are still there.”!Those priests serving a beleaguered and displaced people, will no doubt be emboldened by the fact that their brothers and sisters in faith here in Scotland have responded to Bishop Nkuo’s call with love and care, which will empower them to take care of God’s people in their native land.!“Missio Scotland is helping to facilitate the spread of the Gospel and support us in our mission, and that is a great source of encouragement to us,” Bishop Nkuo said. “Our Church is one of evangelisation and people want to build a House of God to come and worship in, but they need support in doing so. The people in Ngetpang were perhaps over-ambitious in building a Church that they needed help to ﬁnish, but it’s great to know that Missio Scotland is providing that assistance because the Church is the backbone to the survival of people in the area.!“My greatest joy in being a bishop is being able to go out to the various parishes and meet with the people, listen to them, attend to them and take care of them. It’s really wonderful, because when you do it the response is fantastic, especially when you go to places like Ngetpang, where people might expect you not to come. There’s been many times I’ve travelled by bike or trekked and it’s so edifying and uplifting to see the response when you get there. I’m sure that will be the case again the next time I’m in Ngetpang.”!In speaking to Missio Scotland, Bishop Nkuo was keen to point out that something we should always be conscious of is the universality of our Church. He, himself was supported in his studies by an Italian family. However, we shouldn’t look at support as a mere one-way street, but rather something that is always reciprocated. In one part of the world the Church may be richer in terms of material resources, in another it may be richer in spiritual resources and vice versa and one area in which the Church in Cameroon is strong, is vocations.!“We have to realise that the Church is universal and on mission, and being on mission means we support one another,” Bishop Nkuo said. “The Church in Kumbo is supporting churches around the world with the priests that we have, but it’s a poor Church and we do not have much. If you are generous with the ﬁnancial resources that you have, which helps to form and sustain our priests, we will always be generous with the human resources that we have. You can help build us a Church and we can help you out with priests, so it’s reciprocal.!!“I have 160 seminarians for example. I cannot pay for all of them, so I need help. And they are good quality material for the priesthood, they will not only serve here, they will also reach out. Just as the Church in Scotland reaches out to support us from their own resources, we will reach out with what we have to make the Church one and a universal Church is a beautiful Church, that’s how I see it.”!To gain a greater insight into the life and service of Bishop George Nkuo, including his passion for education, visit: https://www.missioscotland.com/blog!“Mission is about spreading the Good News, and we are messengers of God in that sense, proclaiming it via our lives, living it, sharing it, being present with people and reassuring them that there is hope in the midst of even terrible dark times that we may face. We are there to give the people hope, that is our mission.” Bishop George Nkuo of the Diocese of Kumbo A universal Churchis abeautiful oneInterview with Mgr George Nkuo,Bishop of Kumbo, Cameroon by Gerard Gough“A Godly presence, being present with the power ofChrist in difﬁcult times, in trying times, in sad times, butalso in wonderful, joyful and peaceful times in people’slives. That to me has been my priestly ministry.”These are the words of Bishop George Nkuo, Bishop of Kumbo Diocese in Cameroon, a rural area of the country where the Catholic population numbers some 350,000. Bishop Nkuo struck up a friendship with Missio Scotland National Director, Fr Vincent Lockhart, during his time on mission in Fontem, thanks to their joint passion for education. That friendship—indicative of the universal Church in action—led to Missio Scotland being able to support the construction of a new Church in the outstation of Ngeptang, which will enhance that Godly presence in people’s lives, especially in the midst of violent conﬂict.“The conﬂict is not something that will be over in one or two years,” Bishop Nkuo said. “A lot of people have been displaced because of it and it’s had a terrible impact on the life of the people. It’s painful to see how people have suffered. The only comforting thing is that the Church where I am, has been able to stand beside the people, be close to them and be with them. People who could have helped them have run away, but in all my parishes, the priests are still there.”Those priests serving a beleaguered and displaced people, will no doubt be emboldened by the fact that their brothers and sisters in faith here in Scotland have responded to Bishop Nkuo’s call with love and care, which will empower them to take care of God’s people in their native land.“Missio Scotland is helping to facilitate the spread of the Gospel and support us in our mission, and that is a great source of encouragement to us,” Bishop Nkuo said. “Our Church is one of evangelisation and people want to build a House of God to come and worship in, but they need support in doing so. The people in Ngetpang were perhaps over-ambitious in building a Church that they needed help to ﬁnish, but it’s great to know that Missio Scotland is providing that assistance because the Church is the backbone to the survival of people in the area.“My greatest joy in being a bishop is being able to go outto the various parishes and meet with the people, listento them, attend to them and take care of them. It’s reallywonderful, because when you do it the response isfantastic, especially when you go to places likeNgetpang, where people might expect you not to come.There’s been many times I’ve travelled by bike or trekkedand it’s so edifying and uplifting to see the responsewhen you get there. I’m sure that will be the case againthe next time I’m in Ngetpang.”In speaking to Missio Scotland, Bishop Nkuo was keen to point out that something we should always be conscious of is the universality of our Church. He, himself was supported in his studies by an Italian family. However, we shouldn’t look at support as a mere one-way street, but rather something that is always reciprocated. In one part of the world the Church may be richer in terms of material resources, in another it may be richer in spiritual resources and vice versa and one area in which the Church in Cameroon is strong, is vocations.“We have to realise that the Church is universal and on mission, and being on mission means we support one another,” Bishop Nkuo said. “The Church in Kumbo is supporting churches around the world with the priests that we have, but it’s a poor Church and we do not have much. If you are generous with the ﬁnancial resources that you have, which helps to form and sustain our priests, we will always be generous with the human resources that we have. You can help build us a Church and we can help you out with priests, so it’s reciprocal.“I have 160 seminarians for example. I cannot pay for all of them, so I need help. And they are good quality material for the priesthood, they will not only serve here, they will also reach out. Just as the Church in Scotland reaches out to support us from their own resources, we will reach out with what we have to make the Church one and a universal Church is a beautiful Church, that’s how I see it.”To gain a greater insight into the life and service of BishopGeorge Nkuo, including his passion for education, visit: https://www.missioscotland.com/blog“Mission is about spreading the Good News, and we are messengers of God in that sense,proclaiming it via our lives, living it, sharing it, being present with people and reassuring them thatthere is hope in the midst of even terrible dark times that we may face. We are there to give thepeople hope, that is our mission.” Bishop George Nkuo of the Diocese of Kumbo

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Ethiopia£10,000India£28,000Help for children: feeding, clothing and building schools.£42,000Assistance to Parish communitiesGhana£154,000Sri Lanka£81,000Including £20,000 for victims of the Easter bombings.Sierra Leone£10,000UgandaMajor SeminaryThrough your prayers and recent donations you have shown solidarity with our Catholic brothers and sisters in:Mass Intentions: £65,000You have helped priests and their communities in Zambia, Malawi, Uganda, Cameroon, Lesotho and Pakistan through Mass intentions given directly to Missio Scotland or by priests in Scotland who wish to share with their brothers.Missio forwards these Mass intentions to priests in poorer countries.Zambia£137,000Zimbabwe£85,000Kenya£72,000Thailand£19,000Children:Feeding, clothing and education.Tanzania£100,000Children and parishesthrough funding dioceses and parishes, through funding religious congregations, both missionary and local. The money sent feeds children, builds schools and churches, community centres, parish houses and convents, digs bore holes for water, educates seminarians, helps catechists and their families. For parish projects the local communities contribute 15-20% and you Bangladesh£18,000Children:Feeding, clothing and education.People often ask what is the difference between Missio and SCIAF?Missio (The Pontiﬁcal Mission Societies) is the means by which the Church in Scotland shows solidarity with the Church in poor countries.SCIAF (The Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund) is the means by which the Church in Scotland shows solidarity with the poor of the world.Nigeria£17,000ChildrenBotswana£82,000D.R. Congo£54,710Major SeminariesOUR CHURCH IN NUMBERS7.8bnpeople in the world1.3bnpeople are baptised Catholic410,449lay missionaries68,158,684children and young people being educated in Catholic schools and colleges2,877,652catechists working with children, young people,and adults to explore their faith608,958Religious sisters407,872Priests15,276homes for people who are elderly, chronically ill or disabled5,405hospitals14,205dispensariesand clinics9,703care homesfor childrenOn an annual basis, the Vatican releases statistics on our Catholic Church throughout the world.The Church works in over 1,000 missionary dioceses, thanks to your prayerful support and generosity.Source: FIDESStatistics for 2023Fr Ghislain Mulumanzi is the parish priest of St Monica’s in Coatbridge. “Fr G” - as he is known - is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and he approached Missio Scotland to help with funding for the building of a church in his home village of Makwele Ikololo. Here he is with some of the St Monica’s weekday Mass goers.This is exactly what Missio Scotland is all about - the Church in DRC helping us with their daily prayers and sending us a priest and the Church in Scotland sending prayers and ﬁnancial help to the our brothers and sisters in Africa.From Congo to Coatbridge and from Coatbridge to CongoThe Catholic Women’s Association is the largest lay organisation in the Church in Cameroon. The motto of the CWA is:“To serve and not to be served”The CWA was formed in 1964 in the anglophone province of Cameroon by Mgr Julius Peeters, Mill Hill Missionary, Bishop of Buea Diocese.The objectives of the Association include helping members achieve spiritual renewal, putting evangelisation into action by building the domestic church, meeting the needs of those who are suffering in their communities and modeling the lifestyle of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are currently very involved in helping families affected by the civil war - those who have been displaced and those who have experienced the loss of loved ones.With your help Missio Scotland will send funds to the CWA so that they can assist families affected by the war in their local parishes. OUR CHURCH IN NUMBERSOn an annual basis, the Vatican releases statistics on our Catholic Church throughout the world.The Church works in over 1,000 missionary dioceses, thanks to your prayerful support and generosity.7.8bnpeople in the world1.3bn410,449lay missionaries2,877,65268,158,68415,276608,958Religious sisters407,872Priests5,405hospitals14,205dispensariesand clinics9,703care homesfor childrenpeople are baptised Catholiccatechists working withchildren, young people,and adults to explore their faithchildren and young peoplebeing educated in Catholic schools and collegeshomes for people whoare elderly, chronically ill or disabledFr Ghislain Mulumanzi is the parish priest ofSt Monica’s in Coatbridge. “Fr G” - as he isknown - is originally from the DemocraticRepublic of Congo (DRC) and he approachedMissio Scotland to help with funding for thebuilding of a church in his home village ofMakwele Ikololo. Here he is with some of theSt Monica’s weekday Mass goers.This is exactly what Missio Scotland is all about- the Church in DRC helping us with their dailyprayers and sending us a priest and the Churchin Scotland sending prayers and ﬁnancial helpto the our brothers and sisters in Africa.is the largest lay organisation in the Church inCameroon. The motto of the CWA is:“To serve and not to be served”The CWA was formed in 1964 in the anglophoneprovince of Cameroon by Mgr Julius Peeters, MillHill Missionary, Bishop of Buea Diocese.The objectives of the Association include helping members achieve spiritual renewal, putting evangelisation into action by building the domestic church, meeting the needs of those who are suffering in their communities and modeling the lifestyle of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are currently very involved in helping families affected by the civil war - those who have been displaced and those who have experienced the loss of loved ones.With your help Missio Scotland will send funds to the CWA so that they can assist families affected by the war in their local parishes.Source: FIDESStatistics for 2023From Congo to Coatbridge and from Coatbridge to CongoThe Catholic Women’sAssociation

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“Mission—from a Catholic point of view—is that we're going out to preach the Kingdom of God, not so much verbally preaching, but showing by the way we live what it's like to be a Christian in the hope that people become interested and want to be part of it. And so, it's kind of a calling that you have to put into practice.” Fr Mike Freyne - Mill Hill MissionaryOUR missionary priests and religious sisters often provide an inspiration to the people and the communities that they serve throughout the world. However, there are often times too when the roles are reversed and the missionaries are inspired by their new parishioners. This was the case for Fr Bernard Fox, a Mill Hill Missionary who currently resides at their house in Glasgow, but who spent nearly three decades on mission in Cameroon.One such inspirational story, Fr Bernard recalled, concerned a feisty lady from Bandam village called Agat (Agatha). She had been Baptised by German missionaries during the First World War and became friendly with him. One day she asked him to buy some aluminium sheets the next time he was in Bafoussam so that she could replace the rafﬁa palm on the roof of her house and have something that was more secure and could catch the rainwater. The local chief and some of the villagers, however, implored him not to go ahead with the purchase as departing from the tradition of rafﬁa palm roofs would upset the ancestors.“I was visited by the chief and his entourage,” Fr Bernard said. “He thanked me for coming and he said I'm a Muslim, you're a Catholic, but you're very welcome here and they gave me a little lamb as a present. I thought there is the something afoot here. He then said, and this is the reason for his visit: ‘Oh, and by the way, that lady who came to see you today, Agat, have nothing to do with her. She's bad news. She's always bringing new ideas into this village. We don't want to hear about them. So that aluminium father, if I were you, I'd just give her the money back.“And I said: ‘Monsieur Le Chef why?’ He replied: ‘Because the ancestors will get very angry if we depart from what they always did and that was covering their houses with rafﬁa palm.’ I couldn't believe it, but I was a young priest. Even some of the Catholics came to me and said: ‘Maybe just wait a while father and we'll see.’”“Agat heard about this, Fr Bernard continued. “She turned up at night—generally people didn't travel at night—even though it was only a 10-minute walk and she said: ‘Are you afraid? Jesus said that we shouldn't be afraid. Father, do you remember in the boat when they were going down and everyone and Peter were all shouting and screaming and saying we're going down and what are we going to do?’ She said: ‘Why were you so afraid? Where is your faith?’ Are you afraid of the chief? Are you afraid of the ancestors?’ This was me being evangelised by this strong-willed woman who was probably about 70 at the time!”So, Fr Bernard eventually bought the aluminium sheets, which were erected by people from another village due to his own villagers’ superstitions. However, when he came to celebrate Mass on the following Sunday, his usual 1000-strong congregation had dwindled down to about 20 people, including Agat and her daughters. Despite his fear that he had ‘lost a parish,’ Agat told him to come to her house on the Tuesday night and celebrate a Thanksgiving Mass there.“I turned up at her house, which was on the other side of the river and to my great surprise, there was about 200 people assembled outside,” he explained. “We celebrated Mass from the veranda and by the end of the Mass, there was about 400 people congregated. What I didn't know was that during the night, Agat had sent her daughters out to the four corners of the village and she said to the people: ‘If you come to Mass in the morning, there will be free meat and free beer, and somehow 200 people braved their fear of the ancestors and we had a lovely Mass. The ancestors had nothing to say and that was it.“It was a real watershed moment in the village. It was like a spell being broken and what happened was in the months and years that followed was that one family after another decided to follow Agat and use their money to buy aluminium sheets, which was brilliant news for the village girls, who for at least seven months of the year, no longer had to trudge off every morning at 5am to carry water. They were liberated a little from that fear.”Learning faith lessonsin Cameroonby Gerard Gough “Mission—from a Catholic point of view—is that we're going out to preach the Kingdom of God, not somuch verbally preaching, but showing by the way we live what it's like to be a Christian in the hopethat people become interested and want to be part of it. And so, it's kind of a calling that you have toput into practice.” Fr Mike Freyne - Mill Hill MissionaryOUR missionary priests and religious sisters oftenprovide an inspiration to the people and the communitiesthat they serve throughout the world. However, there areoften times too when the roles are reversed and themissionaries are inspired by their new parishioners. Thiswas the case for Fr Bernard Fox, a Mill Hill Missionarywho currently resides at their house in Glasgow, but whospent nearly three decades on mission in Cameroon.One such inspirational story, Fr Bernard recalled, concerned a feisty lady from Bandam village called Agat (Agatha). She had been Baptised by German missionaries during the First World War and became friendly with him. One day she asked him to buy some aluminium sheets the next time he was in Bafoussam so that she could replace the rafﬁa palm on the roof of her house and have something that was more secure and could catch the rainwater. The local chief and some of the villagers, however, implored him not to go ahead with the purchase as departing from the tradition of rafﬁa palm roofs would upset the ancestors.“I was visited by the chief and his entourage,” Fr Bernard said. “He thanked me for coming and he said I'm a Muslim, you're a Catholic, but you're very welcome here and they gave me a little lamb as a present. I thought there is the something afoot here. He then said, and this is the reason for his visit: ‘Oh, and by the way, that lady who came to see you today, Agat, have nothing to do with her. She's bad news. She's always bringing new ideas into this village. We don't want to hear about them. So that aluminium father, if I were you, I'd just give her the money back.“And I said: ‘Monsieur Le Chef why?’ He replied: ‘Because the ancestors will get very angry if we depart from what they always did and that was covering their houses with rafﬁa palm.’ I couldn't believe it, but I was a young priest. Even some of the Catholics came to me and said: ‘Maybe just wait a while father and we'll see.’”“Agat heard about this, Fr Bernard continued. “She turned up at night—generally people didn't travel at night—even though it was only a 10-minute walk and shesaid: ‘Are you afraid? Jesus said that we shouldn't beafraid. Father, do you remember in the boat when theywere going down and everyone and Peter were allshouting and screaming and saying we're going downand what are we going to do?’ She said: ‘Why were youso afraid? Where is your faith?’ Are you afraid of thechief? Are you afraid of the ancestors?’ This was mebeing evangelised by this strong-willed woman who wasprobably about 70 at the time!”So, Fr Bernard eventually bought the aluminium sheets, which were erected by people from another village due to his own villagers’ superstitions. However, when he came to celebrate Mass on the following Sunday, his usual 1000-strong congregation had dwindled down to about 20 people, including Agat and her daughters. Despite his fear that he had ‘lost a parish,’ Agat told him to come to her house on the Tuesday night and celebrate a Thanksgiving Mass there.“I turned up at her house, which was on the other side of the river and to my great surprise, there was about 200 people assembled outside,” he explained. “We celebrated Mass from the veranda and by the end of the Mass, there was about 400 people congregated. What I didn't know was that during the night, Agat had sent her daughters out to the four corners of the village and she said to the people: ‘If you come to Mass in the morning, there will be free meat and free beer, and somehow 200 people braved their fear of the ancestors and we had a lovely Mass. The ancestors had nothing to say and that was it.“It was a real watershed moment in the village. It was like a spell being broken and what happened was in the months and years that followed was that one family after another decided to follow Agat and use their money to buy aluminium sheets, which was brilliant news for the village girls, who for at least seven months of the year, no longer had to trudge off every morning at 5am to carry water. They were liberated a little from that fear.”Learningfaith lessonsin Cameroonby Gerard Gough

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Missio PodcastsEvery missionary has stories to tell and some of them are truly amazing.Missio Scotland has been getting a variety of people who have been involved in mission to speak about their life and their work both here and in countries all over the world.Listen and subscribe to our podcasts by going to www.youtube.com/@missioscotlandor by searchingMissio ScotlandOther available podcast interviews:Fr John Doran MHM, The Late Terry Donnelly CSSp, Fr Vincent Lockhart, Fr Michael Kelly SPS, Sr Mary Thomas Johnston CMS, Fr Pat Hennessy, Fr Martin Chambers, Fr John McFadden CSSP, Fr Gabriel Onoyima CSSp, Sr Placida McCann FIC, Bishop John Keenan, Fr Eugenio Montesi SX, Beatrice Gardner, Ian Dunn and Fr Pat McCallion SPS.Fr Mike Freyne MHMDespite being a fantastic photographer, it is mission that has been the main focus of Fr Mike’s life having spent three decades on mission in Brazil where he often had to stand up for the indigenous peoples and even once escaped an armed robbery at his home there.Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews and EdinburghThe young boy from Lanarkshire done good as they say! The Lord works in mysterious ways and an early trip to Rome would see him develop a life-long association with the Vatican as he was later appointed to the Diplomatic Service in various parts of the world, working under the late Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis before being asked to become an archbishop back home in Scotland.Barbara Coupar, SCES DirectorAs Catholics, we are rightly proud of our schools throughout the country and perhaps nobody more so than Director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service, Barbara Coupar, who speaks of the importance of the role of SCES and its role in providing a voice for Catholic education in Scotland and our schools' role in evangelising and the mission of the Church.Fr Bernard Fox MHMMill Hill Missionary, Fr Bernard Fox’s life journey took him from Donegal to Duntocher, and eventually to many years spent in Cameroon, where he had to contend with people's superstitions, become a midwife—albeit reluctantly—and get to know both sides of the term 'divine!'Sister Roberta TremarelliMany Scottish Catholics have fond memories of supporting the Holy Childhood (Missionary Children) Society. Sr Roberta Tremarelli, the former General Secretary of the Society, talks about her vocation, the faithful inﬂuence of her mother, her time spent as a teacher and her love of working with and for children all over the world.Sancta Familia MediaJohn Patrick Mallon and Brian Anthony Timmons from Sancta Familia Media speak about their early forays into ﬁlm-making, learning on the job, setting up their hugely successful Catholic media company, and how digital communications has become their mission! Missio PodcastsEvery missionary has stories to tell and some of them are truly amazing.Missio Scotland has been getting a variety of people who have been involved in mission to speak about their life and their work both here and in countries all over the world.Listen and subscribe to our podcasts by going to www.youtube.com/@missioscotlandor by searchingMissio ScotlandSancta Familia MediaJohn Patrick Mallon and Brian Anthony Timmons from Sancta Familia Mediaspeak about their early forays into ﬁlm-making, learning on the job, setting uptheir hugely successful Catholic media company, and how digitalcommunications has become their mission!Fr Mike Freyne MHMDespite being a fantastic photographer, it is mission that has been the main focus of Fr Mike’s life having spent three decades on mission in Brazil where he often had to stand up for the indigenous peoples and even once escaped an armed robbery at his home there.Other available podcast interviews:Fr John Doran MHM, The Late Terry Donnelly CSSp, Fr Vincent Lockhart, Fr Michael Kelly SPS,Sr Mary Thomas Johnston CMS, Fr Pat Hennessy, Fr Martin Chambers, Fr John McFadden CSSP,Fr Gabriel Onoyima CSSp, Sr Placida McCann FIC, Bishop John Keenan, Fr Eugenio Montesi SX, Beatrice Gardner, Ian Dunn and Fr Pat McCallion SPS.Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews and EdinburghThe young boy from Lanarkshire done good as they say! The Lord works inmysterious ways and an early trip to Rome would see him develop a life-longassociation with the Vatican as he was later appointed to the Diplomatic Servicein various parts of the world, working under the late Pope Benedict XVI and PopeFrancis before being asked to become an archbishop back home in Scotland.Barbara Coupar, SCES DirectorAs Catholics, we are rightly proud of our schools throughout the country and perhaps nobody more so than Director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service, Barbara Coupar, who speaks of the importance of the role of SCES and its role in providing a voice for Catholic education in Scotland and our schools' role in evangelising and the mission of the Church.Fr Bernard Fox MHMMill Hill Missionary, Fr Bernard Fox’s life journey took him from Donegal to Duntocher, and eventually to many years spent in Cameroon, where he had to contend with people's superstitions, become a midwife—albeit reluctantly—and get to know both sides of the term 'divine!'Sister Roberta TremarelliMany Scottish Catholics have fond memories of supporting the Holy Childhood (Missionary Children) Society. Sr Roberta Tremarelli, the former General Secretary of the Society, talks about her vocation, the faithful inﬂuence of her mother, her time spent as a teacher and her love of working with and for children all over the world.

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MATTHEW O’Neill is a seminarian for Motherwell Diocese at the Pontiﬁcal Scots College in Rome who, despite having a real talent for ﬁlmmaking, decided instead to make faith his life’s main focus.At Missio Scotland, we are privy to a lot of fantastic faithful examples of God’s love in action in the universal Church throughout the world, but one of Matthew’s strongest models regarding his own faith mission came via his grandfather.“My granda played a big part in my vocation before he died,” Matthew said. “He was a big inspiration for living the Catholic life in a real, practical way, with a focus on other people rather than himself and spreading the Gospel through both word and action, no matter the personal cost.“He was a man who understood that to be a man is to live your life for others—to be self-sacriﬁcial. He was always happy to drop whatever he was doing to come to others in need, give advice, help at his local parish, soup kitchen and many other places. He was a beloved head of chemistry in Holy Cross High School for many years where he inﬂuenced many people over the years by his good example, kindness and investment, and he made sure to ‘pay it forward’ in everything that he did. He gave himself, his time and everything he had freely. He one of my biggest inﬂuences.”Our own National Director, Fr Vincent Lockhart, is another person that Matthew has cited as being pivotal in his faith journey.“I was also given my vision of priesthood from Missio Scotland’s own Fr Vincent Lockhart, whose Masses I often used to attend when he was parish priest at St Monica’s, Coatbridge,” he said. “His calm, peaceful and spiritual introspective nature, combined with his outgoing, good-humoured, friendly manner made a big impression on me at the time and stayed with me. He was the ﬁrst person that came to mind when it came time to look for a spiritual director.”Many aspects of the faith are important to Matthew and tie in neatly with with the mission of the Church, such as compassion and reaching out, which he witnessed from an early age while volunteering with the Passionist Youth Team at St Mungo’s in Glasgow. This, no doubt coupled with having Fr Lockhart—who spent many years living and serving the Church in Cameroon—as a spiritual director, has given him a greater understanding of mission and a desire of perhaps one day, experiencing the Church throughout the world.“I would really like to experience the Church outside of Europe, perhaps somewhere in Africa, Asia or South America,” Matthew said. “These are all areas where the Faith is now Matthew’s Focusby Gerard GoughChurch is rapidly growing and it would be wonderful to experience the freshness and zeal of the people’s faith, lived out in a way that is both Catholic and yet their own, for myself.“Mission is a gift and an honour that God gives us. It is His own personal invitation to us to take part in His Work, the building up of the Kingdom of God; to be the answer to the prayers of the tired and hungry; to leave behind our own designs and being able to do so because we know and trust that God’s designs are much more wonderful and fruitful than we could ever dream.“Christ said it best: ‘Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation.’ By word and by deed, every single Catholic has been called to be a missionary. All of us should renew our zeal and commitment each morning by saying: ‘Today, God, please use me to build up your Kingdom on Earth.’ And one way we can do that is by supporting the work of Missio Scotland, because its work in bringing the Word of God to the places that are disadvantaged in one way or another is something that I feel is profoundly important. It’s a part of what the Church has been doing from the very beginning—taking Jesus out into the world to let Him transform the lives of people. The Word of God became ﬂesh and dwelt amongst us when Christ was born, and today the Word becomes ﬂesh for people in 157 countries thanks to the men and women who have fully embraced their vocations. Any help we can give to continue this great work is, in itself, God’s work.”To read the feature on Matthew in full, visit: https://www.missioscotland.com/post/faith-is-now-matthew-s-focus MATTHEW O’Neill is a seminarian for Motherwell Diocese atthe Pontiﬁcal Scots College in Rome who, despite having areal talent for ﬁlmmaking, decided instead to make faith hislife’s main focus.At Missio Scotland, we are privy to a lot of fantastic faithful examples of God’s love in action in the universal Church throughout the world, but one of Matthew’s strongest models regarding his own faith mission came via his grandfather.“My granda played a big part in my vocation before he died,” Matthew said. “He was a big inspiration for living the Catholic life in a real, practical way, with a focus on other people rather than himself and spreading the Gospel through both word and action, no matter the personal cost.“He was a man who understood that to be a man is to live your life for others—to be self-sacriﬁcial. He was always happy to drop whatever he was doing to come to others in need, give advice, help at his local parish, soup kitchen and many other places. He was a beloved head of chemistry in Holy Cross High School for many years where he inﬂuenced many people over the years by his good example, kindness and investment, and he made sure to ‘pay it forward’ in everything that he did. He gave himself, his time and everything he had freely. He one of my biggest inﬂuences.”Our own National Director, Fr Vincent Lockhart, is another person that Matthew has cited as being pivotal in his faith journey.“I was also given my vision of priesthood from Missio Scotland’s own Fr Vincent Lockhart, whose Masses I often used to attend when he was parish priest at St Monica’s, Coatbridge,” he said. “His calm, peaceful and spiritual introspective nature, combined with his outgoing, good-humoured, friendly manner made a big impression on me at the time and stayed with me. He was the ﬁrst person that came to mind when it came time to look for a spiritual director.”Many aspects of the faith are important to Matthew and tie in neatly with with the mission of the Church, such as compassion and reaching out, which he witnessed from an early age while volunteering with the Passionist Youth Team at St Mungo’s in Glasgow. This, no doubt coupled with having Fr Lockhart—who spent many years living and serving the Church in Cameroon—as a spiritual director, has given him a greater understanding of mission and a desire of perhaps one day, experiencing the Church throughout the world.“I would really like to experience the Church outside of Europe, perhaps somewhere in Africa, Asia or South America,” Matthew said. “These are all areas where the Church is rapidly growing and it would be wonderful toexperience the freshness and zeal of the people’s faith,lived out in a way that is both Catholic and yet their own,for myself.“Mission is a gift and an honour that God gives us. It is His own personal invitation to us to take part in His Work, the building up of the Kingdom of God; to be the answer to the prayers of the tired and hungry; to leave behind our own designs and being able to do so because we know and trust that God’s designs are much more wonderful and fruitful than we could ever dream.“Christ said it best: ‘Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation.’ By word and by deed, every single Catholic has been called to be a missionary. All of us should renew our zeal and commitment each morning by saying: ‘Today, God, please use me to build up your Kingdom on Earth.’ And one way we can do that is by supporting the work of Missio Scotland, because its work in bringing the Word of God to the places that are disadvantaged in one way or another is something that I feel is profoundly important. It’s a part of what the Church has been doing from the very beginning—taking Jesus out into the world to let Him transform the lives of people. The Word of God became ﬂesh and dwelt amongst us when Christ was born, and today the Word becomes ﬂesh for people in 157 countries thanks to the men and women who have fully embraced their vocations. Any help we can give to continue this great work is, in itself, God’s work.”To read the feature on Matthew in full, visit: https://www.missioscotland.com/post/faith-is-now-matthew-s-focusFaith is nowMatthew’s Focusby Gerard Gough

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Missionary ChildrenThe Pontiﬁcal Society of the Holy ChildhoodChildren helping ChildrenMissionary Children is the Pope’s ofﬁcial charity for Catholic children. It started in 1843 (181 years ago) as a way that children in the Church could show solidarity with one another. It still continues to this day in our Catholic schools in Scotland.The Pope asks children to do two things:1. To pray everyday for other children throughout the world.2. To give a little money every week to help other children less fortunate than themselves.The prayers circulate and the money raised is shared with those who are in need. This builds schools, provides meals, clothes, school equipment like pencils, pens, jotters, etc. No matter how rich or poor your are, you are asked to give something. The prayers and sharing creates unity among all the children.ScotlandCillian and Aoifefrom Corpus Christi Parish, CalderbankThe twins gave £100 each from the money they received as gifts for their First Holy Communion. This shows not only tremendous generosity but an awareness that while they were having a great time celebrating, they know there are other children in the world less fortunate than themselves with whom they can share their joy.CameroonThe Holy Childhood (known in Scotland as Missionary Children)is present in all the countries in the world where the Catholic Church is present. It is particularly vibrant in Africa and Asia..In Cameroon the children who attend the many primary schools run by the Catholic Church pray each day for other children in the world and raise funds for children poorer than themselves.Children come together regularly in their parish to have a Mass and celebrations.“Jesus gave the disciples a mission, go and make disciples of all nations. He didn’t give them a Church. The mission has a Church, the mission has schools, the mission has healthcare, the mission has adoption societies, the mission has international outreach and all the work that Missio Scotland does.” Barbara Coupar, Scottish Catholic Education Service Missionary ChildrenThe Pontiﬁcal Society of the Holy ChildhoodChildren helping ChildrenCillian and Aoifefrom Corpus Christi Parish, CalderbankThe twins gave £100 each from the money theyreceived as gifts for their First Holy Communion. This shows not only tremendous generosity butan awareness that while they were having agreat time celebrating, they know there are otherchildren in the world less fortunate thanthemselves with whom they can share their joy.Missionary Children is the Pope’s ofﬁcial charity forCatholic children. It started in 1843 (181 years ago) asa way that children in the Church could show solidaritywith one another. It still continues to this day in ourCatholic schools in Scotland.The Pope asks children to do two things:1. To pray everyday for other children throughout the world.2. To give a little money every week to help other children less fortunate than themselves.The prayers circulate and the money raised is shared with those who are in need. This builds schools, provides meals, clothes, school equipment like pencils, pens, jotters, etc. No matter how rich or poor your are, you are asked to give something. The prayers and sharing creates unity among all the children.The Holy Childhood (known in Scotland as Missionary Children)is present in all the countries in the worldwhere the Catholic Church is present. It is particularly vibrant in Africa and Asia..In Cameroon the children who attend the manyprimary schools run by the Catholic Church prayeach day for other children in the world and raise funds for children poorer than themselves.Children come together regularly in their parish to have a Mass and celebrations.ScotlandCameroon“Jesus gave the disciples a mission, go and make disciples of all nations. He didn’t give them a Church.The mission has a Church, the mission has schools, the mission has healthcare, the mission hasadoption societies, the mission has international outreach and all the work that Missio Scotland does.”Barbara Coupar, Scottish Catholic Education Service

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WITNESS ABOUT AFRICA……where 19,000 young men are preparing for the priesthood.WITNESS ABOUT ASIA……where six million children receive an education from Religious Sisters in more than 15,000 Church-run primary schools.Everyone at Missio Scotland would like to thank our schools for their support during the past year and we look forward to visiting you during the rest of the 2024-25 school year.!Missionary ChildrenMissionary SaintsThe Sacrament of Conﬁrmation is about being guided by the Holy Spirit to take part in the mission of the Church to spread the Good News.Missio Scotland has a set of resources for children preparing to receive Conﬁrmation: worksheets, a handbook, plays and materials about a number of missionary saints.May all childrenIn the worldShare loveShare friendshipIn the peaceOf God’s loveNow and forever.In Scotland, Missio Scotland is the Church’s designated charity for Catholic primary schools and pupils raise money via the Missionary Children Society that is essential in supporting the work of our missionaries in helping poor children.Over the past 125 years the funds and prayers of our Scottish children have fed and clothed children, built schools, provided materials and equipment and given medical care. Here are some of the resources which Missio Scotland provides for our schools.Country worksheetsare available on our website’s Schools’ page with information about countries and what the Church is doing for children there.The Mission RosaryThe Mission Rosary was created by the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen when he was the National Director for Missio USA.Each decade represents a diﬀerent continent and children can pray the Rosary, or a part of it, especially during May and October.Mile for MissionChildren raise funds for poorer children by walking a sponsored mile.www.missioscotland.com/schoolsMissionary Children’s Day First Friday of OctoberThe Bishops of Scotland have designated the first Friday of October to be a day when our children can celebrate their connection with children elsewhere in the world.Lent & AdventWorksheets for Advent and Lent are available on our website such as the Christmas Art Competition and Missio Stations of the Cross.the Hielan’ Coo,is Missio Scotland’s mascot.Schools are awarded a Missy Moo when they raise funds and say a lot of prayers. There are games, activities and prayers on the website.Missy MooMissio Scotland ChampionsSome of our schoolchildren work particularly hard to raise funds and spread the Good News about what the Church is doing to help others in the world. Everyone at Missio Scotland would like to thank our schools for their support during the past year and we look forward to visiting you during the rest of the 2024-25 school year.Missionary ChildrenIn Scotland, Missio Scotland is the Church’s designated charity for Catholicprimary schools and pupils raise money via the Missionary Children Societythat is essential in supporting the work of our missionaries in helping poorchildren.Over the past 125 years the funds and prayers of our Scottish children havefed and clothed children, built schools, provided materials and equipmentand given medical care. Here are some of the resources which MissioScotland provides for our schools.Missionary SaintsLent & AdventWorksheets for Advent and Lent areavailable on our website such as theChristmas Art Competition and MissioStations of the Cross.Missio ScotlandChampionsSome of our schoolchildren workparticularly hard to raise funds andspread the Good News about what theChurch is doing to help others in theworld.Mile for MissionChildren raise funds for poorerchildren by walking a sponsored mile.Country worksheetsare available on our website’s Schools’page with information about countriesand what the Church is doing forchildren there.Missy Moothe Hielan’ Coo, is Missio Scotland’smascot. Schools are awarded aMissy Moo when they raise fundsand say a lot of prayers. There aregames, activities and prayers on thewebsite.The Mission RosaryMissionary Children’s Day First Friday of OctoberThe Sacrament of Conﬁrmation isabout being guided by the HolySpirit to take part in the mission ofthe Church to spread the GoodNews.Missio Scotland has a set ofresources for children preparing toreceive Conﬁrmation: worksheets,a handbook, plays and materialsabout a number of missionarysaints.The Mission Rosary was created bythe Venerable Archbishop FultonSheen when he was the NationalDirector for Missio USA. Each decaderepresents a diﬀerent continent andchildren can pray the Rosary, or apart of it, especially during May andOctober.The Bishops of Scotland havedesignated the first Friday of October tobe a day when our children can celebratetheir connection with children elsewherein the world.MISSIONay all childrenn the worldhare lovehare friendshipn the peacef God’s loveow and forever.www.missioscotland.com/schools

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Part of the work of Missio is to raise people’s awareness of the global Church and to encourage prayer for the missions. Missio Scotland helps young people from Catholic secondary schools by organising journeys to see and experience the Church in other parts of the world.The Propagation of the FaithContinuing Jesus’ Mission to bring the Good News to the poorThe Propagation of the Faith helps each and every one of the Catholic Church’s 1100 mission dioceses to provide pastoral care and preach the Gospel eﬀectively; building churches, training catechists, enabling local parishes to support their communities, funding medical clinics run by religious and lay people and giving hope to young people through training and formation.Missionary ChildrenThe Church’s oﬃcial charity for childrenUnder its original name of the Holy Childhood, Missionary Children has been active in Catholic schools for over 100 years. The contributions of children in Scotland are building schools, providing food, medicine and care for some of the poorest children of the world.Ways you can help our Catholic brothers and sistersSociety of St. Peter the ApostleSupporting seminarians and novicesWith your help, mission dioceses throughout the world are able to fund the training of the priests, sisters and pastoral workers they so urgently need. You can sponsor the training of a future priest in St. Paul’s Seminary, Uganda by donating to the Society of St. Peter the Apostle. In Uganda it costs £550 a year to educate a young man studying to be a priest.Missionary UnionRaising awareness of the Church’s missionTo donate click the button at:www.missioscotland.comor Text MISSIOSCOT to 70085 to donate £3oruse your phone to scan the QR code on the rightMissio is the Pope’s charity through which he asks us to share with our Catholic brothers and sisters in countries where the Church is new, small or poor.Will and LegacyLeave a future to othersAll of us hope to leave the world a better place than when we came into it. When making your will, please consider leaving something to Missio Scotland so that you will continue to assist our brothers and sisters in poorer countries. For more information, you can visit our website or we can send you a booklet explaining how to do this.Donate with the QR code Society of St. Peter the ApostleSupporting seminarians and novicesthrough which he asks us to share with ourCatholic brothers and sisters in countrieswhere the Church is new, small or poor.Ways you can help our Catholic brothers and sistersThe Propagation of the FaithWith your help, mission dioceses throughout the world are able to fund the training of the priests, sisters and pastoral workers they so urgently need. You can sponsor the training of a future priest in St. Paul’s Seminary, Uganda by donating to the Society of St. Peter the Apostle. In Uganda it costs £550 a year to educate a young man studying to be a priest.Leave a future to othersAll of us hope to leave the world a better place than when we came into it. When making your will, please consider leaving something to Missio Scotland so that you will continue to assist our brothers and sisters in poorer countries. For more information, you can visit our website or we can send you a booklet explaining how to do this.Continuing Jesus’ Mission to bring the Good News to the poorThe Propagation of the Faith helps each and every one of the Catholic Church’s 1100 mission dioceses to provide pastoral care and preach the Gospel eﬀectively; building churches, training catechists, enabling local parishes to support their communities, funding medical clinics run by religious and lay people and giving hope to young people through training and formation.To click the button at:www.missioscotland.comor Text MISSIOSCOT to 70085 to donate £3oruse your phone to scan the QR code on the rightdonate Missio is the Pope’s charity Will and Legacy

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