A Vatican official challenged the 6,000 participants in the Mexican bishops’ 15th National Missionary Youth Congress to be missionaries.
“Let us begin with a truth that changes everything: every baptized person is called to be a missionary,” said Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization. “This is not a special vocation reserved for priests, religious, or a few heroic individuals. It is the grace and responsibility of our Baptism. It is the very identity of every Christian.”
Archbishop Nwachukwu’s July 25 address to the gathering in San Luis Potosí had five sections: “The universal call to mission,” “The three essential qualities of a missionary,” “The mission of the Church and the role of the Dicastery for Evangelization,” “The example of Blessed Pauline Jaricot,” and “Mary, model of missionary youth.” The prelate concluded:
The sea of humanity is vast. The world needs missionaries. The Church needs you. And Christ calls you. Do not be afraid to put out into the deep. Do not be afraid to give your lives. Do not be afraid to trust in God.
That is why I ask you, from the depths of my heart: “Are you willing to sacrifice something of your own lives to bring the face of Christ to others?”