Jesus sends his disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God “so that all nations may become the People of God.” This, Pope Benedict writes in his Message for World Mission Sunday 2009, is the beginning of the Church’s mission “to spread hope ‘contagiously’ among all peoples.” The thrust of the Holy Father’s letter, entitled “The nations will walk in its light,” is the primacy of evangelization in the mission of the Church. The Kingdom of God, “although ultimately eschatological and not of this world, is also in this world and within its history a force for justice and peace, for true freedom and respect for the dignity of every human person.”  The Pope calls the Church a “seed of hope” continuing Christ’s mission in the world. And he invites all of us, young and old, to participate in this mission.

Spreading hope ‘contagiously’ is such a cheerful phrase! It contrasts startlingly with other things that are contagious right now—from the H1N1 virus, financial woes and job worries on the home front to breakdowns in relationships between nations, nuclear proliferation and ecological crises on the world scene.

Being seeds of hope, spreading hope contagiously—that is the kind of challenge we can put before the students in our religion and religious education classes. And the Mission Education Resources offered by the Columban Fathers are one good way to do it! Through our mission education programs, age appropriate, grade specific themes about mission and stories about missionaries can lead Catholic children to a deeper understanding of their own baptismal commitment to mission. In our Journey With Jesus School Program, launched in 2008,  lively, insightful videos, appealing music, teacher-friendly manuals, unique, colorful posters—all bring alive the mission of Jesus and how we can live out his call today. I encourage you to visit the Journey With Jesus section of our website to learn more about the program and watch the trailer(s). You can also order the program on the website.

The Journey With Jesus Parish Program, which has just become available as of September 2009, is drawn from the school program and contains one lesson per grade rather than the five that comprise the school program. And, although most of the DVDs contain music, a separate music CD is not part of the parish program. This program, too, can be ordered on the website under order programs .

In addition to Journey With Jesus, we offer a variety of materials, programs, prayer cards and posters for youth and adults, as well as vacation bible school, religious education and RCIA. These resources can also be explored and ordered on the website. All programs are available both on loan and for purchase.

With our Calendar of Events you can check to see if we will be exhibiting our materials at a convention or conference near you. If you have questions, want to order materials by phone, need help ordering materials through the website, or want more information about our Companions in Mission, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sr. Jeanne Janssen, CSJ

Mission Education Director