Faith

Propagation of the Faith

Give the Gift of Hope to the Missions

Friday, December 1, 2023Faith

Advent is a season of preparation, a time to begin anew spiritually and ready a home for the Christ Child in our hearts. Our culture, however, pulls us in other directions and we find ourselves faced with the same yearly question as Christmas approaches: What are some new gift ideas for that "hard to please" person on our list?

At The Pontifical Mission Societies, we believe there is a better, more faith filled way to share happiness and celebrate the real meaning of Christmas -- you can give the Gift of Hope to those who live in mission countries in our loved ones' names.

You can do this by making an offering for our Christmas Spiritual Enrollment cards or Mass cards. Both are a great way to tell your friends, family, and the world that you love them and your Catholic faith.

For an offering of $5, our Spiritual Bouquet cards provide a yearlong membership in The Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Members receive the spiritual benefits of sharing the intentions of 15,000 Masses celebrated every year by mission priests as well as a daily Mass offered at the Vatican. By using our cards this Christmas, you help untold numbers of people in the missions in need of hope.

The contributions collected from our individual Mass Cards are sent to priests in the missions who depend on these donations for their daily sustenance; they receive no salary for their ministry. The suggested offering for a Mass Card is $10.

Our Spiritual Bouquet and Mass Cards benefit the intentions of the recipient, and your gift also makes it possible for the Good News of Jesus Christ to be shared in faraway places like Sri Lanka.

Children living in the mountainous tea plantations often have no chance at an education, so no chance to use their God-given intellectual talents. If their grandparents were tea-pickers, their parents are as well, and that is the life they are destined for ... unless the Pontifical Mission Societies sends a teacher and builds a one-room schoolhouse in their tiny village. Those who succeed there may earn scholarships to schools in nearby, larger villages. They have hope for more in life.

Your use of our Christmas Cards provides that and more, worldwide.

To order your Christmas Enrollment and Mass Cards and give the 'Gift of Hope' to the missions, go to our website, www.propfaithboston.org. Click on the "pop-up box" -- which will direct you to the order page. You can also call 617-542-1776 or email us at jheon@propfaithboston.org.

Help spread the gift of hope to the missions!

- Maureen Crowley Heil is Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies, Boston.