The diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry hosted the annual Missionary and Catechist Day at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Birmingham on Sept. 18. The day began with Mass celebrated by Bishop Raica who reminded those present to go out and share the Gospel to all, seeking out the peripheries. During the opening procession, participants from different Latin American countries carried their country's flag or image of their patron saint in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The day also marked the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children. Following the Mass, Bishop Raica led a decade of the rosary in memory of the over 60 million children killed by abortion.

The day continued with presentations by the Guadalupan Missionary Sisters of the Holy Spirit; Father Jonathan Howell, associate pastor at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church; and Sister Karen Muñiz, STJM, director of catechesis for the Archdiocese of Miami.

Catechists and missionary disciples from parishes throughout the diocese attended the event and expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to be accompanied by Bishop Raica, to receive formation, and to have fellowship with other Hispanic ministry leaders.

At the conclusion of the event, the Office of Hispanic Ministry expressed gratitude to Bishop Raica, the Office of Sacred Liturgy, the presenters, Father Joe Culotta, and Brenda Bullock for their support and collaboration.

The complete text of Bishop Raica’s homily follows below:

Dear sisters and brothers,

Today we celebrate el Día del misionero y catequista here at St. Francis Xavier Church. Thank you, Maria Jose and Krysthell, for preparing this day. Thanks Father Jonathan and Father Raul for your presence today and your encouragement. Thanks for our speakers today.

I welcome all of you today to this celebration. I am happy to see your enthusiasm to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ – ready for mission.

When Jesus started His public ministry, He invited those He met: “Come, follow me.” Many accepted His invitation. Some did not and walked away “enamored by the world.” Then, after the resurrection, just before He ascended to heaven, He proclaimed to His disciples: “Go … go into the whole world. Teach and baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” In other words – go out as missionaries. Go out as disciples. Go out. Do not be afraid – go out! Our life is not spent only in church but going out where the Good News needs to be preached. Pope Francis calls to the “peripheries” – to the physical, spiritual, and moral peripheries – where the message of Christ can be proclaimed. Jesus did not spend all his time in the temple praying. Of course, He prayed and prayed often. But He was also out proclaiming the Kingdom of God so that the deaf may hear, the blind may see, the poor have the Good News preached to them.

It is an amazing mission that you and I are part of. When I think about it, the disciples of Jesus did not have much formal training. There were no catechism classes. They had no degrees in theology from famous universities. They did not have certificates of qualification. They were given no manual or textbook to follow. The New Testament was not yet written. The only thing they had was a relationship with Jesus. They could say: “I knew this man, Jesus Christ. Here is what He said. We follow Him because He is alive and with us.” He said, “God loves you.” Like us, He wants you to follow Him. Because in following Jesus, you will become truly yourself. You will experience an incredible freedom that nothing else (fame, fortune, success) can give you.

Above all, like those early disciples, I want you to know that you are loved. In Jesus, we know about God’s love. It is so incredible because God gave us His Son Jesus to show us how to care for and to live with each other.

Now, our readings today give us a good example for us to consider. In St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, he reminds Timothy and us to keep God’s Word enshrined in the commandments so that we will be prepared to see God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, “at the proper time.” We will behold God!

The Gospel reminds us of the famous parable of “the sower and the seed.” Some seed fell on rocky ground. Some fell on the path. Some fell among thorns. And some fell on good soil where “it produced fruit a hundredfold.” The point is, every Sunday, every day – even today –  the Word of God falls on us. Are we the path, the rocky ground, the thorns, or the good soil? Are our hearts ready to receive the Word so that it can grow and produce fruit in us.

The Gospel concludes with the beautiful words: “Embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.” Missionaries must be truly convinced of what they believe, especially their relationship with Jesus. Missionaries must be zealous to witness the presence of Jesus in their lives. Missionaries must also be patient as the seed of faith grows in others. We cannot force it. Everyone must come to Christ in freedom.

Maybe we think: “I’m not ready. I’m too young. I’m not intelligent.” Announcing the Gospel is our task. We will never be totally ready. We announce Christ, not a doctrine, not a code of ethics. We announce a person – Jesus Christ. He’s the One who changes hearts and makes our hearts vibrate in freedom and fulfillment.  He’s the One who invites. He’s the One who saves us.

My dear missionaries and catechists, let us not be afraid to proclaim the Christ our Light and our Hope. As Pope St. Paul VI stated, “The world needs teachers who are witnesses today.” Only in Him, do we find the fullness of life because He shows us not how to be successful, but how to be faithful. In that way, we will have a future with Him forever.

May God bless you!