By Jorge I. Domínguez-López

“Thank you, young people from our fourteen Catholic schools and religious education programs for having a missionary heart,” Auxiliary Bishop James Massa said at the beginning of his homily. He was the main celebrant of the Mission Sunday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James on Sunday, Oct. 27.

Children in Catholic schools and religious education programs collected money during several months for that special collection.

“In our school we donate money to the poor,” says Dieter Borbeck, an eighth grader from Holy Family Catholic Academy in Fresh Meadows. “We have many different sales like the candy sale, the gift wrap sale, and the food drive so that we can give back to those who aren’t as lucky as we are,” he said. “We are taught to respect all human life and we are all equal and all of us should help each other.”

These efforts were recognized at the Mass celebrated by Bishop Massa. The goal of saving part of their allowances to donate to the Mission Sunday collection is also a way to create awareness in the children’s mind of the missionary duty of every Christian.

“We are taught to act in the image of Jesus,” said Julia Goncalves, an eighth grade at Holy Family Catholic Academy. “We are here to help those in need, to help the poor and oppressed just like Jesus would. We do food drives and soup suppers, we try to help out any way we can.”

In his Mission Sunday column for The Tablet, Bishop DiMarzio said: “We are called to be part of the Church’s mission efforts by supporting our missionary priests, religious sisters and brothers, and lay catechists who provide loving service to those in need.”

Quoting Pope Francis, Bishop Massa told the children: “Every one of us is a mission. That is the reason of our life on earth.”

According to Deacon Louis J. Panico, associate director of the diocesan Propagation of the Faith Mission Office, the collection is destined to help missionaries in developing countries, seminaries and Catholic education programs.

“Last year we collected over $125,000 from Mission Sunday collections,” said Deacon Panico.

Pope Pius XI established the World Mission Sunday in 1926. It is usually celebrated on the next to last Sunday during the month of October.

The Mission Sunday collection is dedicated to supporting the evangelization efforts of the Church all over the world.

Here are the Brooklyn and Queens winners from fiscal year 2017 at the 2018 awards:

Elementary Schools Under 250 Enrollment, Queens

Holy Family Catholic Academy, Fresh Meadows

Elementary Schools Under 250 Enrollment, Brooklyn

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy, Cypress Hills

Over 250 Enrollment, Queens:

St. Sebastian Catholic Academy, Woodside

Over 250 Enrollment, Brooklyn:

St. Bernadette Catholic Academy, Dyker Heights

Banner Schools

St. Joseph Catholic Academy, Astoria

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dyker Heights

Mission Incentive, Queens

St. Rose of Lima Catholic Academy

Mission Incentive, Brooklyn

Good Shepherd Catholic Academy

CCD High, Brooklyn

St. Rose of Lima, Parkville  

CCD High, Queens

St. Joan of Arc, Jackson Heights

CCD Mission Incentive, Brooklyn

Our Lady of Presentation-Our Lady of Mercy, Brownsville

CCD Mission Incentive, Queens

St. Camillus-St. Virgilius, Rockaway

Special Mission Award

St. Francis Preparatory High School

Diocesan High Donor to Propagation of the Faith

St. Sebastian Catholic Academy, Woodside