Summer Mission Co-Op Collection

We will soon be hosting a missionary visitor! The summer Missionary Cooperation Plan is an opportunity for our parish to learn about, support, and be inspired by the work of missionaries ministering in another part of the world. We are pleased to receive a visit from Most Rev. Anil Couto, a representative of Delhi, India on the weekend of August 13 & 14. ​

MISSION APPEAL FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE OF DELHI

Origin and History of the Archdiocese of Delhi.
The Archdiocese of Delhi, once part of, the Archdiocese of Agra, later the "Archdiocese of Delhi Shimla"
in 1937, was erected as a separate "Archdiocese of Delhi" in 1959 with ten parishes
spread over an area of 11,991 Sq. Km. Being the capital of India, which has 1/6 of the
population of the world, it has grown rapidly over the years, due to various factors like
immigration, urbanization, technology, education, commerce etc. At present the Archdiocese
comprises of the Union Territory Delhi and most part of the state of Haryana. It has 70,750
Latin Catholics, living in 64 parishes and four mission stations. The Archdiocese has three
bishops,138 priests, 548 religious sisters, 47 seminarians. There are 44, 518,768 non-Christians
here: Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, Parsis etc. Delhi has become the home of diverse religions
and sects.

The Challenges are diverse
1. To serve as a role model of faith and evangelization in India, being the largest democracy in the
world.
2. To serve the teeming millions of immigrants from around the country and abroad.
3. To sustain the faith of the Catholics, buffed by the insurmountable challenges, due to religious
intolerance.
4. To uphold moral and religious standards to the nation, Delhi being the national capital.

Some of most urgent missionary needs are:
1. The Archdiocese has been devastated by the two waves of Covid-19 and countless number of
parents have died, turning the care of their children to the elderly, sick, and poor grandparents.
The Archdiocese has to cater to the needs of thousands of families which have been severely
impacted by the pandemic by providing education for children and other provisions of food
clothing and shelter for thousands of such families.
2. The parish of St. Monica, Burari needs a new parish church, since it is growing with a great influx
of immigrants from the neighboring States of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Assam. Most
Catholics here are tribals. The big obstacle to the growth of the church is the lack of a proper
church building, conducive to faith and divine worship, in a metropolis where the contrast is
now intimidatingly stifling the faith if Catholics.
3. St. Bartholomew's parish Jasana, inaugurated in 2019, has grown largely due to inner mobility if
Catholics were in search of jobs, affordable houses, and availability of residential houses. The faithful
have no church as yet for regular and proper Sunday worship and cannot afford to build one for
themselves. Presently Sunday Mass is celebrated in small houses.
4. The mission at Rewari, started in 1864, was made a parish in 1948 but without a rectory. The
pastors of this parish have suffered a lot due to lack of residence for many years, affecting
pastoral efficiency.