The mission of the Church has never been confined to a particular place, generation, or group of people. From the moment Jesus said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19), every baptized Christian has received a share in His missionary mandate. The Church exists not simply to gather people within its walls, but to send them forth with the Gospel into the world.

With this missionary vision, St. Patrick Parish, Stoneham, prepares believers through quarterly retreats and a weekly Bible study every Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. These opportunities are meant to help us deepen our relationship with Christ, know the Word of God more profoundly, encounter Him in the Holy Eucharist, and discover anew our personal vocation to mission.



The Word of God: The heart of mission

Each Thursday evening at St. Patrick's, between 70 and 100 people gather to reflect and study the Word of God. The Bible study is not merely an academic study of Scripture. It is an opportunity to allow the Word of God to speak to our lives, challenge our assumptions, strengthen our faith, and transform our hearts. A missionary Church must first be a listening Church. Before we can proclaim Christ to others, we must encounter Him ourselves.

The disciples became witnesses because they had first spent time with Jesus. In the same way, our evangelizing mission begins with prayer, Scripture, conversion, and communion with Christ. The weekly Bible study therefore becomes a place where ordinary believers can become missionary disciples -- people who know their faith, love Christ, understand His Word, and are prepared to share the Good News with others.



Quarterly retreats: From encounter to mission

Alongside the weekly Bible study, quarterly retreats provide a deeper opportunity for prayer, reflection, fellowship, and missionary formation. Our upcoming half-day retreat, "A Church That Is Missionary," on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., comes at a particularly significant moment for the universal Church. In 2026, the Church celebrates the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday, established by Pope Pius XI in 1926 at the request of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. The centenary is being celebrated under the theme "One in Christ, United in Mission."

This is therefore much more than an anniversary. It is an invitation to rediscover who we are as Christians. The Society for the Propagation of the Faith has helped awaken missionary consciousness throughout the Church, reminding Catholics that the mission of evangelization belongs to all the baptized, not only to priests, religious, or those who serve in distant mission territories.



Mission begins here

Mission begins in our own homes, workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, and parish.

Sometimes mission means speaking about Jesus. Sometimes it means inviting someone back to Church. Sometimes it means listening to a person who is struggling, visiting someone who is lonely, serving the poor, forgiving someone, or simply living the Gospel with such authenticity that others become curious about Christ.



Becoming the new apostles

The Church today needs a new generation of apostles -- not apostles who necessarily leave everything behind to travel to distant lands, but ordinary Christians with extraordinary missionary hearts. The world is hungry for meaning, truth, hope, forgiveness, and love. Many people may never open a Bible, attend a retreat, or enter a church -- but they may encounter Christ through you.

Let us together form a community that does not merely come to Church, but becomes a Church sent on mission. As we celebrate this important centenary, let us gather around the Word every Thursday. Let us renew ourselves through the quarterly retreats. Let us encounter Christ in the Holy Eucharist. And then let us go forth -- not as spectators, but as witnesses. We are called to carry the Gospel into our world. May we respond with confidence: "Here I am, Lord. Send me."