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A rising tide of sacrifice for the faith
The word ‘martyr’ means ‘witness’. Martyrdom is ‘a form of total love for God’, founded ‘on the death of Jesus, on his supreme sacrifice of love, consumed on the Cross so that we might have life’, and the strength to face it ‘from the profound and intimate union with Christ, because martyrdom and the vocation to martyrdom are not the result of human effort, but the response to an initiative and a call from God. They are gifts of his grace, which enable them to offer their lives for the love of Christ and the Church, and thus the world.’ (Benedict XVI, 11 August, 2010)
To read and pray for those who died on mission, please click on the links below:
Mission Martyrs 2011 Mission Martyrs 2010 Mission Martyrs2009
Mission Martyrs 2008 Mission Martyrs 2007 Mission Martyrs 2006
Some Mission Martyrs for today
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click on the icon to read about the mission martyrs
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The scant biographical notes of those who were killed help us to understand how they offered all their lives, almost always in the silence and humility of daily work, ‘for the love of Christ and the Church, and thus the world.’ Their radical and total commitment to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, was made, not only with words, but with the testimony of their lives, in situations of suffering, poverty, tension, violence... without discrimination of any kind, but with the sole aim of ensuring the Father's love and promoting the human person, created in the image and likeness of God. Some were victims of that violence, either through fighting it or through being willing to help others with the small everyday problems, giving their own safety last priority. ‘Our world continues to be marked by violence, especially against the disciples of Christ,’ said Pope Benedict XVI. (26 December 2010)
Click the icon to read about some of today’s mission martyrs
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