Missio Malta brought together all Malta-based missionaries for a meeting of formation, communion and prayer, on Saturday 14 February. The gathering was held at Dar tal-Providenza in Siġġiewi and marked Missio Malta's first activity of the year, which commemorates the 100th anniversary of International World Mission Day to be celebrated this October.
In an address for the occasion, Fr Victor Agius, Director of Missio Malta, referred to the message of Pope Leo XIV, inspired by Jesus' words at the Last Supper: "I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word; that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I in you, may they also be one in us" (Jn 17:20).
He explained that through this prayer to the Father, Jesus revealed the nature of God in the Trinity, a God of relationships. "Since God created us in His image, we too carry this mandate to be in relationship with God through our relationships with one another, allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us," Fr Victor said.
"These relationships reach their greatest strength when we reach out to those most in need, when we work with vulnerable communities and offer hope to those who have none," the Director of Missio Malta continued.
The meeting, the first of two of its kind planned for this year, was one of communion and was attended by missionaries based in Malta from various parts of the world. Most are active within religious communities present in Malta and carry out work with the elderly, children and other forms of community outreach.
"This meeting has become very popular with the missionary community present in our country because it offers these religious and lay missionaries the opportunity to meet, get to know one another, share their experiences, and reconnect with memories of their homeland alongside their compatriots," said Robert Farrugia, Head of Communications and Fundraising at Missio Malta.
"It is a moment in which missionaries coming from distant lands, and we who are active in many parts of the world, can express solidarity and the values of communion and unity among us," Robert concluded.