Parishioners from across Nottingham Diocese gathered in thanksgiving at St Teresa of Lisieux in Aspley.
There was much to celebrate in Aspley at the weekend, as the Red Box family came together for a special Mission Mass marking 90 years of the Red Box and the partnership between Missio and the Mill Hill Missionaries. Bishop Patrick McKinney celebrated Mass at St Teresa of Lisieux at midday on Saturday 19 September, with Fr Patrick Bassey, Missio Diocesan Director for Nottingham, and Fr Dermot Byrne MHM, concelebrating.
In a moving homily, Bishop Patrick thanked the congregation and Red Box volunteers for their “generous fidelity” to Missio and the Mill Hill Missionaries through the Red Box. Reflecting on the Gospel account of the sower, he connected their faithful support with the call to spread the Word of God (cf. Luke 8:4-15).
“The Word of God is not a commodity to be rationed,” Bishop Patrick explained. “God's Word is to be given freely away, to be shared lavishly, and the field represents the world where God's Word is to be shared everywhere, to every person without exception. That's why Missio, why the Red Box, exists.”
Since 1936, the small red collection box has had a treasured place in Catholic homes across Nottingham diocese, and across homes in England and Wales. For nine decades, spare coins and faithful prayers have grown into vital support for missionaries and communities around the world, helping the local Church serve people in places affected by poverty, conflict and hardship.
Bishop Patrick continued his homily saying, “When we drop a coin into the Red Box, it disappears. You don't see it again; it's in the Box. Likewise, most of us do not get to meet a person, the catechist or the seminarian that money helps to train; or the community, whose chapel or school it helps to build…But that's precisely what happens to the seed.
“The sower opens his hand and scatters the seed, the ground closes over it, and from that moment the growth is hidden from him. But the same is true for each of us. Let's hear again what Jesus says of the good sower, 'As for that in the good soil, they are the those who are hearing the Word, ‘hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.' (Luke 8:15)
“It remains my experience that the most fruitful things in this diocese are the least visible. And I think I know of nothing that proves it better than the small Red Box in people's homes, in your homes.
“So, I thank you, personally, and also in the name of the diocese, for your generous fidelity to the support and the work of Missio, to the Red Box initiative, and other collections. Don't let anyone tell you this is a small thing or that it belongs to the past.”
The special anniversary Mass was more than a look back. It was a joyful reminder that mission is a calling shared by every baptised person. Through prayer, giving and practical solidarity, parishes and individuals become an ever greater part of a global family; local Church supporting local Church and helping the Gospel’s message of hope reach those most in need.
Mass was followed by refreshments in the parish hall, and the cutting of a special anniversary cake, generously donated by the Missio Local Secretary at St Teresa of Lisieux.
Every parish across the diocese has a Red Box volunteer (a local secretary). Speak to the volunteer in your parish about how to have a Red Box in your home and join the Red Box family. More information about the Red Box can be found at: www.missio.org.uk/about-redbox
You can help keep this missionary spirit alive by joining Catholics around the world on Sunday 18 October for the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday. Under Pope Leo XIV’s theme, ‘One in Christ, United in Mission’, every parish is invited to pray with the global Church and give generously to the collection, which supports churches, hospitals, schools and vocations where the Church is new, young or poor.
Speak to your parish priest to see how World Mission Sunday is being marked in your parish. More information and resources can be found at: www.missio.org.uk/wms
After Mass, over a special celebratory cake generously donated by the parish Local Secretary, Fr Patrick Bassey passionately shared how his seminary studies were made possible through donations from Missio England & Wales supporters. Today, Fr Patrick is promoting a Missio initiative across the diocese, encouraging parishes to turn missionary solidarity into a shared, lasting commitment by forming a group to sponsor a seminarian overseas. Missio’s programme welcomes individuals, groups and parishes, with sponsorship supporting a future priest through his last 4 years of formation. Gather your community, pray for your sponsored seminarian and raise £500 a year for four years. Whether people can give 50p or £50, everyone can take part.
Contact Fr Patrick directly and visit www.missio.org.uk/its-a-community-thing/ for more information.
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