"The work of a lifetime: preparing the parishes for a home mission": this is the theme of the 2008 "Home Mission Sunday", a Sunday dedicated to mission and evangelisation that will be celebrated in England and Wales on September 21st. In the message for the event, mgr. Malcolm McMahon, the bishop in charge of evangelisation and catechesis for the Bishops Conference of England and Wales, writes: "as Christians, we are not called to be hostile to the world in which we live but bound to be the witnesses of the treasure of the Gospel that has been entrusted to us. If we experience opposition, misunderstanding and if we are cast out for the way we live and share our faith, it means we are on the right way, because there is contrast between God’s way of doing things and the way that comes natural to the human beings". The message to the parishes included a DVD of the "Catholic Evangelisation Services", an agency that produces pastoral aids for the Church, named "Live in Christ. Making the mission a reality in your parish". This aid shows potential places and areas in which the Gospel can be announced, both inside and outside the parish. It also offers training, as it invites the parishes to send their representatives to attend training courses in evangelisation that will be held between January and April next year.
