Missionaries of the World

Five Christian women missionaries have been beaten by a man in the Andhra Pradesh State of India while sharing about the “Love of Jesus” in a public marketplace. They retreated to safety, thanking God for the honour of suffering for His sake. The women, all leaders in the Gospel for Asia (GFA)-sponsored Women's Fellowship ministry. “Jesus promised persecuting and hardships,” says Daniel Punnose, Vice President of GFA. “These young ladies see it worth facing the beatings in order to share the love of Christ.”

Our evangelization work must be motivated by a relationship of love with Jesus, Bishop D. Eugene Hurley of Darwin, Australia told a group of young English-speaking catechists at World Youth Day. “We need to invite people into a relationship with Jesus Christ and allow them to discover,” said the Bishop at World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Bishop Hurley observed that it is rare to have the experience of being totally and absolutely at home in this world.

Pakistan's Christians and Minorities are caught between Islamic militant organizations and feudalism that routinely target Christians and Minority for violence, and the Islamic culture that makes Christians feel insecure. A Catholic Nurse, Nazia Masih, working at Cheniot Hospital was started pressurizing by one Ghulam Muhammad for marriage and converting to Islam otherwise she would be abducted or he will throw acid on her. Muhammad has reportedly abducted Hindu girls from the local villages and forcefully converted them or they reportedly have been raped.

Thomson Philip, a young India-born man who lives in New Zealand, can hardly believe he sat next to Pope Francis for lunch during World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro. The 27 year-old communications engineer told, “I don’t have enough words to describe what I feel. I felt so blessed and it was the best experience of my life. I have a lot of responsibility now with this.” During the Friday lunch, Pope Francis sat at one of the tables, while Archbishop Orani Tempesta of Rio sat at the other. On both sides sat seven young people. Philip sat in the first spot on the Pope’s left.

The director of the Holy See Press Office and Director General of Vatican Radio, Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, has been to World Youth Days under three Popes – John Paul II, Benedict XVI and now Francis. He said each Pope has his own individual style and way of speaking to young people. “We recall the Popes of the World Youth Day, obviously. Every one of them has his style, his way of speech, his different relation to the young people,” Father Lombardi said.

Pope Francis greeted some seventy journalists aboard the papal plane Monday as it flew from Rome to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for World Youth Day celebrations. The reporters included 10 Brazilians, 10 from the U.S., 9 from France, 6 from Spain, plus journalists from the U.K. Mexico, Germany, Japan, Argentina, Poland, Portugal and Russia. In a brief exchange with the journalists, the Pope expressed particular concern about the risk of an entire generation of people without jobs.

The Islamist pressures against Christian communities in Aceh have become intolerable. Within one year, with non-existent legal pretexts, 17 churches including Catholic chapels have been closed in the province of Aceh, Indonesia under Islamic law. The Islamization of the province continues, just as promised by the Governor Zaini Abdullah. "It is the sense of the Annual Report published by Indonesian Christian.org, the protestant organization which monitors the situation of the Christian community in Indonesia. However, the Central Government is seeking to restore equity to Aceh.

A Pentecostal pastor of Tamil Nadu in India is in jail for two days for having converted with her consent of a woman of 30 years. Members of the Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Sawayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have accused the man of practicing forced conversions and have complained to the local police. The police arrested him and remanded in prison.

Forty years ago, Justin Welby was an unhappy pupil at Eton. Now, a relaxed Archbishop of Canterbury, he relives his unsettling moment of conversion and his wounded past. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury said “I first saw this man 40 years ago, when we were both pupils at Eton. Later, I was with him at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was the shyest, most unhappy-looking boy you could imagine. Now he is 105th in the line that began with St Augustine. He seems to be loving it. I remark on the change, and he agrees. “That’s something to do with the Christian faith.”

Pope Francis plans to make a trip to Brazil for the Catholic Church's youth festival and he is forgoing the bulletproof vehicle for his upcoming trip and further evidence that he has no worries about tweaking the Vatican's security operations for the sake of getting closer to the faithful. The Vatican said that Pope Francis will use the same open-topped car he uses for zooming around St.Peter's Square to move about Rio de Janeiro, where he arrives July 22 for the week-long World Youth Day fest. He will use a closed car for longer-distance drives, but the open-topped car for milling about the crowds.

Catholic nun was kidnaped and raped by a gang of men in Orissa State, India earlier this month. The 28-year-old victim had reportedly received a message that her mother was ill and hurriedly took a train home. At the local station she was met by several cousins and neighbors, who said they would take her to her home. Instead they carried her to an isolated location, held her for several days and repeatedly assaulted and raped her. She was eventually returned to the train station. The nun filed charges against her assailants on July 13. Two men have been arrested.

3N1 Youth Ministries is Linton Assembly of God's youth ministry that meets once in a week on Tuesday. It is on a mission to raise $30,000 for missionaries all around the world. After service many of the teens and leaders hang around and play a variety of games and they are currently working to raise funds for the "30G's for Jesus" program through Speed the Light that purchases much needed equipment for missionaries, such as vehicles and computer equipment. The project was inspired by the Assembly of God Youth Convention last November.

Dr. Jaishankar, a Medical Missionary belongs to Blessing Youth Mission died in a river flood in Odisha. He was remembered in all social concerned projects. He was a young and dynamic missionary. He was found dead in a river near Jeypore, Odisha. From July 11, 2013, he went missing nearly 40 kilometers from Jeypore while he was on his way to Lamtaput. His motorcycle was found earlier and a search operation was launched.

The Syro-Malabar Church has bought 15 acres land in Melbourne, Australia. The Church's Northwest region will build a church and other facilities there, which is the first land area owned by the Church in the Oceania region. Australia's Syro-Malabar community includes over 10,000 families, majority of them residing in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra. The church is prominent in village areas too.

Pope Francis reminded those, gathered in St. Peter’s Square that all of the faithful are called to be missionaries, spreading the Gospel message. Reflecting on the day’s Gospel, he observed that “Jesus is not an isolated missionary, does not want to fulfil his mission alone, but involves his disciples.” Not only does, he call the 12 apostles, The Holy Father noted, but “He calls seventy-two others and sends them into the villages, two by two, to announce that the Kingdom of God is near.”

Father Ajay Kumar Singh, a Catholic Priest of Cuttuck-Bhubaneswar Archdiocese was awarded the National Minority Rights Award for his campaign against the 2008 Kandhamal riots in Odisha amid a controversy over his selection at a function held in New Delhi on July 05. The National Commission for Minority Rights organized the program to mark the Minority Rights Day in the country. The award carries a citation and a cash prize of Rs.2,00,000, which is a new component introduced in the award from this year. Somnath Chatterjee, Ex-Speaker, Lok Sabha has consented to be the Chief Guest at the function.

To the joy of Vatican City State workers, Pope Francis was joined by Pope emeritus Benedict XVI in the gardens for a ceremony during which the Holy Father blessed a statue of St Michael Archangel on Friday. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has made his first public appearance since abdicating by joining Pope Francis in consecrating the Vatican City to the protection of St Michael the Archangel. Following a brief ceremony, Pope Francis gave the following address about the need for St Michael to protect the Church.

Pope John Paul II has moved a step closer to being made a Saint and now needs just the final approval from Pope Francis. The ceremony could come as soon as December. A commission of Cardinals and Bishops met Tuesday to consider John Paul’s case and signed off on it, according to the news agency. Pope John Paul II born as Karol Jozef Wojtyła on May 18, 1920 and he was given ordination on November 01, 1946. His Papacy began on October 16, 1978. He died on April 02, 2005). He was beatified on May 01, 2011 at Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope Benedict XVI.

About 100 Dalit Christian leaders representing various states and different denomination of the church in India gathered at the CNI Bhavan to deliberate on the issue and take a political stand in the light of the forth coming general election-2014. They also said, “In the ensuing parliamentary elections, Dalit Christians will not vote for political parties, including ruling Congress coalition, that have not supported actions to grant quota rights to dalit Christians”

The 35 pilgrims from the Diocese of Seoul – including the Bishop of Seoul and Primate of Korea the Most Reverend Paul K Kim arrived in York yesterday, having started their pilgrimage in London last week. They joined the Dean of York, the Very Reverend Vivienne Faull and Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu in prayer in the Chapel of St Paulinus in the Minster’s crypt.

Pope Francis for the first time in his Pontificate conferred Pallium on on 35 archbishops from various parts of the world in this year's ceremony on June 29, the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul at the Vatican. Three archbishops from India are among those who will receive the pallium. They are: Archbishop Prakash Mallavarapu of Visakhapatnam, Archbishop George Antonysamy of Madras and Mylapore and Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto of Delhi.