One of the highlights of this year’s Mission Month was Missio Nordica’s participation in St. Francis Day, a major Catholic event held in the heart of Stockholm.
Over 1,000 people celebrated St. Francis Day in Stockholm, where mission took center stage. From left to right: Anna Sandberg, April Frigge, and Sindre-Jacob Bostad.
A four-day conference
From 1–4 October, the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the Nordic Countries had the pleasure of welcoming the Diocesan Directors of Missio Nordica to Stockholm for a working conference. The gathering provided an opportunity to reflect on what we have accomplished so far, discuss future priorities, and explore new ways of promoting the Church’s missionary work, as well as the mission of Missio Nordica and the Pontifical Mission Societies, better known throughout the Diocese of Stockholm.
On 3 October, Missio Nordica took part in St. Francis Day in Kungsträdgården, one of Stockholm’s central public squares. At our stand, we presented the work of Missio Nordica and invited visitors to learn more about the universal mission of the Church. We offered a range of resources, including our newly published textbook, informational brochures, missionary rosaries, and other materials aimed at fostering missionary spirit and awareness.
Throughout the year, Missio Nordica has produced new educational and informational resources highlighting the missionary calling of every baptized Christian. Many visitors were eager to explore and take home the materials.
Genuine interest in the missionary task of the Church
Our Nordic presence was met with great interest. More than 1,000 people attended the event, and throughout the day we had the opportunity to meet and speak with many visitors, both young and old. The conversations were encouraging and demonstrated a genuine interest in the Church’s missionary calling and the work of the Pontifical Mission Societies.
We were also pleased to sell many missionary rosaries. The proceeds will be forwarded to the The Universal Solidarity Fund of the Pontifical Mission Societies together with the collection from World Mission Sunday.
A Mass celebrated by Cardinal Anders Arborelius provided a memorable start to Mission Month in October.
Opportunity to strengthen the Nordic collaboration
The meeting offered a valuable opportunity to strengthen the Nordic collaboration, share experiences from across the Nordic countries, and continue working together to promote the missionary vocation of the Church in our region.
We are grateful to everyone who visited our stand, showed interest in our work, and joined us in celebrating the missionary spirit of the Church. May we continue, together, to respond generously to Christ’s call to proclaim the Gospel to all nations.
Three Nordic representatives participated in the conference: Deacon Sindre-Jacob Bostad from Norway, April Frigge from Iceland, and Anna Sandberg from Sweden. Anna is both the Diocesan Director of Missio Sweden and the National Director of Missio Nordica and
Photo: Mateusz Pasikowski