Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
In their 1986 pastoral statement on the missions, “To the Ends of the Earth,” the United States bishops said, “The human and spiritual needs of peoples beyond our borders call us to the urgency of mission. Mission always expresses a concern for the life of others. Moved by the Spirit, we ardently desire that our brothers and sisters have life, and in abundance, and that they be saved by faith in Christ through the grace of God.”
For almost 50 years, the Diocese of Camden has committed itself to the support of Catholic missions in Brazil, South America. While Brazil has long been the world’s largest Catholic nation, the percentage of Catholic population there by some estimates has fallen from 89 percent to 64 percent, as evangelical Pentecostalism has made inroads over the last three decades.
Msgr. Sean Daiber, a priest of the Diocese of Camden, has served in the Brazilian Missions now for 40 years serving as Vicar General in the Archdiocese of Goiania and as a priest of the parish of St. Joseph. The Goiania archdiocese alone serves more than 2,000,000 Catholics.
The Brazilian Missions Collection, which will be taken up in parishes of our diocese on June 6-7, 2009, will help sustain this important mission work in South America. I thank you for your past generosity and ask that you do what you can to support this year’s collection.
May God continue to guide you and bless you.
Fraternally,
Most Reverend Joseph A. Galante, D.D., J.C.D.
Bishop of Camden