English 
The Pontifical Mission Societies (POM) in Guinea-Bissau, in communion with the bishop of the Diocese of Bissau, closed Missionary Month with a significant participation of faithful and pastoral workers throughout the country. The campaign, welcomed with great hope, aimed to strengthen bonds of solidarity and promote missionary animation in the Guinean context.
The motto of the initiative resonated as prayer and commitment in the voices of children, missionary adolescents, youth, adults, religious, catechists and consecrated laity. According to the organizers, the Pope’s proposal – to be bearers of Christ’s hope in different realities and cultures – found wide resonance among the communities.
Missionary animation activities were carried out throughout the month through radio, social networks, formative meetings, moments of prayer, Eucharistic adoration, missionary vigils and testimonies. The activities sought to reflect on the missionary call and to pray for the Church and for missionaries who leave their homelands to take the Gospel to other peoples.
Although the month dedicated to missions has ended, the diocese stresses that the commitment remains. The Day of Faith and Service continues to inspire pastoral work and the Church’s presence in different regions of the country.
For POMs, being “missionaries of hope” means renewing the “yes” to the missionary vocation every day, offering one’s poverty, joy, hope and dedication to the service of the Gospel. The proposal is in line with the call to missionary synodality emphasized by Pope Francis.
In a message quoted during the celebrations, the Pope recalled that evangelization is “a community process” that does not end with baptism, but continues with the accompaniment of Christian communities and formation in the faith. He also stressed that missionary action is the “paradigm of all the work of the Church” (Evangelii Gaudium, 15), which requires communion, prayer and common action.
At the end of the month, the Diocese of Bissau thanked the communities for their participation, emphasizing the commitment of children, youth, adults and the elderly. The mission, organizers say, is still alive: the Church in Guinea-Bissau wants to be a “missionary of hope among peoples.”
Sr. Eliane, Guinea Bissau
