Missio Malta is the Maltese islands branch of the Pontifical Mission Societies and it is the official mission aid agency of the Catholic Church, continuing the mission of Jesus Christ in the world. Missio works with missionaries and communities to support, give life, dignity and calls all people in the world to faith, justice and love. Missio works with communities overseas to bring hope of the Gospel, spiritual and material needs to some of the most inhospitable, poor and uncertain areas in the world. Missio, through other Pontifical Mission Societies, reaches out to over 160 countries and supports projects in 1100 dioceses in five continents.
To provide for the different needs in vulnerable communities, Missio works on four main areas including:
Our Vision
Missio envisions a world where equality, respect and dignity of all humanity is ensured. This can become a new reality when the intrinsic value of each person is placed at the centre of our lives and our communities, creating the base for the gifts of all people to grow with great potential and reach fullness of life and joy.
Part of this responsibility is Missio’s commitment to encourage Maltese people to be part of the active part and get involved with mission. To make this vision a reality, with your support, Missio engages in sustainable programmes to support communities in over 160 countries.
Our Mission
Missio Malta together with other 160 Missio offices globally and missionaries, answer the call to love God and love our neighbour, and work to serve people in need regardless of race, religion or status, acting for justice and supporting development programs and projects.
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
(John 10:10)
We are compelled by the life, love and message of Jesus Christ entrusting all of us with a mission: “Go into the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (MK16:15). Through our baptism, we are all called to be missionaries by giving witness to the gospel through our words and deeds. However, some have a special call to leave this country and their commodities to go in far away countries to proclaim the Good News to all.
“We Are a Mission” means that “we have to regard ourselves as sealed, even branded, by this mission of bringing light, blessing, enlivening, raising up, healing and freeing. For all of us, life itself is a mission; it means doing every work from the soul, reciprocating the love received, and sending forth the graces that the Lord has granted us.” (Evangelii Gaudium n.273).
We can all put the mission of helping humanity through selfless service, prayer and keeping ourselves inspired and living with wisdom through scripture and spiritual insight. Selfless service can be in the form of volunteering and through supporting projects to reach out to missionaries who work in some of the most inhospitable, marginalised and disadvantaged communities in the world.
With your help, we can bring hope and love to places where there is turmoil, poverty and uncertainty. Missio Malta puts this into practice together with your help because it is in, and as, a community where our mission can be realized most effectively. By supporting Missio, you play a vital part in supporting humanity, especially people in need today and the future generations.
Our Values
The following are the Missio values that makes missionary work fruitful. If work is done under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the following are values adhered by Missio:
DIGNITY
We believe in the dignity of all, and we support everyone regardless of race, gender, religious or political beliefs.
GOSPEL VALUES
Encourage Gospel values to be lived out as we serve God through reaching out to others, especially those in need.
Universal
God reaches out and through His touch gives life to all people
Attractiveness
At Missio following Jesus is a joy, it is what attracts us to do work to help those in need.
GRATITUDE
At Missio we all acknowledge with a great sense of gratitude that all the goods received come from God who inspires our benefactors to offer their prayers, sacrifices, time and money for missionaries and their work.
HUMILITY
Since joy, truth faith and salvation is given to us and not achieved by our own merits, the Gospel of Christ through missionary work in various mission countries can only be proclaimed with a humble heart.
FACILITATE
Missionary work is selfless service given also through mercy, recognising the real condition of people with their own limits and weaknesses, which through patience and service can have a small step forward in the midst of great human limitations found in poor and marginalised societies.
PROXIMITY TO LIFE
Missio supports missionaries in poor areas in Asia, Africa and South America. These missionaries live as Jesus did when he met his first disciples in their every-day life. Missionaries live close to the poor and marginalised and meet them just as they in the midst of the problems, hopes and needs of their life and help them from that space.
CARE FOR THE YOUNG ONES AND POOR
Through missionary actions in vulnerable and marginalised communities, the young ones, the poor and the neediest including unsupported females and the elderly are assisted and given
WHO WE ARE?
In every country where the Catholic Church is present, there is a Missio
representative which together form a network to help each other. Missio is headed
by a National Director, who is appointed by the Holy Father, Pope Francis.
Dun Valentino Borg is the National Director of Missio in Malta.
Message from Missio Malta Director – Dun Valentino Borg
Dear Family, Benefactor and all of you,
I am very happy to introduce ‘Missio’ (previously known as Pontifical Missionary Societies) to all of you. This office is part of a universal network with approximately 120 national directors and those in charge in each diocese and the world. The aim of this office is to continue the mission of Jesus Christ passed to the church, to evangelise the whole world at all times. At the same time the office runs to help in charitable works especially in mission countries (Asia, Africa, Oceania and part of Latin America).
The Pontifical Mission societies will celebrate its 200 anniversary from its foundation in two years’ time. It was founded by Pauline-Marie Jaricot who is to be beatified shortly. In 1822, she together with others, tried to live holiness in their daily lives, a holiness that moved them to share the gift of Jesus to all those with whom they met. This is valid also today. If we are truly happy and enriched by our experience of faith, then we too will share such a gift to others.
St John in his first letters says “This is what we proclaim to you; what was from the beginning, what we heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked upon and our hands have touched – we speak of the word of life. Indeed, our purpose in writing you this is that our joy may be complete” (John 1:1-4)
I pray that all of us could return to this simple and joyful beginning of the Church and its apostolic mission.
Mons. Valentino Borg – National Director Missio Malta
