Bururi children, little missionaries
We are all called to be missionaries of hope and to spread love and mercy. Pope invites all the children of the world
When Pope Francis recalled on World Missionary Children’s Day on Jan. 6 and commented on its slogan and contents, he was not only addressing the children and young people of Italy, Europe, and the West.
The message was for all the little ones of the world.
Among them were the children of Bururi, about whom Sister Pétronie from the Institute Family of Disciples of Christ in Burundi tells us:
“With Epiphany, the Church celebrates the manifestation of God to mankind in the person of Jesus Christ. The evocation of the Magi from the East reminds us of the universal dimension of the Gospel message.
On Sunday, 5/1/2025, the universal Church celebrated the feast of the Solemnity of the Lord; on this solemnity, in the parish of Bururi, the children who gather in the Missionary Childhood also celebrated Epiphany with the joy of being missionaries proclaiming the good news to other children.
In his homily, the priest who presided over the Mass emphasized that every baptized child is a missionary by virtue of his parents’ profession of faith.
He added that the missionary character of baptism gives the child the mission to be a bearer of the Gospel.
Before Mass, the Disciples of Christ and the Bene Maria sisters who accompanied the children prepared them with a sermon on Epiphany.
After Mass, the children shared a glass of Fanta with other children from poor families”.
(by Sister Pétronie Toyi, Disciple du Christ, Burundi)