The parish community of St. Anthony of Lomerío, in the Apostolic Vicariate of Ñuflo de Chávez, Bolivia, celebrated a day of faith and gratitude on October 18 to mark the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday (DOMUND) and the Silver Jubilee of Consecrated Life of Sister Doris Salazar of the Congregation of the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters of the Holy Family.
The celebration brought the community together around two significant events in the life of the Church: the missionary commitment of all the baptized and Sister Doris Salazar’s 25 years of dedication and service. The day provided an opportunity to renew the vocation to evangelization and to strengthen the path toward a living, synodal, and missionary Church, committed to communities and their realities.
During the Eucharist, the parish priest, Fr. Antonio Song, emphasized in his homily that all the baptized are called to be missionaries and to proclaim the Gospel from within their own spheres of life. Furthermore, he reminded the congregation that the Church’s mission does not depend exclusively on priests or religious sisters, but is a responsibility shared by the entire People of God.
In this regard, he emphasized the importance of living and passing on the faith through families, communities, and daily experiences, recognizing that every baptized person is called to be a witness to the Gospel and a builder of the Kingdom of God.
A Church that walks in synodality and mission
The celebration highlighted the importance of continuing to strengthen a Church that walks alongside the people, promotes the participation of all its members, and renews its commitment to evangelization rooted in local realities.
In this context, the participation of Ana Gabriela Jimenez, coordinator of Bilingual Intercultural Education (EIB) for the Amazonian Bilingual Intercultural Education Network (REIBA), affiliated with the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), marked this gathering of faith and fraternity.
Her presence reaffirmed the importance of integrating the mission of evangelization with educational processes that value cultural identities, the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples, and the unique characteristics of Amazonian territories.
For CEAMA and REIBA, this celebration represents a sign of hope for continuing to foster a Church with an Amazonian face—one capable of listening to, accompanying, and walking alongside communities, recognizing the richness of their cultures and the leading role of their members in building a more just and fraternal society.
The Mission: A Commitment for All
The celebration of DOMUND’s 100th anniversary and the Silver Jubilee of Consecrated Life of Sister Doris Salazar invite us to renew our commitment to an evangelization that is close to the lives of the people, in which faith is translated into service, fraternity, and care for life.
The day spent in San Antonio de Lomerío reminds us that the mission is built day by day through the witness of those who proclaim the Gospel and place their gifts at the service of others.
From the Bolivian Amazon, this community continues to bear witness to a Church that celebrates its faith, strengthens its community bonds, and walks in synodality, with the hope that the Gospel will continue to flourish in every family, culture, and territory.
“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel” (Mk 16:15).
