"For many of these children the Church is their only family."Missionary childhood: "Jenet, Michelle and Íscar represent all the children of the world".The aim of this initiative is for the youngest members of the family to become young missionaries, giving Christmas back its true meaning. The children take to the streets and hand out stickers with the slogan "Jesus is born for you", sing Christmas carols and walk through the streets.
Sowers of Stars was born in 1977, thanks to a Jesuit priest. Thanks to him, during the last weeks of Advent, hundreds of children go out to their towns and cities to send Christmas greetings to everyone on behalf of the missionaries.
Pontifical Mission Societies proposes a craft for children to make their own stars with the missionary colors. It also provides a script for "the sending of the star sowers"which consists of a brief greeting, the reading of a passage from the Gospel and, finally, the sending of the message.
This year's reading is Matthew 2:9-12: "[The magi] set out, and suddenly the star they had seen rising began to guide them until it came to rest above where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with immense joy. They entered the house, saw the child with Mary, his mother, and falling on their knees they worshiped him; then opening their coffers, they offered him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having received in a dream an oracle, that they should not return to Herod, they withdrew to their own land by another way."
This initiative serves as a preparation for Missionary Children's Day, which we will celebrate on January 15. Thanks to the support of the children, every year the missionaries are able to help more than 4 million children in 2500 different projects of the Pontifical Mission Societies.
