Pope Francis will confer the ministry of the lectorate on forty lay people, including several women, during the sixth edition of the Sunday of the Word of God, a day established on September 30, 2019 to remember the importance of the Holy Scriptures.
As in previous editions, the Pontiff will preside over a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican at 9:30 a.m. (local time). As detailed in a statement by the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for Fundamental Issues of Evangelization in the World, at the end of the liturgy the Pontiff will deliver the Gospel of Luke to those present, “with the intention that it has already become in tradition, to spread the Word of God in a tangible way.”
Receive the main news from ACI Prensa by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channels today:
This year the motto of the VI Sunday of the Word of God comes this year from the Psalms: “I hope in your word” (Sal 119,7 4). The 40 lay people who will receive the ministry of the lectorate, that is, announcers of the Word of God, come from various nations: 4 from Albania, 3 from Argentina, 5 from Austria, 1 from Bolivia, 4 from Brazil, 5 from the Philippines, 1 from Iceland, 6 from Italy, 5 from Mexico, 1 from Poland, 5 from Slovenia. In addition, each of them will be given a copy of the Nova Vulgata Bible, the official Latin edition of the Bible published by the Holy See for use in the Roman Rite.
In January 2022, the Holy Father modified Canon Law to allow women access to the readership and acolyteship through the motu proprio Spirit of the Lord
To help the faithful in their spiritual growth and in the deepening of the Word of God, the Section for Fundamental Issues of Evangelization in the World of the Dicastery for Evangelization has also made available online, in six languages, a liturgical guide -free pastoral, which can be downloaded from official website of the dicastery. It is an instrument that offers proposals to promote a deep encounter with the Word of God in the community, in the family, in daily life, and also includes articles, meditations, texts for Adoration and pastoral suggestions.
In fact, the objective of the Sunday of the Word of God is for Christians to renew their commitment to meditating on the Bible, as a fundamental tool for growth in faith and spiritual life, as well as an instrument of hope for the faithful of everyone.
Tickets to attend the Holy Mass can be collected at the Jubilee 2025 Infopoint, located in Via della Conciliazione nº 7, starting on Thursday, January 23.