From 4 to 11 January 2026, the Parish Mission ‘Listen, My People’ took place in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Villa Ángela, Chaco, Argentina. This year, the evangelisation experience covered the area corresponding to the San José Obrero Chapel, comprising approximately 1,900 houses. The mission was the result of a community preparation process that lasted throughout the year, especially in terms of organisation and logistics.
Thanks to this preliminary work, three Missionary Centres were established, whose names were inspired by the members of the Holy Family: Missionary Centre No. 1: San José Obrero, based in the chapel; Missionary Centre No. 2: Divino Niño Jesús, located in the Arturo Illia Community Centre; Missionary Centre No. 3: Virgen María, based in the Municipal Campsite. Around 500 missionaries actively participated in this mission, making house-to-house visits in the morning and afternoon, and carrying out missionary announcements in the evening.
The missionary enthusiasm was expressed in many ways, many of them arising spontaneously, animated by the action of the Holy Spirit: caravans from one centre to another, honking horns, street corners and gestures of shared joy that did not stop even in the rain. A notable feature of this mission was the wide participation of teenagers, who contributed their freshness, creativity and youthful joy. Likewise, each night there was a massive gathering, with the presence of adults, young people, and children, replicating this experience in the three mission centres and strengthening the sense of community.
The Parish Mission is part of the SINE Pastoral Plan (Integral System of New Evangelisation), whose central objective is to ‘go to those who are furthest away’ and promote a profound renewal of the community life of the Church. As a continuation of this experience, it is proposed to set up small meeting houses, where the kerygmatic retreat will be held, in order to consolidate the fruits of the mission and continue to strengthen community ties.
The Parish Mission ‘Listen, My People’ began in 2022, with a general mission that covered the ten urban chapels during the month of January, and subsequently the 16 rural chapels in the winter. Since 2023, the parish has committed to missionising one sector per year, starting with the most peripheral ones, in fidelity to the Redemptorist charism of proclaiming the Gospel to the most distant and abandoned.
Thus, the mission was carried out in the Chapel of Fatima in 2023, in Santa Teresita in 2024, in San José Obrero in 2026, and next year it will continue in the Chapels of San Alfonso and Cristo Redentor. The pastoral goal is to reach the year 2033 having covered the entire parish, culminating in a General Mission within the framework of the Jubilee of 2000 years of Redemption.
The Parish Mission ‘Listen, My People’ was not only a pastoral activity, but a true experience of the Church reaching out, where faith became encounter, closeness and proclamation. The broad participation of missionaries, the response of the people, and the atmosphere of shared joy confirmed that the missionary journey continues to be a source of spiritual and community renewal.
This mission leaves visible traces in the life of the parish and poses the challenge of sustaining what has been sown, strengthening the spaces for encounter, formation, and prayer, which are already being planned for the months of January and February.
With its sights set on the Jubilee of Redemption, the parish community continues to walk with hope, convinced that God continues to speak to his people and call them to listen, believe and proclaim.
María Luz de Ávila
Fr. Martín Zubik CSsR
