The message of Pope John Paul II for this year's World Mission Sunday will include a call to pray the rosary.

"At no other time has the church had so many possibilities of proclaiming Jesus," the Pope said in his message for tomorrow's celebration of World Mission Sunday. "In particular, the church is not afraid to cry to the world that Christ is `the way, the truth and the life' (John 14:6). She is not afraid to proclaim joyfully the good news which at its heart and its whole content the person of Jesus Christ, the word made fresh, the one Saviour of the world."

Emphasising the urgency and opportunity for the church's mission to proclaim Jesus to the world, the Pope also noted the importance of those who are sent with this `good news'. "The proclamation of the Kingdom and the invitation to conversion are a clear mandate to everyone to pursue the path of holiness," the Pope said. "It is necessary to prepare capable and holy evangelisers. The fervour of the apostles must not be allowed to weaken."

The Pope's annual missionary catechesis this year centres on the them, `Mary and the mission of the church in the year of the rosary'.

"I would like `the year of the rosary' to be a favourable occasion for believers on all the continents to deepen the meaning of their Christian vocation," the Pope said. He defined vocation as follows: "Holiness and mission are inseparable aspects of the vocation of every baptised person. The commitment to become more holy is closely linked to that of spreading the message of salvation."

In his message, the Pope also encourages everyone - "children, adults, young and old, families, parishes and religious communities" - to "intensify your praying of the rosary."

To support the missionary task, the Pope speaks of the role of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, a Pontifical Mission Society, "which has a specific and particular role in educating every baptised person... in how to carry out the task of missionary animation as a serious, consistent duty."