What: Celebration marking the 40th anniversary of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Venezuelan mission.

When: Sept. 18.
4:30 p.m. Mass with Archbishop John Nienstedt.
5:30 p.m. Social hour and silent auction.
6:30 p.m. Dinner, followed by games, raffle and program with Father Greg Schaffer and Venezuelan youth.

Where: St. Pascal Baylon, 1757 Conway St., St. Paul.

Background: Since 1970, the archdiocese has staffed the Venezuela mission, which is located in the Diocese of Ciudad Guayana in the east-central part of the country.

Priests of the archdiocese and others have served several different parishes there over the years. Currently, Father Schaffer and Father Thomas McCabe assist with the spiritual, social and physical needs of the people of Jesucristo Resucitado (Risen Christ), a very large parish in a poor urban area.

Every year, the archdiocese hosts a fundraising event for the mission.

Coming up: A local delegation will be heading to the mission in Venezuela from Sept. 28 to Oct. 7 for 40th anniversary celebrations. Among those traveling to Venezuela will be Bishop Lee Piché, auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and Bob Zyskowski, associate publisher of The Catholic Spirit.

Watch for stories about the celebration in upcoming issues of the newspaper and online at TheCatholicSpirit.com.

More info and tickets: For more information about the Sept. 18 fundraiser and how you can help or to register to attend (tickets are $50 per person), call (651) 291-4531 or visit http://www.mission40th.com.

For more about the mission, visit the Mission Venezuela blog.