PORTLAND — Missionaries, national and local speakers, and a concert by a Grammy nominated band will highlight The Great Commission: One Family in Mission, a daylong event which aims to inspire attendees from Maine and around New England to become “mission ambassadors” locally, on Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Augusta Civic Center.

“We are hoping that people realize that being a missionary means sharing our faith here in Maine at our local parishes, schools, communities, as well as in other countries,” said Ruth Oakley, director of the Diocesan Missions/ CRS Office.

The keynote speaker for The Great Commission is Mario St. Francis, who has traveled the world inspiring audiences in five languages by speaking about the experiences that led to the rediscovery of his faith as an adult, and how effective living can be achieved based on universal morals and values.

Other presenters include Mother Olga Yaqob, founder of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth who lived through four wars in her native Iraq; Maureen Crowley-Heil, missions director for the Archdiocese of Boston; Sister Lisa Valentini, who spent years working among the people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti; the Rev. Joseph Arackal, a Vincentian missionary priest from India; Kim Laglier from Catholic Relief Services, who will share how to help people globally without leaving home; and Sister Ellen Dabrieo of the Sisters of Notre Dame, who are devoted to education in countries around the world.

Workshops and exhibitors are also slated for the event.

“All of our presenters will speak on our theme ‘Year of Faith as a Missionary’ from different perspectives,” said Oakley. “When we leave the civic center, hopefully, we will be motivated to go back to our parishes, schools, communities, and serve the Lord as a missionary right here at home. And, who knows? Some may be called to serve the Lord in other countries.”

Participants will also have the opportunity to learn how to make mission rosaries, under the guidance of Mary Ruth Nichols of Fort Fairfield and Robert Dumond of Lewiston. The Great Commission will also feature a celebratory praying of the mission rosary with teens from various parishes dressed in different colors that represent the beads and the continents (red for the Americas, green for Africa, yellow for Asia, blue for Australia and white for Europe).

Schoolchildren from around the diocese will also participate, carrying flags from various countries that have a missionary presence.

The event will conclude with a concert by the Christian rock group Sanctus Real. The band has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards and has released several Christian Billboard chart-topping hits.

For more information, contact Ruth Oakley at 321-7817. To register, visit www.portlanddiocese.org/GreatCommissionMaine.

The deadline to order is Oct. 4. The deadline to order a T-shirt is today, Aug. 16.