Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Buenos Aires (Agenzia Fides) - The Annual Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies of Argentina took place on February 26-27 and was attended by the directors of each ecclesiastical district of the country, according to a statement made to Agenzia Fides by Fr. Adrian Santarelli, National Secretary of the Society for Propagation of the Faith. During the Assembly, there was a presentation of the new National Director, Fr. Osvaldo Leone, of the diocese of Rio Cuarto, appointed by Cardinal Ivan Dias last November (see Fides 24/1/2008). Among those present were also Bishop José Vicente Conejero of Formosa, President of the Bishops’ Committee on the Missions, and Bishop Luis Collazuol of Concordia, member of the Missions Committee. The Assembly was also attended by the national secretaries of the 4 Societies, as well as 47 diocesan directors from the 64 ecclesial districts.
On Tuesday morning, an evaluation was made of the Third National Missionary Congress, which took place in Saint Nicholas in August 2007. Following the evaluation, Fr. Alejandro Puigari spoke on the spirit behind the Aparecida Document and its major pastoral guidelines, as an introduction to an assembly-wide reflection on the document on the Third American Missionary Congress, which will take place in Quito, Ecuador in August of 2008. Following the reflections, made according to regions, the Societies’ annual balances were presented. The day concluded with the Mass, celebrated by Bishop Collazuol.
On Wednesday, the 27th, each Society presented its statement of the activities that have taken place over the course of the year 2007 and those scheduled for 2008. The workshop continued to be organized by region, each offering its contribution to the missionary works of the Church in Argentina, as a whole. At 12 noon, there was a Mass celebrated by Bishop Conejero, and in the afternoon, there were general concluding talks.
Among the themes of discussion were the increase and expansion of the Missionary Childhood and Youth (IAM) in the majority of the dioceses, the adequate overseeing of Missionary Groups (GM), and the organization of the Missionary October, with the second Sunday that was World Missions Sunday (DOMUND). Some important events for 2008 have also been planned: March 29-30 - Annual Meeting of Representatives of IAM, April 12-13 - Meeting for Diocesan Representatives of GM, June 12-13 - Day for Missionaries interested in going to evangelize outside the country and for those who have returned from foreign missions, September 13-14 - Missionary Families celebration, and July 5-6 - Formation for Youth Missionaries (JOMIS).
“The environment was one of communion, fraternity, and missionary commitment. The encounter closed with Bishop Conejero offering a beautiful quote from the document of Aparecida, number 360,” concluded Fr. Adrian Santarelli. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 3/3/2008; righe 38, parole 440)
