Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The 115 National Directors of Pontifical Mission Societies from all around the world will meet for the annual General Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Rome, beginning May 15 with the session on pastoral formation. The Assembly will take place at the Salesianum in Rome (via della Pisana n.11). On May 15, there is an encounter scheduled for all the continents; on May 16, there will be workshops according to groups and a debate in the auditorium on the themes addressed by the various groups; on May 17, the session will conclude with a Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica.
May 19-21, the Assembly will analyze the presentations of the Secretary Generals of the four Pontifical Mission Societies on the activities that have taken place over the course of the year, with a balance evaluation and reports on the support received during the year. There will also be a talk given by the Head of Administration on the status of the Pontifical Mission Societies and Domus Missionalis. The workshops will begin with an opening address by Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect for the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, followed by an intervention by Archbishop Henryk Hoser, Adjunct Secretary for the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and President of the Pontifical Mission Societies, who will also give the closing speech for the General Assembly. During the Assembly, the participants will also be received in an Audience with the Holy Father Benedict XVI.
Before the General Assembly, on May 13-14, there will be a formation session exclusively reserved for recently-appointed Directors (2006-2008), presenting the unique charism of each one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies, as well as its juridical and ecclesial organization within the context of the missionary activity of the Church today. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 4/4/2008; righe 24, parole 297)
