Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lusaka (Agenzia Fides) - “The meeting was an opportunity to renew our vision of the missionary church. It helped us to renew our vision to actions and helped us to find new stimulus and boldness for missionary animation,” Fr. Bernard Makadani Zulu, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Zambia, told Agenzia Fides, in his description of the PMS's National Assembly in Lusaka, Zambia's capital city, January 20-23.
The Assembly was attended by the National Director and Diocesan Directors of PMS in Zambia, who discussed means of promoting animation activities and fundraising.
“This meeting will be an opportune time for joint reflection to promote animation activities of the Pontifical Mission Societies,” the Apostolic Nuncio to Zambia, Archbishop Nicola Girasoli, said in his opening speech.
“The responsibility of the Pontifical Mission Societies is very big and requires much creativity and generosity to reach out to all the sections of the Christian Community to inspire and sustain evangelization. You should strive to venture into activities that will help to awaken, enliven and support the missionary efforts of the Church,” the Nuncio said.
Archbishop Girasoli praised the Church in Zambia, which is “working hard to ensure that evangelization reaches all people, the roots of our culture, social, political and economic situation at all times, everywhere.”
In this work of evangelization, the Nuncio said, “The Pontifical Mission Societies are certainly a powerful force in the growth and implementation of the Church in Zambia. I know that the Pontifical Mission Societies are striving hard to animate the Christian communities to live out their own missionary vocation and to take an active part in the local and universal mission of the church. As members of the ecclesial community the people of God play a vital role in the building up of the church in all its aspects.”
“Faced with the challenges of our pastoral ministry, the role of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Zambia, and the Universal Church is ever urgent and demanding. This role has to orient the whole ecclesial community towards missionary cooperation.”
Archbishop Girasoli also recalled the important initiatives of the local PMS: “Through the universal solidarity the societies have been supporting the pastoral ministry of the church in Zambia, animating and directly involving priests, consecrated persons and lay people in prayer, in offering of sacrifices, in promoting vocations, in charitable and other concrete pastoral initiatives. The societies have been subsidizing many pastoral programs, i.e. communication, transportation needs, training and supporting catechists, printing catechetical and liturgical manuals, building of schools, churches, seminaries, chapels, cathedrals, catechetical and prayer centers, convents, presbyters, schools, nurseries, supporting the training of seminarians, priests, religious, novices, orphans and vulnerable children, orphanages, kindergartens, etc.”
“The societies are a providential gift to the Church. Let us pray to the Lord of the Mission to help you come out with a clear understanding and plan of our great task of evangelization,” the Nuncio concluded. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 26/1/2009)
