Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service) - Capillary work to make seminarians in missionary territories understand that they are being supported by mission offerings and the great effort made to collect and distribute this aid, and this in order to help young Churches realise that all the Churches are responsible according to their means for missionary cooperation and to encourage them to become self-supporting as soon as possible. This is the task of the international Secretariat of the Pontifical Mission Society of St Peter’ Apostle in Rome, illustrated by Mgr. José Antonio Galvez, General Secretary of the St Peter Apostle Society in his report on the past year’s activity presented to the annual assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Ciampino, Rome. The Secretary kept contact with the local Churches with letters, visits and meetings. “I was often surprised by the response -Mgr Galvez said -. Some seminaries responded immediately, even with modest, symbolic sums. This demonstrated that it is possible to help seminaries realise that they are not only there to be helped they too can help, according to their means, in the common task of missionary cooperation”. He gave three examples: students at St. Paul’s Seminary in Tiruchirapalli in India organised recreational activities to collect funds, students at Baguio City Major Seminary in the Philippines agreed to give up their teatime snack every Friday in aid of the missions, Peruvian seminarians at San José Seminary, Tacna y Moquegua organised events and collections to make their contribution to the Pontifical Mission Societies central International Solidarity Fund.
In 2003, 7 new seminaries were assisted for the first time: 3 in Africa, 3 in Asia and 1 in Latin America. The St Peter Apostle Society sent subsides to 935 seminaries (530 minor, 102 propaedeutic and 303 major) to assist a total of 79,270 seminarians, major and minor. This year 9,373 new major seminarians were enrolled most in Africa (5,410). According to reports received by the Society with regard to priestly ordinations the numbers were as follows: total 1,976: 1,015 in Africa, 671 in Asia, 249 in America, 23 in Oceania, 18 in Europe.
In 2003 the St Peter Apostle Society distributed the following amounts of money: US$ 3,911,690 $ minor seminaries (48,914 pupils); US$ 1,072,170 $ propaedeutic seminaries (3,643 students); US$ 12.007.735 major seminarians (26,713 students); US$ 508.400 $ to 3,856 men novices; US$ 900.400 $ for 7,010 women novices; 610 scholarships for priests and men and women religious for studies at institutes of higher education in Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Democratic del Congo, Cameroon, Madagascar.
In Rome for the academic year 2002/2003 the Colleges San Pietro Apostle and San Paolo Apostle, dependent on the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and entrusted to the care of St Peter Apostle Society, are housing 338 priests from 58 different countries who are completing their studies at various Pontifical Universities in Rome. The Foyer Paolo VI houses 80 women religious of 55 different congregation also in Rome for further studies. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 13/5/2004 - Righe 35; Parole 491)
