Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Madrid (Fides Service) - Tuesday June 7 will surely be a day to remember for a lucky group of Spanish children, members of the Holy Childhood Society, who went to the Royal Palace in Madrid to visit the King and Queen. The children were accompanied by Archbishop Francisco Pérez González, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Spain who told Fides about the event. “At first our little missionaries were very nervous but they relaxed after the affectionate welcome offered by King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia and were soon talking away about their activities as members of the Society. The King and Queen were very impressed to hear about the initiatives undertaken by Holy Childhood to help less fortunate children in many countries all over the world” the Archbishop told Fides.
The initiative was part of celebrations for the 160th anniversary of the founding of Holy Childhood Mission Society. In Spain the Society was established 152 years ago thanks to support offered by Queen Isabella II and the Archbishop of Toledo. “The 160th anniversary is an occasion to thank God for all the good achieved through Holy Childhood and also our benefactors, institutions and individual persons including the Royal Family which has always encouraged our work” the Archbishop told Fides. With the Archbishop, vice-national director Rev. Anastasio Gil illustrated for the distinguished hosts the activity of the Society in Spain.
The visit was a great success. “The King and Queen were surprised to hear that Holy Childhood helps as many as 20 million children in need, suffering from poverty, violence, disease or abuse”. The children told the Royals how they collect money at school, in church and going with their money boxes from door to door on Holy Childhood Day and one of the many gifts the children presented the King and Queen was a World Mission Day money box.
The King and Queen were very interested in another gift from the children, a copy of the Holy Childhood “Missionary Charter” in which are inscribed the Christian values to which the little members of Holy Childhood are educated. Other gifts offered by the children included a special collection of Holy Childhood’s missionary magazine Gesto for the Royal grandchildren, a bouquet for the Queen and a collection of drawings by the children on the theme “What it means to belong to Holy Childhood Society”. For their part the King and Queen thanked the little missionaries for the visit and encouraged them in their praiseworthy endeavours. At the end of the visit the Royals posed for a group photograph and the children were shown around and allowed to take a few photographs and they were particularly interested in the Royal Chapel where the King and Queen attend Mass. (R.Z.) (Agenzia Fides 8/6/2004; Righe 33; Parole 469)
