Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Brasilia (Agenzia Fides) – The meeting of the National Missionary Council (COMINA) on the Missionary Church in Brazil ended on Sunday, March 14. The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Brasilia and was attended by the coordinators of the Missionary Council of the 17 regions that comprise the Brazilian Bishops Conference. Information sent to Fides said that "the event was marked by a rich exchange of experiences among the many missionaries who work in different regions," said the Executive Secretary of the Council (COMINA), Father Joseph Altevir. "The meeting was truly a place of joy, harmony, and participation, so as to make participants more enthusiastic and committed to transforming utopias into reality and hope into missionary activity," he added.
The Director of COMINA, Fr. Paulo Suess, showed that this missionary action revolves around a joint proposal and that the General Guidelines of the Church's Evangelization Activity in Brazil (DGAE) help in this direction. "The core of these guidelines is not only a missionary theme for a campaign, but a basic policy and the structure of the Church post-Aparecida," he said.
According to Fr. Suess, the Guidelines for the Evangelization of the Church in Brazil have three lines of action for the mission. The first is the promotion of human dignity, which in the opinion of the theologian, does not mean a "welfare program." The second is addressed towards the renewal of the community and is, among other things, the "dialogue within the community, the diversity of ministries, training and coordination of actions." The third line is directed towards building a united society that is "the root of the social commitment to faith and action.”
According to Fr. Altevir, one of the highlights of the meeting was the participation in work, on March 13, of 25 missionaries from 17 countries who are receiving training at the Mission Cultural Center (JCC) in implementing their mission in several regions of Brazil. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 16/03/2010)
