Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Brasilia (Agenzia Fides) – The morning of Saturday, July 10, marked the close of the first National Missionary Congress of Seminarians in Brasilia, which addressed the theme of missionary formation of future priests (see Fides 05/07/2010). In the final message, which was also sent to Fides, the participants propose that the theme of mission be the most studied in seminaries.
"Enlightened by the Spirit of God and guided by the spirit of Aparecida - the text says - we want this reality (the missionary-priesthood vocation) to be transformed and transfigured by the will of God for our time in the Church in Brazil. We want to improve the environment of the structural relations of the seminary so that as an authentic Christian community, formators come together for the benefit of the Church's primary vocation: the mission, at the service of the Kingdom of God. We want to be missionary priests..."
The message continues: "Conscious of the need to form truly missionary vocations in the seminaries, through this letter we formally ask the bishops, educators, and seminarians, to organize and develop in seminaries and institutes a formation that is focused on the mission, beyond the borders. We believe that if we achieve this goal, many missionary vocations will arise within the seminaries, from among those of us who have participated in this first Missionary Congress," says the text of the Message.
The Congress, which took place July 4 to 10, was organized by the Pontifical Mission Societies of Brazil, the Mission Cultural Center (JCC), the Episcopal Commission for Missionary Animation and Interecclesial Cooperation, and the Episcopal Commission for Ordained Ministry and Consecrated Life of the Brazilian Bishops' Conference (CNBB). The event brought together some 160 seminarians from all over Brazil, with three bishops and several priests who work in the formation of seminarians. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 07/12/2010)
