Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Quito (Fides Service) - In keeping with the 5th General Conference of the Council of Latin American Bishops’ Conferences which will have the theme “Disciples and Missionaries of Jesus Christ that our peoples may have life in Him”, the 3rd American Mission Congress CAM 3 to be held 11 al 16 August 2008 in Quito, Ecuador, has adopted the following objectives: “To form disciples, missionaries of the Gospel of Life and Hope to put themselves at the service of new evangelisation and mission ad gentes”; “involve Christian families in the evangelising mission of the Church helping them to rediscover their identity and put themsleves at the service of new evangelisation and mission ad gentes”; “Promote the missionary dimension of the parish as a community of communities and lay movements so that the People of God may shoulder the responsiblity for new evangelisation and mission ad gentes”; “promote a missionary spirit in the ministries and charisma of Particular Churches so pastoral operators and church structures and instances may be at theservice of new evangelisation and mission ad gentes”; “animate the Church in America to help it become ‘home and school of communion’ at the service of new evangelisation and mission ad gentes”.
The main themes for CAM 3 are the following: “revive the fundamental event of Pentecost in Particular Churches so that the People of God may recall with gratitude the past, live with passion the present and open with trust to the future shouldering the Church’s historical responsiblity to announce the Gospel (NMI 1); promote new evangelisation in the context of a globalised world with renewed impulse and creativity …; help local Church of America open to the vast horizons of mission ad gentes Gentes (RM 31.33).
CAM 3, the initial project states, will give special attention to demands stemming from the missionary mandate of Christ the Redeemer: “On the basis of ecclesial experience of Pentecoste we want the entire American continent to put itself in a ‘state of mission’…”. Hence the need to “render every particular Church an ambit and context of new evangelisation and mission ad gentes, and at the same time the receiver and agent of the proclamation of Christ”. To take up the challenge of new evangelisation in order to counter secularisation and materialism, CAM 3 wishes to “promote personal and community experience of God, an encounter with Christ and opening to the Spirit, which gives meaning to the life of the individual and peoples orienting them towards the Kingdom, through the proclamation of the Gospel, human promotion and the evangelisation of culture”. Starting from the anthropological experience of Pentecoste towards mission Ad Gentes to build up the Kingdom of God, CAM 3 intends to promote opening to “the mystery of Triune God who reveals his plan for redemption in the life of individuals and peoples, in a special way to the poor and to “non Christian groups and environments”. They must hear explicit proclamation of Corist and his Gospel, with them the local Church must grow and promote the values of the Kingdom (RM 34)”. (RZ) (Agenzia Fides 5/9/2005; righe 37 parole 501)
