Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Warsaw (Fides Service) - “We draw great encouragement in our missionary activity from the missionary legacy of John Paul II and the words of Pope Benedict XVI on 25 April at St Paul’s Basilica on the importance of missionary work today” said Fr Jan Piotowski, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Poland. The Church in Poland is striving to give new impulse to its missionary activity also through theological reflection on the Second Vatican Council’s Ad Gentes decree on missionary work. At the end of September 118 people, diocesan PMS directors and lay collaborators and delegates from missionary institutes and congregations attended a meeting in Niepokalanów near Warsaw. Also present Bishop Wiktor Skworc of Tarnów President of the Polish Bishops’ Commission for Missions and Bishop Roman Marcinkowski auxiliary of Plock. The themes for reflection included: “The Church’s missionary nature in the light of Ad Gentes Decree - situation and challenges”; “Missionary activity of the Church in Poland in the light of Ad Gentes decree”; “How to speak and write about mission ad gentes in this time of globalisation and new European realities”. The meeting was also an opportunity to share information on missionary activities.
This theological reflection gave many ideas in view of World Mission Sunday. “Missionary animation in view of Mission Sunday is important in the life of our local Churches” said Fr. Jan. Material distributed by the national PMS office included a dossier containing Pope John Paul II’s Message for World Mission Sunday 2005 with practical and spiritual applications.
On 18 June the Polish Bishops’ Conference established a National Missions Council, whose president is Bishop Wiktor Skworc and secretary, the national PMS director Fr. Jan. The purpose of the Council is to encourage missionary animation and cooperation. According to local Church sources with regard to missionary activity the country has 2,060 missionaries including 1,100 religious priests, 600 women religious, 315 fidei donum priests and 50 lay missionaries. On September 1 at the national Mission Formation Centre in Warsaw 35 future missionaries (10 diocesan priests, 5 religious priests, 16 women religious, 1 brother and 4 lay people) started training for mission.
This year’s Holy Childhood offerings, collected by children during the Christmas season, will go to help children in Indonesia. Preparations are underway for the 3rd national congress of the Pontifical Missionary Union in December to mark the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Polish branch. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 25/10/2005, righe 34, parole 452)
