Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Madrid (Agenzia Fides) - "Latin American countries need God, like everyone else", underlines Fr. José María Calderón, secretary of the Episcopal Commission for the Missions and Cooperation between the Churches of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), and national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS), in a video released by the CEE. "But in these moments when there are so many difficulties, problems and conflicting situations, Christ is the only one who can give meaning and indicate the way out", highlights Fr. Calderón.
On the occasion of the "Día de Hispanoamérica", which is celebrated on the first Sunday of March and this year has the theme "Why they live in him" (see Fides 20/2/2020), in a note sent to Agenzia Fides, Spain's PMS recall that currently 50.96% of Spanish missionaries are in Latin America. This day, which has been held in Spain since 1949, places particular emphasis on the service of the Spanish diocesan priests who are sent to exercise their ministry in the Churches of Latin America. The Episcopal Commission for the Missions has a service, the Obra de Cooperación Sacerdotal Hispanoamericana (OCSHA), to coordinate collaboration between the dioceses of origin and destination. This institution sent three new members in 2019. There are currently 208 missionaries active in 20 countries in Latin America. The Latin American country that welcomes more OCSHA missionaries is Peru, while the dioceses that send more priests are Toledo (24) and Burgos (17).
The offerings that this Sunday will be collected in the Spanish parishes will go to help the OCSHA priests. The Mass dedicated to this Day will be broadcast on La 2 de TVE by the Parish of Our Lady of the Americas in Madrid, presided over by the Auxiliary Bishop of Bilbao, Mgr. Joseba Segura Etxezarraga, member of the Episcopal Commission for the Missions. Immediately afterwards, the "Pueblo de Dios" program will broadcast a service carried out with the collaboration of the PMS in Chile, where the testimony of three OCSHA priests from Valencia who carry out their work of evangelization in the Andean country will be presented. (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 29/2/2020)
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