Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
San Jose (Fides Service) - “New Evangelisation and Mission” is the theme for formation courses started on 18 February for all Costa Rican missionaries in view of the third American Mission Congress CAM 3 to be held in Ecuador 2008 said Fr. Manuel Peña González, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Costa Rica and executive secretary of the National Missions Council CONAMI.
The aim of this formation is to consider the new horizons from mission which emerged from the Holy Missionary Year and CAM 2, two important events which instilled a new missionary spirit and impulse in parishes and dioceses and bore other fruits: the creation of a National Missions Council CONAMI; more effective diocesan missions commissions; increased mission awareness among the laity with regard to the duty to engage in universal mission to spread the Good News. Moreover CAM 2 gave rise to concrete initiatives including parish mission programmes and the decision to have a Central America Mission Formation Centre to open soon in Honduras. The director will be Fr Edgar Orozco from San Isidro El Generale diocese, Costa Rica.
In this renewed missionary spirit, formation for CAM 3 gets underway co-ordinated by CONAMI, as part of a three year plan following CAM in preparation for CAM 3. “Preparation will follow two concrete lines: missionary formation and missionary experience - says Fr. Manuel Peña - to prepare Costa Rica’s delegation to make an important contribution to the great mission celebration”. There will be four formation meetings in 2006: 18 February, 29 April on Mission ad gentes, 29 July on the theme of “Pentecost” and 9 September on “Discipleship - Bishops’ Conferences of Latin America”.
The first meeting on 18 February brought together 46 men and women missionaries from all over Costa Rica. The theme for reflection was new evangelisation and its relation with Mission and Missions, underlining the need to integrate mission dimension in ordinary pastoral in parishes and dioceses so that mission is no longer considered separate pastoral care. The meeting also underlined the need to give new impulse to mission ad gentes which must not be an extra, encouraging the formation of people working in the field of the Church’s mission. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 10/3/2006 - righe 35, parole 469)
