Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Quito (Agenzia Fides) - Preparations continue for the 3rd American Mission Congress CAM 3 scheduled for 11-16 August 2008 in Quito (Ecuador). The main aim of the Congress, as we see at http://www.cam3ecuador.org/index_OK.htm, is to help the Particular Churches of America live a new Pentecost, assume a state of mission and opt for new evangelisation and mission ad gentes. Specific goals include the following: form missionary disciples of the Gospel of life and hope at the service of evangelisation and mission ad gentes; involve Christian families in the Church’s evangelising mission; promote a missionary dimension in parishes, as a community of communities and lay movements; promote a mission spirit in the ministries and charisma of each Particular Church; encourage the Church in America to become "home and school of communion" at the service of new evangelisation and mission ad gentes.
Preparation for the Congress is based on the following lines: renew the Pentecost event in Particular Churches so the People of God is invited to “recall the past with gratitude, live the present with passion and open with confidence to the future” in the Church’s responsibility to announce the Gospel (NMI 1); support with renewed commitment and creativity new evangelisation in the context of a globalised world with the same ardour of the Lord’s disciples, generator of insuppressible enthusiasm in the task of announcing the Gospel" and promote new "methods for evangelisation” (SD 28-30); help Particular Churches of America to open to the vast horizons of mission ad gentes “where Christ and his Gospel are not known and Christian communities are not mature enough to incarnate their faith in their environment and announce it to others” (RM 31.33).
CAM 3 will be closely connected with the preparation and celebration of the 5th General Conference of CELAM on Brazil in May 2007 which will highlight at CAM 3 the implications for the Particular Churches. Preparatory initiatives include, Quito (Ecuador) 2 - 4 August 1st Missology Symposium to reflect on the missiological vision in the face of the world today. The Symposium will prepare contents for the CAM 3 Working Paper in a missionary key and for CELAM 5. Each day of the Symposium will be dedicated to a special theme: “Pentecost: community carried by the Holy Spirit” “Discipleship: community, disciple of Jesus” “Evangelisation: missionary community for humanity”. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 23/5/2006; righe 34, parole 452)
More info:
http://www.cam3ecuador.org/index_OK.htm
