Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lyon (Agenzia Fides) - The life of Christian communities, the missionary and pastoral activities of local churches and the witness to the vitality and beauty of the proclamation of the Gospel are the criteria taken into account by the jury members when awarding the prize named after Blessed Pauline Jaricot conceived and organized by the National Direction of the Pontifical Mission Societies in France (PMS) and is being awarded for the second time this year. The prize was first announced in 2022 on the occasion of the beatification of Pauline Marie Jaricot (see Fides 23/5/2022). Aimed at young people between 18 and 35 years old, it consists of the creation of an audio, written or video report, the main purpose of which is to report on the mission of the Church today. "For the second time, the Pauline Jaricot Prize aims to encourage young people to discover mission and present it in the current context. Talking about mission is itself a way of evangelization. Mission is not just a thing of the past, it is also today still really relevant," said Georges Delrieu, Secretary General of the Pontifical Mission Societies in France. Many young people have experiences studying, traveling and volunteering in mission countries, thereby coming into contact with religious and lay missionaries, and this competition aims to motivate them to become "windows to the mission world". Through the opportunities offered by today's technology, these young people are called to witness and share a beauty that is often hidden in the ordinary lives of missionaries working in local churches. Blessed Jaricot dedicated her life to them, supporting the evangelization work of so many men and women at that time. Thanks to the extraordinary intuition of prayer and sacrifice, she created a worldwide "network" that emerged without any human strategy and spread in surprising ways, exceeding all her expectations. The competition, the details and conditions of participation of which can be found on the dedicated website, also offers scholarships to cover the costs of producing the report (application deadline April 29, 2024). Entries in the three categories (audio, video and print) must be submitted by the end of September 2024. The prizes will be awarded in October 2024 during World Mission Week and consist of a voucher to be spent at a Catholic travel agency. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 24/1/2024)
