AMERICA/MEXICO - Continental Pastoral Marian Meeting “discovering the inexhaustible riches of the missionary pastoral of Mary, first disciple and missionary of her Son and teacher of His disciples and missionaries”

Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) - “At this time of grace as we are preparing for the Conference at Aparecida, we felt the pastoral necessity to celebrate this Congress to discover the inexhaustible riches of the missionary pastoral of Mary, first disciple and missionary of her Son and teacher of His disciples and missionaries” said Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, President of CELAM, when he inaugurated yesterday 27 September, a Theological-Pastoral Marian Congress. The Cardinal underlined that the CELAM Conference will be held for the first time at a Marian Shrine, Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil.
The aim of the Theological-Pastoral Marian Congress organised as part of preparation for CELAM general conference in May 2007, is to deepen, through Marian devotion, the encounter with the living Jesus Christ. The Congress is being held at the offices of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference at Cuautitlan City - Izcalli, and will close on Sunday. The goal is to promote and encourage Marian devotion in Latin America with the help of priests and pastoral workers that it may bear fruit and deepen the encounter with the living Christ and the bond with the Church, vivifying liturgical life, catechetical formation, community life, missionary and charity work, evangelisation of culture... in a word every dimension of Christian life.
The 167 participants come from all over Latin America, from Italy and the United States. The themes for reflection include the following: “Mary, Mother and Model as a teacher of disciples and missionaries of Jesus Christ " (Fr. Stefano Di Fiores smm); "The Marian Principle: key to Marian pastoral and pedagogy in discipleship and mission" (Fr. Joaquín Alliende sch); "Marian Pedagogy in discipleship and mission " (Fr. Joaquín Alliende); "Dimension and growth of Marian spirituality " (Ms Deyanira Flores González); " Guidelines for deepening Marian pastoral " (Fr. Francisco Petrillo omd). Discussion groups will focus on: Mary in the Church; Maria in popular devotion and Shrines; Mary "woman of the Eucharist"; Mary and women today; Maria and our social commitment; Maria in art; Maria in catechesis.
Participants will visit the shrine of San Juan Diego at Cuautitlán and make a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Tepeyac for a prayer vigil and cultural evening. The event will close on Sunday 1 October with Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 28/9/2006; righe 37, parole 498)