OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - National Directors Pontifical Mission Societies in Oceania aim to increase mission awareness among young people in view of WYD 2008 and consider a 1st Mission Congress hosted by Oceania

Friday, 23 February 2007

Sydney (Agenzia Fides) - To share experience, impressions and ideas, intensify contact: in this spirit Father Terry Bell, National Director of Catholic Mission Australia, Father Paul Shannahan (New Zealand), Father Nick de Groot (Papua New Guinea), Father Roger McCarrick (Pacific Islands) and Father Filomeno Jacob (East Timor) met at Mary McKillop Place in North Sydney to discuss among many things, World Youth Day 2008 and PMS Oceania’s involvement.
“Our role will be to foster the more face-to-face contact with youth in the Oceania region before World Youth Day,” said Father Nick de Groot. “Australian youth will visit neighbouring countries in the region, and then host their new friends when they come to Sydney for the World Youth Day celebrations in July next year.”
The five National Directors met for the first time last year in Fiji, and decided it would be highly beneficial to all of them to meet on a yearly basis, to share ideas and resources. They plan to work together to help raise the profile of PMS in each country, therefore raising much needed funds for people in need around the world. Most of the countries represented in Oceania receive funding from PMS but are becoming missionary, helping people in other countries that are less fortunate than themselves.Oceania, which covers a third of the earth’s surface, is a very troubled region of the world at present with unrest in East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Fiji. There are many pressures on the economy and unemployment is often high in the region. One of the hot topics being discussed this week is the possibility of the first Mission Congress to be hosted by Oceania. Last year the first Asian Mission Congress was held in Thailand, and the National Directors are reviewing the event, along with Bishop Peter Ingham, President of the Federation of Catholic Bishops of Oceania. PA) (Agenzia Fides 23/2/2007 righe 26 parole 267 )


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