Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Madrid (Fides Service) - On Sunday 29 April on the occasion of the Church's world day of prayer for Vocations, the Spanish national office of Pontifical Mission Societies will launch a campaign and a Day for Native Vocations with the theme in 'Native Vocations at the Service of the Community'. The campaign, promoted by the Pontifical Society St Peter Apostle, aims to ensure that not even one vocation to the priesthood or the consecrated life is lost for want of funds, to ensure the growth of the local clergy in mission territories and the formation of priests and men and women religious, encourage the faithful to pray for vocations in mission lands and to make offerings towards study grants for seminarians and novices and promote spiritual and material assistance for sick or retired priests in mission territories. The necessity of vocations is felt the world over. In mission countries the number of women religious in the last 15 years had increased by 31,000 units reaching a total 147,343 women religious. Male vocations increased in fifteen years from 38,000 to 51, 358.
The Day was presented on 24 April by PMS national director Bishop Francisco and vice director Rev. Anastasio Gil who encouraged people to give generously in support of native vocations, knowing that the sum of 350 Euro will pay an academic course for a seminarian or novice; 1,000 Euro will fund 3 years of formation for a seminarian; a complete study grant of 2,000 Euro would pay for 6 years of formation for one seminarian (RG) (Agenzia Fides 27/4/2007 righe 27 parole 281)
