EUROPE/SPAIN - “Madrid with its Missionaries”: 22 missionaries will receive mission cross and mission mandate from the hands of Cardinal Rouco Varela

Friday, 1 June 2007

Madrid (Agenzia Fides) - Trinity Sunday, 3 June, in Spain is the day of 'Madrid with its Missionaries' . This year's theme "Diocesan Church…leave your land" intends to express the nature of the Church and her mystery as a pilgrim people. The day organised by the diocesan mission delegation is devoted to missionaries who go out from Madrid all over the world.
Cardinal Antonio Mª Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Madrid, will preside a celebration at midday for the consignment of the mission cross and sending on mission. "A celebration of catechetical value for all the faithful ” says Rev. Jesús Pérez de Miguel, diocesan delegate for the Mission and the Pontifical Mission Societies who adds that everyone is invited to the celebration to accompany the missionaries who will soon depart for their destination.
For the occasion Cardinal Rouco Varala addressed three different pastoral letters, one to the faithful of the diocese, one to all Madrid's missionaries and one to their families. In the letter to the faithful he recalls two important events: "the priceless gift for the archdiocese of Madrid, for the whole Church of the life, sickness and death of our beloved auxiliary Bishop Eugenio Romero Pose, called from this life by the Father at the age of 58 after ten years of fruitful ministry as a bishop"; and secondly a Youth Mission over the past 12 months in the dioceses of, Madrid, Alcalá de Henares and Getafe. “The response of our missionaries is radical and their precious witness encourages the whole diocesan community to be every day more missionary reaching out to others with the power of love". He also asks the people to sustain the missionaries with prayers and with material assistance.
In the letter to the missionaries the Cardinal expresses his gratitude: "because you render visible the response to the call enclosed in the theme of the Day for this year”. In the letter to the families he thanks them "for giving your sons and daughters to the Lord and you will certainly be rewarded a hundred fold in this life and afterwards with eternal life”, and he concluded “vocations are born and nurtured mainly in the family”.
Rev. Jesús Pérez de Miguel, told Fides that on Sunday 3 June 22 missionaries will receive the missionary mandate for different destinations: 8 women religious will go to India, Angola, Mozambico, Peru (2), Colombia and Dominican Republic (2); 6 married couples: one diocesan couple will go to Cameroon, 2 couples of the Verbum Dei Fraternity will go respectively to Venezuela and the United States, 3 of the Neo catechumen Way couples will go on mission to Guatemala and Japan (2); one missionary lay woman will go to Russia and 1 diocesan priest will go on mission to Colombia. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 1/6/2007; righe 37, parole 523)


Share: