Aachen (Fides Service) - "Like the apostles we are messengers of God's peace". This is the slogan of Missionary Childhood in Germany, the land of the Stern Singers or children carol singers who collect money for poor children in missions. Fides Service has just received a comment on the Pope's letter to Holy Childhood for the 160th anniversary of its foundation, from Mgr Winfried Pilz, National director, who describes the activity and commitment of the children in his care. In his letter the Holy Father praises the work of the Stern Singers.
"Since January 1, 2001 when three groups of Stern Singers had the joy of greeting the new millennium with the Pope during the Mass celebrated in St Peter's Square, the Pope has repeatedly encouraged children to be "little missionaries", to carry a message of hope to all people and to help the suffering children in mission countries. In this new message he speaks of this activity, founded in France in 1843, as a Blessing" writes Mgr Pilz.
"From this impulse the Society of the Missionary Childhood was born and lives, working with commitment and creativity with increasing support from the people. Children today grow up in a context where Christian faith and symbols are ever less visible and present, a context, which for some time many have called a mission land. This means we must motivate children continuously and at the same time missionary formation, the importance of which is underlined by the Holy Father, becomes ever more difficult, although no less captivating. The aim of Missionary Childhood is to help children in Germany to know more about the life and experience of children in other countries and continents. This is enrichment for them and so as they give they also receive. This is the experience of the universal Church." Mgr Pilz says that today materialism is a problem: "children are surrounded by consumerism, free time, the media, modern life in general, all render the situation ever more complicated". With this in mind, the aim of Missionary Childhood in Germany is to rediscover fundamental values to give more visibility to its profile in a pluralistic context. "In his message the Pope indicates the spiritual and practical path we have to travel. Mission means being sent to all people, as the words of a Greek song, which we had translated for our children: Like the apostles we are messengers of God's peace" concludes Mgr Pilz (MS) (Fides Service 15/1/2003)