| Brasilia (Fides Service) – Study, reflection and programming of activities regarding the Pontifical Mission Society of Missionary Childhood for 2004 was the focus of the annual national meeting of Missionary Childhood in Brazil, held in Brasilia from 3 to 6 December at the national offices of Pontifical Mission Societies PMS in Brazil. In a message sent to Fides Rev. Daniele Lagni, PMS National Director in Brazil said that 25 representatives of the different regions in which the Church in Brazil is organised approved guidelines for setting up new Missionary Childhood groups. The guidelines are 12 “Twelve steps for forming Missionary Childhood groups: sowing seeds; soil; team; preparation; sending; selection; group; methods; co-ordinating; formation of leaders; ongoing formation; opening to others. The aim of the guidelines is to ensure that Missionary Childhood groups are well inserted in general pastoral activities and pastoral work in parishes and schools so that MC Groups “may fulfil their function to diffuse the missionary ideal among the People of God”.
The document says it is important to ensure Missionary Childhood members are taught to show spiritual and material solidarity with all the peoples of the world. In this vision it underlines that Missionary Childhood, having for its charisma attention towards ad gentes missionary situations, does not neglect at the same time local needs, especially missionary situations existing in the parish and community”.
Missionary activity ad gentes (beyond frontiers) regards also those social and human situations which are not considered in ordinary pastoral or the attention of its workers: “Missionary Childhood must be a Society which assumes those problems and those realities which no one wants to face because they are dangerous, difficult or forgotten”. It is underlined that Missionary Childhood leaders must build relations of collaboration with persons, groups, institutions, also non ecclesial, which work with children and adolescents in situations at risk. “To be Missionary means ignoring borders, going beyond frontiers. This is our charisma” says Father Savio Corinaldesi, SX, national secretary of Missionary Childhood in Brazil.(R.Z.) (Fides Service 18/12/2003; lines 29 words 344)
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