EUROPE/SPAIN - Spanish Pontifical Mission Societies celebrate the Day of Native Vocations

Sunday, 26 April 2026 vocations local churches seminaries seminarians priests pontifical mission societies

SPAIN

2026-04-26
Spanish Pontifical Mission Societies celebrate the Day of Native Vocations

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Madrid (Fides News Agency) – “Missionaries do extraordinary work, but they do not just do their job; rather, they go to build the Church in the territories where they are, and therefore one of the most important fruits they can bear is the formation of priests, religious men and women who are apostles of their own cultures.”

This is how José María Calderón, national director of the Spanish Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS), expressed himself on the occasion of the presentation of the Day of Native Vocations and the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which are celebrated jointly in Spain.

In a statement released by the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Spain, it is noted that there are approximately 751 seminaries (minor, propaedeutic, and major) supported by the Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle, which is specifically dedicated to supporting the formation of local clergy in territories under the jurisdiction of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches).

Last year, the Society of St. Peter the Apostle distributed approximately €15,793,859.18 among the various seminaries, of which nearly €2 million came from the collection raised in Spain during the Day of Native Vocations.

78% of these funds constitute an annual subsidy for the seminaries' ordinary expenses and for the support of seminarians. The remainder is allocated to specific needs, such as the construction of new classrooms, the installation of solar panels, and the payment of university fees.

The importance of supporting seminaries and nurturing local vocations is also evident in testimonies like that of Bishop Vincent Frederick Mwakhwawa, former director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Malawi, who recounts how, as a child, he was deeply moved by the example of an Italian missionary who visited his village every four months to celebrate the Eucharist. Today, Vincent Frederick Mwakhwawa is Auxiliary Bishop of Lilongwe, Malawi, and recalls: “My parents did not have money, but I was able to receive my formation from the age of 14 thanks to the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, the Pontifical Mission Societies that supports all the diocesan seminaries in my country. I am the fruit of the sacrifice of good people who offered money and prayed for us so that we could become priests. I am deeply grateful.”

Most of the young men who enter seminaries in Malawi do not have sufficient family resources to support themselves during their formation. (EG) (Fides News Agency, 26/4/2026)