Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Madrid (Agenzia Fides) – Beginning today, July 7, until Friday, July 11, the Theology School in Burgos will host the 61st Spanish Missiology Week. The Missionary Week will be dedicated this year to the Year of St. Paul that has been declared by Pope Benedict XVI in commemoration of the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of Saint Paul. With this in mind, the theme and motto for the Week is “Missionaries today, St. Paul-style.”
The objective of the Week is to reflect on and analyze Saint Paul, who is considered as “the Apostle to the Gentiles” because of the passion with which he consecrated his life to the evangelization of the non-Jewish peoples. There are many biographical aspects of the Apostle that can serve as an inspiration for us to evangelize in our times. With this in mind, the conferences and round-table discussions will present the most fundamental points of his spirituality and activity, as well as the modern means for living the spirit of Saint Paul. The Week’s opening ceremony will be led by the Archbishop of Burgos, His Excellency Francisco Gil Hellin. His address will be followed by that of Archbishop Francisco Perez Gonzalez of Pamplona and Tudela, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, who will give a lecture entitled, “From the mission of Saint Paul to the mission of the Third Millenium.” Some of the scheduled talks are: “A mission in context”; “Joy for God’s victory, the root of the Pauline mission”; “The mission in the new areopagus, Saint Paul style”: “The Bishops’ Committee for the Missions facing the challenge of the next three-year term”; “Women and the mission, in the spirit of Saint Paul”; “A mission at the service of forgiveness”; “Saint Paul reaching out to others”; “Living the Pauline charism today”; “The missionary spirituality of Saint Paul”. On July 9, the Council of the “Obra de Cooperación Sacerdotal Hispanoamericana - OCSHA (Latin American Priestly Cooperative Society)” will meet, as well as the National Missions Council.
The National Missions Council is part of the Bishops’ Committee for the Missions and Cooperation Among the Churches, founded by the Spanish Bishops Conference for missionary reflection, activity, and coordination in Spain. During this meeting, several items will be discussed including the creation of a new National Missions Center, with a presentation of its nature, purpose, and structure. There will also be a presentation of the draft for the Plan of Action of the Bishops’ Committee for the Missions for the coming three-year term (2008-2011). In addition, there will be a book presentation on the work entitled “La Iglesia misionera” (The missionary Church), which gathers information from documents of the Magisterium on the universal mission of the Church in all its dimensions. There will also be an evaluation of the National Days of diocesan missionary delegates, which took place this past May and subsequent celebrations are being planned to take place in Madrid, May 19-21 of 2009.
Lastly, the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, Archbishop Francisco Perez Gonzalez will present the World Missions Sunday (DOMUND 2008), which will have as its theme this year: “Like Paul, missionary by vocation.”
In the meeting of the Council of the “Obra de Cooperación Sacerdotal Hispanoamericana (OCSHA),” a report and evaluation of the OCSHA encounter for priests in Cuba will be presented, as well as the upcoming continental encounter planned to take place in Argentina. They will also discuss the matters enumerated in the Conclusive Document of Aparecida, especially those related to the cooperation between the Churches of Spain and Latin America. They will also evaluate the celebration of “Hispano-American Day” this year and prepare for the celebration of 2009, scheduled for March 1. A report on the status of the priests of the OCSHA in Latin America will also be presented. The Council will also discuss the Spanish delegation in the Third American Missionary Congress (CAM 3). Lastly, there will be a report from the OCSHA, regarding those priests who have returned to Spain.
The OCSHA is a service of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, founded in order to support priests that go on missions to other Churches in need, without losing their status as members of the Diocese of their origin. Since 1949, 2,151 diocesan priests have gone to Latin America through OCSHA. There are currently 995 diocesan priests from Spain in Latin America, 409 of which belong to OCSHA. Every year, between 10 and 20 priests are sent from Spain, through OCSHA, in order to collaborate with the younger and most needy Churches. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 7/7/2008)
