Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – On Saturday, December 20, at the CIAM (International Center for Missionary Animation) headquarters, a Christmas gathering was held for all the personnel working in the International Secretariats of the Pontifical Mission Societies. The event took place not only in light of the upcoming celebration of Christmas, but also as a welcoming ceremony for the new President of the Pontifical Mission Societies, Archbishop Piergiuseppe Vacchelli, and the new Secretary General of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Fr. Timothy Lehane, SVD. Fr. Vito del Prete, PIME, Secretary General of the Pontifical Missionary Union, gave the welcoming address to all present, as Director of CIAM.
After the celebration of Lauds, Archbishop Vacchelli gave his “impressions and perspectives on this new task,” sharing his experience of missionary charity services and highlighting the importance of spirituality in missionary activity and the support of Divine Grace as the secret to success. The new Secretary General of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Fr. T. Lehane, affirmed that he was “delighted to be in Rome and grateful for all that God has given me over the course of my life.” In these three initial months of his work, his main task has been “observing and listening.” The missionary activity carried out by the Society is “a wonderful work,” Fr. Lehane said, because “not only are we walking on missionary soil, but we also have the possibility, through our work, of helping the missions.”
In his address, Fr. Patrick Byrne, SVD, Secretary General of the Holy Childhood Association, recalled the Holy Father's address given on the feast of Epiphany 2008, which centered in the hope that the children have given us through their suffering caused by the war and illnesses, such as AIDS. He then told some of his impressions of his many missionary trips, which have allowed him to become more familiar with these children, and he concluded by affirming that “we are people with hope,” and therefore, we should try to find a way to help these children and pray for this upcoming year.
The Secretary of the Pontifical Society of Saint Peter the Apostle, Msgr. Jan Dumon, spoke of his recent trip to Kenya. There, he mainly visited the Seminaries, having the opportunity to speak with several Bishops, who are very concerned about the formation of their priests. “What most impresses me, in a very positive way, is that I saw the desire of the Church in that country to be self-sufficient, or at least administrate well their resources,” Msgr. Dumon said, highlighting the importance of the trips to various mission countries as an aid in “getting to know their perspectives and problems.”
Fr. Vito del Prete recalled this past year as Director of CIAM, focusing mainly on the commitment to coordinate missionary activities and formation through the courses organized by the PUM and the CIAM. “All the Societies have one soul, one living spirit,” Fr. Vito said, highlighting the fact that the missionary is the one who can act in Christ's name. If this is the task of the mission, in order to meet this demand the servants in this mission need to be well formed.”
Speaking from the point of view of the administration, Msgr. Silvano Rossi made “an invitation to an improved collaboration among ourselves” and to “live Christ's love in the workplace,” with an effort “to understand one another.” The exhortation was made to remind everyone that “we have little time to live, but a lot of work to do,” aware of the fact that “many of our brethren count on our work.”
In the Closing Mass, Archbishop Vacchelli asked everyone to work “for our salvation and that of the world,” because “the Wisdom and Omnipotence of God, through our faith, can do wonders.” (MS/NZ) (Agenzia Fides 22/12/2008)
