Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Brescia (Agenzia Fides) - On 13 October Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples will preside the solemn opening Mass of the "Mission Festival" to be held in Brescia from 12 to 15 October. The event, which has the evocative title "Mission is possible", is promoted by: the Conference of Italian Missionary Institutes (CIMI); "Missio" Foundation (pastoral organization of CEI and national office of the Pontifical Missionary Societies); the diocese of Brescia, in particular through the diocesan missionary Center.
The event will be attended by more than 80 Italian and international guests, more than 30 events, dozens of round tables, shows, prayer vigils in 20 different places in Brescia and the province, 23 exhibitions spread across the territory. "The missionary world is a world that often struggles to work together from within and to communicate effectively outside. Hence the idea of a Festival, a multifaceted but unified event capable of communicating timeless values with new languages and formats, reads the statement sent to Fides, announcing the Festival's program.
Beside the traditional round tables (on October 13, Cardinal Filoni will participate on the future of the mission ad gentes). Among the voices present there will be Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, Ugandan nun Rosemary Nyirumbe (heroine of the year for CNN), Mexican Alejandro Solalinde, nominated for Nobel Peace Prize.
Other events: the concert of The Sun, one of the most beloved Christian rock bands and the "White Night of the Mission". For the entire duration of the Festival, the Youth Village will be active, with proposals for young people, while in a church in the center of Brescia a permanent Eucharistic adoration will be held, indicating the primacy of God that makes mission against all the difficulties possible. Prayer and attention to spiritual moments represent a peculiar feature of the event promoted by missionaries.
There will be 23 permanent exhibitions aimed at informing about themes forgotten by the media, recalling crucial figures in the history of the mission, telling who the missionaries are and why they decide to "leave everything" for the Gospel.
The Festival will also involve the "peripheries": prison, hospital, the world of migrants. Coherent with its inspirational principles, the Festival intends to leave a tangible sign of solidarity: the three promoting bodies have selected as many projects promoted by missionaries in the world, to whom the offerings will be donated during the event. (Agenzia Fides, 7/10/2017)
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