AMERICA/BRAZIL - The Scalabrinians: "The mission in today's world is a call for all Christians"

Brasilia (Agenzia Fides) - "Evangelization in this great country requires enormous human resources for any ecclesial and social project", says to Agenzia Fides Fr. Mario Geremia, Superior of the Scalabrinian missionary community in the Archdiocese of São Sebastião in Rio de Janeiro. Illustrating the "Fraternity Campaign", the annual Lenten initiative of the Brazilian Church, the missionary states: "Together with local Churches and social movements, our action intends to build spaces for reflection and to stimulate missionary action". We organize seminars, Bible studies, laboratories, round tables, street demonstrations, processions and "direct dialogues with local public authorities to concretize the evangelizing action", he adds.
A question and a crucial challenge that the Church is facing concerns the reception of migrants from Venezuela. "To date, there are about 3.4 million people forced to leave that country", says Father Geremia. "In Brazil, in December 2018, the number of Venezuelans was 1,102,000. To respond to this humanitarian crisis, the Scalabrinian missionaries decided to set up two Integrated Centers of attention towards migrants in the state of Roraima, on the border with Venezuela. "The structures - explains the missionary - offer accommodation services, food distribution, job training, primary health care, legal assistance, support for minors and psychological and spiritual support".
This year, in October, both the Extraordinary Missionary Month and the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon will be celebrated, the missionary points out. Thinking of the Church's missionary path, Father Gerardo notes that "the mission in the world today is a call and a commitment for all Christians, for all the baptized: it is necessary to have a great sensitivity towards the need of others". (ES) (Agenzia Fides, 13/4/2019)

Share:

evangelization

---

---

mission

---

---

missionaries

---

---

migrants

---

---