VATICAN - Accompanying the studies of priests and nuns from all over the world: the Domus Missionalis Foundation

Friday, 12 February 2021 evangelization   congregation for the evangelization of peoples   pontifical mission societies  

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - "We want to make students from all over the world to experience the catholicity and universality of the Church. The main purpose of the Domus Missionalis Foundation is to look after and accompany seminarians and priests as well as men and women religious who come to study in Rome from the churches of Africa, Asia, America and Oceania": explains Fr. Remigio Bellizio, Director of the "Domus Missionalis, which was established with the consent of Pope Benedict XVI within the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples as a foundation of the Pontifical Mission Societies on May 20, 2005. The main purpose of the Foundation is to host the ecclesiastical people from the so-called "mission territories" to deepen their higher studies in the various pontifical universities.
Fr. Bellizio explains: "Currently there are around 800 seminarians, priests and nuns who are studying in the various colleges that are supervised by Domus Missionalis. First of all, there is the Urban College, for seminarians and students who have already completed the first cycle of philosophy, and are studying theology, while some for the specialization cycle; then there is the St. Peter's International College in which we have about 170 students engaged in the second cycle of specialization and the doctorate; the St Paul College accomodates about 200 students, also here for the second cycle of specialization and the doctorate; Professors from all the institutes affiliated to our Pontifical Urbaniana University come to the St. Joseph College for refresher courses; in addition, there is the Mater Ecclesiae College, in which more than 130 nuns currently live, who belong to the new diocesan congregations in the mission territories. Finally, there is the International Center for Missionary Animation (CIAM), a structure commissioned by Pope Paul VI, that accomodate groups who take part in advanced training courses or retreats".
"Around a century after the discovery of America, Pope Urban VIII had this great intuition: The training of missionaries is the task of the church, which sends them for evangelization ad extra. The commitment of the Domus Missionalis is still based on this inspiration today", says Fr. Bellizio.
And he concludes: "This is the great challenge of the mission: to make people all over the world realize that Jesus, as St. John Paul II often said, is the only Savior of man, everywhere in every corner of the world". (MI-PA) (Agenzia Fides, 12/2/2021)


Share: