Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
by Cristina Grigore
Bucharest (Agenzia Fides) - Father Tadeusz Nowak, Secretary General of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith (POPF), describes as a "historic moment" the inauguration of the chapel of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Romania on Saturday, April 20 in Bucharest. This is the first place of worship in Romania named after Blessed Pauline Jaricot, foundress of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. The inauguration ceremony took place after a mass in the parish church near the headquarters of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Romania, presided over by the Archbishop of Bucharest, Aurel Perca. The Archbishop Emeritus of Bucharest, Ioan Robu, the Council of the Apostolic Nunciature in Romania, Prelate Tuomo T. Vimpari, the Secretary General of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Father Nowak, the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Romania, Father Eugene Blaj, Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic priests from Bucharest, children of the Pontifical Children's Mission Society in Romania together with director Matilda Stefan Andrici and the American artist of Mexican origin Lalo Garcia as well as numerous faithful also took part in the celebration.
At the beginning of the mass, the Archbishop of Bucharest blessed the image of Blessed Pauline Jaricot, painted by the artist Lalo Garcia, which was then placed in the central altar of the chapel. The artist personally brought the painting to Romania and declared himself "privileged to have been chosen to paint the image of Blessed Pauline". In the painting, Pauline is holding a rosary in her hands, which is a replica of a wooden rosary that the artist carried with him throughout the creation of the work and which he presented to Father Eugen Blaj at the end of the mass as a gift for the Pontifical Mission Societies in Romania. In his homily, Father Nowak spoke about the life of Pauline Jaricot and her charism. Father Tadeusz recalled that the Church is missionary by nature and lives to evangelize, emphasizing that "we are all called to mission." "Of course," he said, "we cannot all leave our countries to go to China, Laos or Bangladesh, and in this sense Blessed Pauline Jaricot has found a special role and a special place in the history of the Church. But "As her charism suggests, each of us can participate in the mission of the Church". Father Nowak spoke of the means that Pauline Jaricot mentioned as contributing to the missionary apostolate: first of all, prayer (in this context he recalled the 'Living Rosary', which arose from the apostolic intuition of the French Blesseds); and finally, knowledge of missionaries' needs and support of the Church's missions. "Pauline died poor in material goods but rich in spiritual goods," explained the priest at the end of the homily, "this was recognized by the Church after two hundred years and she was declared beatified. Let us thank God for the charism he gave to Blessed Pauline Jaricot and that she left to the Church, and let us pray that the hearts of all Christians will become more eager and open to share the Good News with others and to participate in the mission of the Church, bearing witness to the mystery of the Risen Christ ". The Mass was celebrated in the presence of the relic of Blessed Pauline Jaricot, which the Pontifical Mission Societies received two weeks ago from Archbishop Olivier de Germay of Lyon. Before giving the final blessing with the relic of the French Blessed, the Archbishop of Bucharest, Aurel Perca, prayed "through the intercession of Blessed Pauline Jaricot for graces for the universal Church, for the missions and for all people who spread missionary works." After the Mass, the relic of Blessed Pauline Jaricot and her image were carried in a procession to the chapel of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Romania, where, following the rite of inauguration of the chapel, she was venerated by the faithful who took part in the celebration. "We thank God for this great gift of having Blessed Pauline among us as we dedicate the first chapel in Romania in her honor. We pray to Blessed Pauline that through her service and courage she will inspire us to live our lives in Christ, and that the celebration of her holiness serves for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls," says a statement from the Pontifical Mission Societies. (Agenzia Fides, 22/4/2024)
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