Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Quito (Agenzia Fides) - Osvaldo Fierro, secretary executive of the Third American Mission Congress CAM 3, to be held in Quito, Ecuador 12 - 17 August 2008 sent a report to Fides on preparatory initiatives during the past year.
23 - 27 April: During a plenary assembly of the Bishops of Ecuador, dedicated to the missionary dimension of the particular Church (see Fides 21/4/2007), the Archbishop of Quite Mgr Raúl Vela, responsible for the organisation of CAM 3, gave a general presentation of the Congress, analysing the contents of a Missionary Letter of particular importance.
During 2007 there was the presentation of the official Congress Hymn and a promotional video-clip
see Fides 22/11/2007) and a CD with 13 hymns on the themes, goals and contents of the Congress: “This is the first ever CAM CD to encourage preparation of the Congress” says the report sent to Fides.
In November 2006, Cardinal Antonio González Zumárraga, CAM 3 president asked the Pope to write a special prayer for the Congress: the text was presented in August 2007 during a 2nd International Symposium on Missiology. “At both the national and international level prayer is a valid means of preparation for the Congress” says Osvaldo Fierro.
After almost three years hard work the Theological Commission presided by Bishop Julio Terán Dutari of Ibarra diocese, elaborated the Working Paper which was presented at the above mentioned Symposium on 2 August 2007 (see Fides 19/9/2007 and 22/11/2007). The working paper is in close relation with the final document of Aparecida. Copies of the Working Paper, which has five chapters: "The Church and missionary discipleship", “Our missionary life in America and CAM-COMLA", "Discipleship: the community, a disciple of Jesus ", "Pentecost: community borne by the Spirit", "Evangelisation: missionary community for humanity " was sent to the presidents of national Bishops Conference as well as national directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies.
Some 20 delegates from 17 different countries of America involved in the Church's missionary work, attended a 2nd International Symposium on Missiology held 31 July to 3 August 2007 to reflect on anthropology and the pastoral care of missionary activity to make a contribution to the preparation of CAM 3 and the Continental Mission proposed by 5th General Conference of the Council of Bishops' Conferences of Latin America and the Caribbean in Aparecida. (see Fides 4/7/2007).
With the help of the Bishops Conference of Ecuador various national commissions were created to structure the process of preparation and celebration of CAM3: Central, Directional, Theological, Economic, Methodological. The Central Commission was entrusted to the archdiocese of Quito (see Fides 4/6/2007).
Several dioceses in Ecuador organised their own Diocesan Mission Congress as a vital element for preparation for CAM 3 in every local Church. Another 14 Diocesan Mission Congresses are planned for the first months of this year 2008. Uruguay will hold a National Mission Congress in May and Venezuela, El Salvador, Uruguay, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Brazil will also hold national mission congresses this year.
The Bishops of Ecuador, during their Plenary assembly last November, made public a Mission Letter addressed to the country illustrating the preparation activity CAM 3 (see Fides 22/10/2007 and 24/10/2007). From 23 June to 17 August 2008 the relics of St Therese of Lisieux, the patron saint of the missions will visit the dioceses of Ecuador and then remain in Quito during CAM 3 (see Fides 4/6/2007). (RG) (Agenzia Fides 11/1/2008; righe 52, parole 652)
