Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Monaco (Agenzia Fides) – On the eve of the Second Ecumenical Church Day in Germany (13-15 May) the Archbishop of Munich, Mgr Reinhard Marx, inaugurated with a special Mass on 5 May the new premises of missio München which will serve principally for initiatives of encounter. “We have about 8,000 to 10,000 visitors every year interested in knowing more about the universal Church and its many aspects” National Director of the PMS in Munich Fr. Eric Englert, OSA writes in a report to Fides Agency. “The visitors will now find these new premises, spacious and full of light, and very welcoming”.
The entrance hall leads to the “African Chapel”, situated at the centre of the premises. The Chapel is embellished with wooden carvings from Malawi and an African tree trunk on which is carved an African Christ. “African forests, the animals and plants, carved in the wood, reflect the Christian faith and the rich language of images of Africans, as well as the power of expression and faith with which the young Churches of Africa translate the Gospel in their own culture” Fr. Englert explains.
An exhibition, hosted in the new premises, illustrates the life of the peoples living in the countries where Pontifical Mission Societies projects are carried out: in Africa, in Oceania and in Asia. “The religiosity, the social involvement of Africans, but also the anxieties and the joys are illustrated thanks to a multimedia experience… we invite our visitors to see the beauty and multiplicity of the universal Church” says Ms Simone Rappel in charge of the missio München formation office.
On the occasion of the 2nd Ecumenical Church Day initiative which this year will be held in Munich, 13 to 15 May, missio offers a special programme for a varied audience (schools, catechism groups, associations, parishes, volunteers): guided visits around the African Chapel and the Exhibition; information on missio's goals, tasks and work methods and the projects it supports; information and news about the different countries and developments in the universal Church. Missio hopes that in this way visitors will have a chance to take a closer and better look at the many commitments supported by the Pontifical Mission Societies in so many different countries. (MS) (Agenzia Fides, 05/05/2010)
