Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Manila (Agenzia Fides) - The mission in the Philippines travels on blogs, social networks, with new technologies and new channels, because it aims to "speak the language of the youth": is what Fr. Socrates Mesiona, National Director of Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in the Philippines says in an interview with Fides, drawing a picture of the missionary activities of the local church in the missionary month of October. The priest emphasizes the need for constant work of missionary formation among the People of God.
What are the main initiatives of the missionary Month?
The focus of our initiatives for the missionary month of October is to spread awareness of the mission and promotion of the missionary spirit. We do this through formation and information, using the means of social communication and meetings in various dioceses, parishes and schools. We use social network sites like Facebook, we also produce radio spots, specific radio programs, we coordinate with print media in the national as well as in the diocesan level and ask them to write about the significance of "mission". We have prepared subsidies for the homilies, and distribute them to the parish priests, and for catechesis on mission and evangelization, as well as printing posters on the theme of World Mission Sunday, distributing them to all parishes and Catholic schools in the country. In addition to traditional fundraising, we organize prayer meetings for missions.
What is the program of the PMS focused on?
Our work is focused mainly on intensifying mission formation to make each local church a "Church-in-mission". In addition to this program, we strive to make the Pontifical Mission Societies an integral part of each local church, thus making it a privileged instrument for missionary awareness and cooperation.
What are the most urgent challenges for the mission in the Philippines today?
I would like to start first and foremost to talk about the importance of a sound catechesis and Christian formation, which is the basis for all missionary issues. From here, we move to combine the urgency of evangelization with the themes of peace building, social justice and development, that Christians are called to face. A necessity, then, that is called for is environmental protection and preservation of Creation. Finally, in a young country like the Philippines, we need to try to reach-out to the young generations, speaking their language and using their channels of communication and formation, to ensure that the gospel will touch their hearts.
How is evangelization progressing today? What are the main difficulties?
I see in the Church and among Christians a constant effort to evangelize the people at different levels of society, and this is a positive sign. On the other hand, the mission must be adapted to cultural changes: the advent of social media and the great influence of mass media can also be seen as an obstacle to the mission. The immediate availability of diverse information, in fact, tends to marginalize the Christian vision of life and Christian teachings. This dynamic is most evident in urban areas and less in rural areas. However, the Philippine population still gives much importance to Christian values and strongly participates in the life of the Church.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 10/10/2011)
