Monday, May 07, 2012

From May 7 to 12 the annual General Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies

On Monday May 7 the Annual General Meeting of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) begins. 

In the House of the Salesians, in via della Pisana 1111 in Rome, the Directors of the national PMS from all continents will gather, with the President and the Secretary General of the four PMS.

As usual, the first part of the Assembly, on Monday 7 and Tuesday, May 8, will be constituted by the pastoral Session, which will be opened by Archbishop Piergiuseppe Vacchelli, Assistant Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and President of the Pontifical Missionaries. 

On Monday 7, in the afternoon there will be the intervention of the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, who will also preside the Eucharist at the end of the day. 

The theme on which the pastoral session will focus is: "Missio ad gentes, a paradigm of the New Evangelization," which will be illustrated by Monsignor Aldo Giordano (Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg) and by Fr. Vito Del Prete, PIME (Secretary General of the Pontifical Missionary Union) to be followed by group work and discussion.

On Wednesday, May 9, with Archbishop Vacchelli’s introductory report and requirements laid down by the Statute (including the presentation of the new National Directors, the election of moderators and the reading of the 2011 minutes) the ordinary Session of the Assembly will begin. 

The reports of the Secretary Generals of the four Pontifical Mission Societies, who will present the past year’s statement, the budget estimates and subsidy requests regarding the various projects that were received. 

On Wednesday morning, May 9 the Secretary General of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Fr. Timothy Lehane, SVD, will speak and in the afternoon it will be the turn of the General Secretary of the Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle, Mgr. Jan Dumon. 

The last report of the day will be Mgr. Silvano Rossi’s, in charge of the Administration.

On Thursday, May 12, it will be the turn of J. Baptistine Ralamboarison, Secretary General of the Pontifical Society of Missionary Childhood, and Fr. Vito Del Prete, PIME, Secretary General of the Pontifical Missionary Union as well as Director of CIAM, who will present their work. 

The afternoon will be dedicated to in-depth examination and meetings for each continent.

The program for Friday, May 11 involves examining decisions of the Board, the approval of the budgets and final projects and other obligations. 

The closing speech of the President of the PMS, Mgr.Vacchelli will close the proceedings of the 2012 Assembly. 

In the afternoon the celebration in the Basilica of St. Peter and the visit to St. Paul's College. 

On Saturday, May 12 the audience of the Holy Father Benedict XVI.