CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF TANGA

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PMS OFFICE

 

 

PONTIFICAL MISSIONARY SOCIETIES(PMS)

It is “Pontifical” because it is an agency of the Papacy.
It is “Missionary’ because it promotes the Gospel mandate ‘Go preach to all Nations”
It is “Societies” because it is an organization with four arms.

1. Pontifical Missionary Society for the Propagation of Faith.(C.S.P.F.)

Society for the Propagation of the Faith
Founded: 1822 at Lyons in France
Founder: A group of lay people among whom the central figure was Miss Pauline Jaricot: a venerable and lay woman.
Aim: Awakening an interest in world – wide evangelization daily prayer for the propagation of faith and collection of aids for the mission work.
Granted Pontificial Status: On May 3rd 1922
Headquarters: Transferred: Lyons to Rome
Benefit: Grants for buildings of Churches, and other Church structures (from Lyons to Rome); paying Catechists care of missionaries in difficult places etc.

2. Pon tifical Missionary Society of Holy Childhood
(S.M.C. – Society of the Missionary Childhood)
Founded: 1843 at Nancy in France.
Founder: Bishop de Forbin Janson
Aim: Education of Christian children to think about their counterparts in poorer conditions. To help, educators to awaken missionary awareness in children (6 to 14 years) so as to lead them to share spiritual and material resources with other poor children of the World.
Granted Pontifical Character: On May 3, 1922
Headquarters: Rome from France
Benefits: Promotes Missionary Vocations; grants for projects in favour of children like building, running kindergartens, Nursery schools. etc.

Main activities.
a. To cooperate with Diocesan children committee to organize the World Day of Children for children.
b. To help the Diocese to organize the yearly collection done with children for the universal Solidarity fund.
c. To give a missionary formation to the children animators through SOMA Workshop.

3. Pontifical Missionary Society of St. Peter the Apostle.
(S.P.A. – Society of St. Peter the Apostle)
Founded; 1889 at Caen in France
Founder: Jeanne Bigard, a lay woman
Aim: To awaken Christians to the need of training local clergy and to invite them to participate in the training of candidates for the Priesthood and religious life both spiritually and materially.

 

Main activity;
To organize a yearly collection for the Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle. i.e. to mobilize financial aid.

4. Pontifical Missionary Union:
Founded: 1916 in Italy
Founder: Fr. Paolo Manna
Aim: Stipulating and deepening of missionary awareness among Priests, Men and Women religious and candidates in training. Creating solidarity and fraternal sharing and witnessing among apostolic workers.

In the Church As Priests:
The spiritual gift which Priests received at their ordination prepares them not for any limited and narrow mission but for the widest scope of the universal mission of salvation “even to the very ends of the earth”

 

Fr. John Zuakuu

As Religious:
From the inexhaustible and manifold richness of the Spirit come the vocations of the Institutes of consecrated life. Their members, because of their dedication to the service of the Church deriving from their very consecration, have an obligation to play a special part in the missionary activity in a manner appropriate to their institute (RM: 69)

As Seminarians.
It is time to go beyond the boundaries of our Diocese or

Pastoral agents,
Institute and take active part in the universal mission of the Church.

As Lay People.
Recent Popes have stressed the importance of the role of the laity in missionary activity. It is clear that from the very origins of Christianity, the laity as individuals, families and entire communities, shared in spreading the faith.

Indeed, it is necessary to recognize and it is a title of honour, that some Churches owe their origins to the activity of lay men and women missionaries (RM.71)