Submitted by Fr. Joseph Salihu, Holy Spirit Parish, Saskatoon
400 Years of Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP)
The Congregation of the Evangelization of Peoples celebrated the fourth centenary of its foundation on Jan. 6, 2022.
Since 1622, the Church’s missionary work was organized and coordinated at the world level by the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith in collaboration with many religious orders and congregations and with the local Churches.
At the Vatican Council, the role of the Congregation was affirmed, and it was renamed the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
At the same time, a strong desire was expressed for its greater effectiveness. It was acknowledged that “the Holy Spirit arouses a missionary spirit in the Church in many ways and indeed often anticipate the work of those whose task is to guide the life of the Church” (Ad gentes, no.29).
The Council confirmed its role as “the only competent Congregation for all mission and missionary activity”. Its task “is to direct and coordinate missionary work and missionary cooperation throughout the world” (ibid).
200 years of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith
On May 3, 2022, the Pontifical Mission Society for the Propagation of the Faith (POPF) will celebrate two major milestones.
May 3 will mark the 200th anniversary of its foundation as the Association of the Propagation of the Faith and the 100th anniversary of its Pontifical status, conferred by Pope Pius XI in his Motu Proprio Romanorum Pontificum, thus confirming the missionary spirit of the Society and its important service to the universal Church.
By the same Motu Proprio, the Holy Father also conferred pontifical status to the Society of the Holy Childhood and the Society of St. Peter the Apostle.
In addition this year, the foundress of the Pontifical Mission Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Pauline Marie Jaricot will be beatified on May 22, 2022 in Lyon, France.
Pauline Marie Jaricot will be beatified on May 22, 2022
Pauline Marie Jaricot (Lyon, July 22, 1799 – January 9, 1862) is the foundress of the Pontifical Mission Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
After 15 years of comfort and ease, she had an accident and it was in the context of this trauma of intense physical and spiritual suffering that she had a profound experience of God, through the celebration of the sacraments. God’s forgiveness and prayer led her to overcome the serious trauma and from that moment, her life changes. Pauline then dedicated herself to the service of God in the poor, especially the sick, visiting hospitals offering words of comfort and even bind the wounds. Her days were filled with intense prayer, daily Communion, Eucharistic Adoration, intercession for the conversion of sinners, and the evangelization of the world.
At the same time, Pauline discovered a great and urgent desire for the Gospel to reach the ends of the earth: “I have loved Jesus Christ more than anything else on this earth and because of his love I have loved those who were in distress and pain, more than my own life.”
Out of this fervour the Association for the Propagation of the Faith was born, which even today continues to open the hearts of believers to engage in the vastness of the missionary horizon through spiritual and material support for the proclamation of the Kingdom of God.
100 Years of Pontifical Statues – Propagation of the Faith (POF), Holy Childhood Association (HCA), and St. Peter the Apostle (SPA)
The Pontifical Mission Society for the Propagation of Faith, the Pontifical Mission Society of Holy Childhood, and the Pontifical Mission Society of St. Peter the Apostle were made Pontifical in 1922, by Pope Pius XI at the centenary celebration of the Society for the Propagation of Faith.
150th Birthday of Father Paolo Manna, founder of PMU
Blessed Paolo Manna (16 January 1872 – 15 September 1952)
Rev. Fr. Paolo Manna (16 January 1872 – 15 September 1952) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a member from the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions as well as the founder of the Pontifical Missionary Union of Priests and Religious. He was passionate in promoting the missions, evangelic and Apostolic life. He was Beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2001.
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