Zadar, (IKA/Agenzia Fides) – The European Meeting of the Pontifical Missionary Society of Holy Childhood scheduled for 6 -9 March at Zadar, in Croatia, will bring together Holy Childhood National coordinators, National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies from 19 different countries, and Ms Baptistine Ralamboarison Holy Childhood Secretary General. This year’s theme for the gathering, held every two years, is taken from the Gospel according to St Matthew “… So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left ” (Mt 2,14).
According to information sent to Fides by the Croatian PMS secretariat, the four day event will include talks on March 7 by Markus Offner head of the famous Aachen based German Holy Childhood Office and children known as ‘Star Singers’ : “Our work and the challenge posed by the situation of young refugees and their families in Europe and in the rest of the world ” and “The significance for future missionary activity of the lives and experience of children and their families”. In the afternoon there will be the celebration of Mass in the Cathedral of St Anastasia by Archbishop Zelimir Puljic, Archbishop of Zadar and Chairman of the Croatian Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
Tuesday 8 March, pedagogue and theologian Snjezana Malisa, will speak about “Educating children for missionary activity”. For the same day the archdiocese of Zadar has organised mission workshops for children in the different parishes. In the evening a special Mass presided by Papal Nuncio to Croatia Archbishop Alessandro D ‘Errico will be celebrated in the parish of Saint Anthony.
The Pontifical Mission Society of Holy Childhood founded in 1843 by Bishop Charles de Forbin Janson, at the time Bishop of Nancy, in France, educates boys and girls to develop a spirit of mission and awareness and participate in various initiatives of spiritual and material solidarity in aid of less fortunate children all over the world.