On June 17 this year, Cardinal Luis Tagle, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples visited the Superior General and other members of the General Curia in Rome. On thar occasion, Fr. Tomaž interviewed Cardinal Tagle and informed him about some of the recent initiatives of Congregation of the Mission, especially 1% campaign. Their conversation was recorded and it was later played during the Missionary Vocations Festival which took place earlier this month (September 2020).
At the very beginning of their meeting Fr. Tomaž informed Cardinal Tagle about the 1% Campaign which was initiated last year in the Little Company and which has had much success. A similar initiative has been undertaken this year. Father explained that the objective of the campaign is to encourage 30 confreres within the Congregation (which is 1% of all the members), to volunteer to go to the mission ad Gentes. Evangelization of the nations is one of the objectives of Cardinal Tagle’s Dicastery.
In his opening remarks, Cardinal Tagle admitted that the members of the Congregation of the Mission have been close to him for many years because of their significant presence in the Philippines, where they are often referred to with the Spanish expression, Paules. He said: Even before I entered the seminary and became a priest, I heard much about the Paúles, the members of the Congregation of the Mission who administered many seminaries in the Philippines. I saw a group of priests and bishops, who took pride in having been students and seminarians in one of the institutions that was administered by the Congregation. Yes, as a young man I heard much about these priests and brothers and I always associated them with charity and the formation of seminarians. Then when I became a priest and later a bishop, there were more contacts with the Congregation.
The Cardinal continued to tribute to the ministry of the Congregation as it is being exercised in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands where the members are responsible for seminary formation of the candidates to priesthood from different tribes and cultures and where the presence of the community continues to be a sign of universality, internationality, and catholicity of the Church
The Superior General the asked his guest to share his thought about the new evangelization. The Cardinal Prefect said: Pope John Paul II, when explaining the New Evangelization said that the gospel is the same, so also is the person of Jesus as Good News from the Father, as the bearer of the Father’s love for us, and as the bearer of salvation the bearer of new life. So, it is the same gospel, but the world changes. We have new contexts and so John Paul II spoke about the need for a new ardor, new fervor in sharing the gospel. We also need new methods in presenting the gospel and new expressions. Therefore, for me this is a question of discernment. It is a question of following Jesus today and discovering how the Holy Spirit invites us to continue this mission, which is always new … This pandemic, this Covid-19 pandemic is a good lesson in New Evangelization. Some of the things that we have been used to doing in the Church, our sacramental services and other things, suddenly had to stop … some doors seem to have been closed because we could no longer do many of the things that we had been doing. But, the Holy Spirit has opened other doors. That is an example of New Evangelization.
In regard to our charism which, according, to the Cardinal, is a charism of charity, is a charism of formation (formation of the clergy and of lay people) Fr. Tomaž asked the Cardinal about his opinion about future directions for us as a Congregation
Cardinal Tagle admitted he had a great esteem for the Vincentian charism. He was very explicit about our focus. He stated that: charity, the active service of charity and the formation of future priests and laypeople, leaders of the Church, are really one. They are one because this process is all about the formation of disciples, disciples of Jesus Christ, men and women who should learn from Jesus, who should get to know Jesus, who should love Jesus, and who should follow Jesus. Disciples of Jesus lives in charity and their hearts are molded in accord with the heart of Jesus who reached go to the poor. Disciples of Jesus are attracted to the poor in the same way that Jesus was attracted to the least of his sisters and brothers. I would see great value in forming such a heart in seminarians who are to be future priests. I also would like to think that every aspect of the ministry of priests is an act of charity, an act of love. When we preach the Word of God, it is out of love. It is not my word, but the Word of God that is shared. The gift that I have received, I now give as gift. When I preside at the celebration of the sacraments, it is not simply ritual or ceremony. It is an act of charity. It is a celebration of the presence of Jesus among the sick, the dying and repentant sinners. These are all acts of charity. When I organize activities in the parish, Pope Francis would say this is not merely the work of some NGO but that it is the love of a shepherd. So, I see how the charism of charity to the poor is essential for the formation of future priests and also for the formation of the laity.
Finally, Father Mavrič asked the Prefect of the Congregation, often called Propaganda Fide, to encourage our Confreres to follow our charism which is to go to the missions, missions ad Gentes (we bear the name, “missioners”, a name that was given to us by the people we serve).
Cardinal Tagle expressed his support for the new 1% campaign saying that this initiative will provide a steady flow of members of the Congregation to the missions ad Gentes. This campaign has a significant value. It is a way of giving witness to a fragmented world … witness to the reality that the love of God, the love of Jesus, unites us brothers and sisters. Even in a foreign land, we can find a home because there we will encounter new brothers and sisters. The coming together of people from different countries to find a home in another country is a testament to God who is love and who became incarnate in Jesus Christ.
We want to make the recording of the interview available to wider audience in many languages. You may watch it on this page or you can go directly in our YouTube channel – https://youtu.be/WsyIsGto4wk . Subtitles are available in English, Spanish, French and Italian. If your browser does not automatically display the text in your language, you can select the language of the subtitles manually from the display settings on the screen. Enjoy watching and listening to this recording.
