Teen graduates of the Missionary Childhood Association in Puerto Rico serve as volunteers and guides for a recent Pan American Mission Congress.
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What do you get when you mix almost 1,500 priests, religious, and lay people -- young, old and in between -- from every country in the Americas? A Mission Congress, of course! From November 19-22, those of us in ministry with the Pontifical Mission Societies from every country in North and South America were joined by missionaries, theologians, and missiologists (did you know you could get a degree in the study of Mission?) to convene the sixth Pan American Mission Congress.
Known as CAM6, which stands for Congreso Americano Misionero, the meeting's objective is to help us propose and adopt new ways of "walking together in listening to the Spirit, in order to be witnesses of faith in Jesus Christ in the reality of our peoples to the ends of the earth." (From the official mission statement of CAM6)
Our opening Eucharist was a joy filled, colorful gathering of culture and faith from the farthest northern reaches of Canada to the southernmost tip of Chile. If you've never been to a Mass with multiple thousands of people, I highly recommend the experience. The local stadium was packed with thousands of the faithful, not just Congress attendees. The sound of the songs and responses ringing out from that many voices was truly a gift.
As it was at previous CAMs I've attended, there were hundreds of teens, this time in bright orange T-shirts, who volunteered to help delegates maneuver the sites. They didn't just tell you what room or auditorium you belonged in, they escorted you there. They made sure everyone got to the lunch line, knew how to register, where to buy T-shirts, how to find the chapel, and answered that all important question: where are the restrooms?
These students have stayed close to the Church because of one of my favorite programs of the Pontifical Mission Societies, the Missionary Childhood Association. In South and Latin America, it's called Infancia Misionero. The rubrics are the same. Each student is taught that by virtue of their baptism, they are called to reach out in prayer and sacrifice to support missionaries right now, where they are, at whatever age they find themselves.
Of course, they need the help of adults, which is why we sponsor programs like #GivingTuesday. Before midnight on December 3, you have a chance to say thank you to CAM6's student volunteers, who are witnesses to Christ by showing us all how to live our missionary vocation at any age. Go to https://bit.ly/46xUFpF and give to Missionary Childhood. Advanced giving is open now!
- Maureen Crowley Heil is Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies, Boston.