Pope Francis received at the Vatican on 20 October the participants at the Congress of the Missionary Society of Mount Notre Dame, urging them to continue cultivating pastoral conversions in all aspects of apostolic work, both in the formation of priests and the laity In spiritual cultivation, we must always walk on the path of fellowship.
(Vatican News Network)Pope Francis received at the Vatican on the morning of October 20 all the participants who participated in the 17th General Assembly of the Missionary Society of Notre Dame Mount. The congress is being held on the occasion of the centenary of the institute’s founding, and the Pope encouraged the institute’s members to always maintain the “original charism” of the institute, “to live the life of the Gospel exhortation and to spread it to all peoples. The passion of the Gospel unites and grows in the kingdom of Christ in holiness, justice, and peace.”
The Pope began his speech citing the theme of the current congregation of the Missionary Society of Notre Dame, “Unity: a call to one spirit and purpose”. The Pope said that the theme of the congress is particularly relevant to the Synod in progress, and that an essential element of the journey of fellowship is the development of the laity, with greater shared responsibility for the life and future of the Church.
Thus, the Pope said, the history of your Institute shows that, from the very beginning, the proclamation of the Gospel was accompanied by a spirit of encouragement of local vocations, promotion of the overall human development of local groups and shared responsibility for the common good. “As you insist on advancing this unity and unity in your mission to serve the Gospel, I encourage you to cultivate a continuous pastoral conversion, which should be reflected in all aspects of your religious life and work, from The formation of priests and the spirituality of the laity are integrated into the specific apostolic pastoral work plan.”
The Pope then said that the Church is called to take a journey of fellowship, which means “walking together and listening to one another”. The Pope stressed that the first voice we must listen to is the voice of the Holy Spirit. “Today, as always, we need the living water of the Holy Spirit, not only for the work in our hands to thrive, but more importantly to irrigate the hard soil of our hearts,” the Pope said.
Finally, the Pope encouraged: “Don’t be hard-hearted, don’t close your heart.” The Pope pledged to pray for the “Missionary Church of Notre Dame”, hoping that this congregation will receive “rich spiritual fruits” in the process of mercy and gentleness.
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