Catholic Church in Spain celebrates its missionary contribution in America

The Catholic Church in Spain celebrates this Sunday on Latin America, under the slogan “History of Hope”, to commemorate the arrival and permanence of the Catholic faith in the continent, where the Spanish missionary presence is still present more than 5 centuries later.

According to data from Pontifical mission workstwo thirds of the more than 6,000 active Spanish missionaries are in the American continent, Peru being the country with the greatest presence.

On this day, the work carried out by the 138 missionaries of the work for Hispano -American priestly cooperation (OCSHA), under the Spanish Episcopal Conference whose presence, in addition to the Hispanic countries, extends to Brazil and the United States, is specially stressed.

The Archdiocese of Toledo (27), Burgos (12), Madrid (11) and Valencia (9) are the ones that contribute a greater number of priests to the OCSHA, although there are almost 50 of the 69 Spanish territorial dioceses which the ones that are the ones that collaborate in this work.

This happens with Fr. Luis García, originally from Almería and who has been in the Diocese of Viedma for more than 30 years, in Argentine Patagonia, where he dedicates their efforts to work with young people who end up having problems with justice.

Fr. García shares his desire that there are many more who go to the missions in Latin America: “There are many places where to announce Jesus, there are many people who need the testimony of the missionaries,” he explained in a video broadcast by the pontifical mission works in which other members of the OCSHA intervene.

America, a continent of hope

Cardinal Robert Prevost, president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, has underlined in the Message on the occasion of this day How the presence of the Church in the American continent, since the arrival of the first Spanish missionaries, “has collaborated in making the peoples that integrate it ‘stories of hope’.”

In spite of the “moments of difficulty, of trial and even conflict”, the Christian faith has led America “the certainty that Jesus Christ has already defeated death, slavery and sin”, something that is “irreducible to mere optimism.”

Understanding purple, this hope “is the same certainty of faith, but extending over time” and serves to “start and stay in communion.”

In other words, Cardinal Prevost has indicated that hope “is not a mere ‘inspiring’ horizon, a motivating motto or a kind of ‘utopian dream’ to get out of our immediateism.”

Beyond, it constitutes “existential security, which is given to us as grace, that the company of Jesus Christ in our lives is authentically contemporary.”

Faced with the numerous “contradictions, miseries and absurdities” that is coming in the American continent, Cardinal Prevost points out that “the main sign of time is Jesus Christ himself” that “always raises, discreetly, but efficient, conversion, communion, fraternity and mission.”

“With this well settled in our mind and in our hearts, we can understand in a new way that American peoples constitute a ‘continent of hope’ as all the popes have said from San Pablo VI and to our current pontiff,” adds the purple.

“Whatever God that all missionaries in American lands find, during the retirement year, renewed reasons to announce that ‘hope does not disappoint,” concludes the message before entrusting to the Virgin of Guadalupe.