Spain continues to lead the missionary effort in people and economic aid

The Spanish section of the Pontifical Mission Societies has presented its annual memory corresponding to the year 2023, which reflects that the Catholic Church that is pilgrim in Spain, an increasingly secularized country, still maintains a vigorous evangelizing impulse.

On the one hand, it provides more than 6,000 active missionaries, including 33 emeritus bishops, who are present in the 1,123 mission territories spread across 139 countries, the most important by number being Peru, Venezuela and Italy. Of them, 53% are women and have an average age of 75 years. In addition to prelates, priests and religious, 643 lay people participate in this evangelizing effort.

In addition, almost 4,000 more are in Spain awaiting their destination and collaborating in missionary animation. All of them belong to nearly 400 ecclesial institutions, from dioceses to religious institutes and congregations, or associations of the faithful.

On the other hand, the Church in Spain continues to be the one that provides the most financial aid after the United States, with an amount of almost 17 million euros. In addition, throughout 2023, PMS Spain has distributed more than 13 million euros for nearly 900 missionary projects.

The national director of PMS Spain, Fr. José María Calderón, explained in the presentation of the annual report that this visible contribution would not be possible without prior awareness-raising work: “Our main task is missionary animation, making everyone aware of “Christians that evangelization is not only the task of missionaries, but of all the baptized.”

Thus, more than 80 conferences and round tables, 32 missionary exhibitions, Christmas contests and missionary song festivals, or diocesan meetings have been held in which thousands of faithful have participated.

The face of the mission behind the numbers

Serafín Suárez, missionary of the Spanish Institute of Foreign Missions (IEME) who has been evangelizing in the diocese of Hwange (Zimbabwe) for 30 years, has expressed his desire to put a “face, name and surname” to the coldness of the figures contained in the memory of OMP Spain.

The missionary invited us to imagine a tapestry in which colors, landscapes and people appear that everyone praises for their beauty: Turn the tapestry over. And we are going to find that there are only ropes and knots,” to which he added: Missions are that. What appears is the beautiful tapestry, but it would be impossible if the knots and ropes were not behind it.”

Thus, he highlighted the work of the PMS, friends or associations, “people who, in a way, feel and live the mission. “That he wants to make the mission not just figures and letters but something alive.”

“Missionaries are the fruit of those ropes and those knots,” he added at the beginning of his speech. “We are bearers and spokespersons of what we have behind us” which is many people who “without going outside, live and help the mission.”

Serafín Suárez highlighted that the missionary leaves “with two open hands.” In one it carries “the Bread of the Word”, because that is the commission they have received: “Try to transform the world in which you live from the word of Jesus.”

This becomes difficult, he pointed out, when most of the missions are carried out in the most disadvantaged countries, making it necessary to “bring another open hand, with another bread, our daily bread.” Both, he added, “are complementary.”