The Pontifical Missionary Childhood on May 18, 2019, will see the first group of Romanian children join the Society. The day of celebration for the inauguration of Missionary Childhood in Romania will open with the celebration of Mass in «Sf. Iosif» Cathedral in Bucharest, presided over by the Archbishop of Bucharest, Mgr. Ioan Robu, during which the children’s adhesion will take place. The event will be attended by Sr. Roberta Tremarelli, Secretary General of the Pontifical Missionary Childhood Society. The theme proposed for the occasion is «Baptized and sent. Little missionaries in the world», inspired by the Extraordinary Missionary Month October 2019.
According to Fides News Agency, the children will receive a nominative membership card that will attest their commitment of small missionaries, a calendar with prayer intentions and suggested charity gestures for each week of the year, and a bracelet with the personalized image of the Holy Father, of the founder of the Society, Mgr. Charles de Forbin-Janson, and the missionary cross. All the children present at the event will then receive a small guide containing some information on Missionary Childhood, and a flag, to be kept as a memory of this special day. On this occasion, the hymn «Baptized and sent» will also be presented. After the Mass, there will be an artistic event, prepared by the children of different parishes in Bucharest, and at the end a snack for everyone.
Missionary Childhood is one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies, which was founded in France 176 years ago, on May 19, 1843, by Mgr. Charles de Forbin-Janson to help the children of China, through prayer and material help from French children. The motto «Children help children» summarizes the intention of the founder and his charisma, now widespread throughout the world: the formation of a missionary mentality in children.
