PONTIFICIUM OPUS A SANCTA INFANTIA

MISSIONARY CHILDHOOD IN THE OVERALL DIOCESAN AND PARISH PASTORAL PROGRAM

1- The service of Missionary Childhood and its integration into the Pastoral Program developed in the Diocese and in the parish depends fundamentally on whether it is alive and serving according to its own identity:

• according to its ecclesial, missionary and universal nature 

• according to its objectives of:

• missionary animation, formation and communion 

• to promote universal missionary cooperation among children and for their sake.

2- Missionary Childhood has a principal place in missionary pastoral care with children because:

• It principal task is children's missionary animation and formation (cf. RM, 84). 

• It is the principal institution for promoting and channelling children's universal missionary cooperation.

3- Missionary Childhood is at the service of missionary communion:

•  by living and promoting missionary communion among children 

• through services in favor of all children

• by associating members active in it 

• by promoting the missionary service of all children to universal evangelization, especially of the world's neediest children.

4- Missionary Childhood has its own organization in the local community but always with a universal projection.

5- This Society is integrated into the overall diocesan and parish pastoral program:

• in its structures and bodies:

  • by integrating its programs and services into the diocesan and parish pastoral plan 

  • by participating in the diocesan and parish Council for the pastoral plan.
    
    

• With the ones in charge of the pastoral plan:

  •  those serving Missionary Childhood have special friendship, obedience and cooperation.
    
    

• It is integrated into the diocesan and parish pastoral process by contributing its services according to its specific objectives. In a special way it is integrated into the diocesan and parish catechesis, scholastic education, missionary pastoral care activities and with the other pastoral services related to children.

6- Missionary Childhood is at the service of children, their groups and movements, their educators and the institutions that are at their service. First of all, Missionary Childhood is missionary ferment and serves missionary pastoral care.

7- For the sake of the children, the particular Church and each parish, we have to strengthen and consolidate the services and groups of Missionary Childhood. In this way we will have day by day more missionary children and greater missionary cooperation in universal evangelization.