Mission priest
The missionary priests in the Roman Catholic Church and for the missionary work of trained priests . Its mission is to evangelize among non-believers. Like the missionaries , this mission takes place with reference to the New Testament ( Matthew 28:19 EU and Mark 16.15 EU ). In contrast to the missionaries who work in foreign countries to spread the faith among the people, the mission priest is also active in the selection, preparation and training of local priests.
In order to spread the faith in the outer and inner mission areas, the mission priest must know the manners , customs and beliefs of the peoples . He has to recognize the values customary in the country , deal with them and recognize them. He is supported by the missionary religious communities , missionary sisters , local priests and catechists (cf. Ad gentes 16-18).
Most religious orders did not perceive priestly missionary work as their main task. It was not until the 19th century that associations of priests, but also lay people who primarily wanted to be missionary priests, were founded . This focus on a new form of missionary work that is focused on the faith began, for example, with the White Fathers , the missionaries of Lyon , the Mariannhiller missionaries , the Comboni missionaries or the Steyler missionaries .
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the secular institute Mission Priest of the Kingdom of Christ , Pope John Paul II stated:
“Be zealous missionaries and dedicate yourselves generously to your brothers and sisters. The pursuit of evangelization should spur you on to an apostolate that knows no boundaries. "
literature
- Carl Andresen , Georg Denzler : dtv dictionary of church history. Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, Munich 1982, ISBN 3-423-03245-6 .
- Rudolf Fischer-Wollpert: Do you know - Lexicon of religious and ideological questions. Verlag Friedrich Pustet, Regensburg 1980, ISBN 3-7917-0738-8 .
- Lexicon of World Religions. Licensed edition Verlagsgruppe Weltbild, Augsburg 2006, ISBN 3-8289-4979-7 .