Philippines: A Program of Activities for the 5th Centenary of the Arrival of Christianity

The Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) have generously served the Church in the Philippines since its foundation in 1932. These eight decades of continued dedication to the Church's mission of evangelization in Southeast Asia were celebrated in 2012 with the announcement of the “PMS Year" by the Philippine Bishops’ Conference. It is also worth mentioning the missionary convocation on the theme, "With the youth, we proclaim the Gospel to all,” which took place on January 20, 2018, at the College of the Holy Spirit in Manila. The convocation was attended by one thousand members of the Association of the Holy Childhood and the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, including the missionary animators. The following month, on the eve of the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle, a dinner was organized to promote the PMS and collect donations. The annual National Assembly of the PMS Diocesan Directors was held on July 9-12, 2018, at the Centre for Capuchin Retreats in Lipa City. The meeting was attended by ninety-four mission directors and collaborators. In preparation for the 5th centenary of the arrival of Christianity to the Philippines on March 16, 2021, the Episcopal Conference identified four areas committed to promoting the New Evangelization in the country: the intensification to spread the "missio ad gentes" in all communities; the imperative to "bring the Good News to the poor"; the involvement of those many Catholics whose knowledge and practice of the faith has eroded or been lost; the awakening of the attention and zeal towards young people and youth groups both in urban and rural contexts. In addition, for the preparation of the 5th centenary of Christianity arriving to the Philippines, a nine-year program for the New Evangelization has been launched, which will apply a basic text on mission formation authored by the Episcopal Commission for the Mission of the Philippine Bishops’ Conference, together with the Council for the Philippine Catholic Missions. The program in 2019 is expected to provide activities focused primarily on young people.