Testo originale del articolo in inglese qui
In this interview granted to Omnes, Mrs. Roberta Tremarelli, AMSS, Secretary General of the Society of Holy Childhood in Rome, tells the past and present of an organization whose mission is focused on children, a monument to all children's rights.
Sister Roberta, among the great missionary works of the Church there is one that is perhaps little known, the Opera della Santa Infanzia, which, however, has very interesting roots in the evangelization of China as early as the middle of the eighteenth century. How was this great evangelization project born?
- the time propitious for the foundation of the Opera della Santa Infanzia was the time of Pope Gregory XVI (Pont 1831-1846), already Prefect of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide, during whose pontificate numerous priestly congregations and female missionary congregations were born. ad gentesand numerous lay associations, including the Opera per la Propagazione della Fede, founded by Pauline Jaricot.
The Opera della Santa Infanzia was born in France on May 19, 1843, after a long period of reflection during which the founder, Charles de Forbin-Janson, was concerned and interested in the welfare of the children destined, due to poverty and ignorance, to die without being beaten.
The founder's desire was to go as a missionary in Cina, but he never had the opportunity. And so he continued to nourish his missionary passion through the testimonies and letters that arrived from the French missionaries who left for Cina.
What was the news arriving?
- Thanks to them, the missionaries knew the conditions of the children belonging to poor families or those with difficulties. The children, just born, were eliminated, especially if they were women and had difficulties. The missionaries have asked for help to save them, to welcome them in the missions where they have been taught and educated in a Christian way. The priest took the problem seriously and began to sensitize the population.
Possiamo immaginare che non sia stata una cosa facile da fare...
- From the beginning, Forbin-Janson had great difficulty in accepting the idea of creating a new Missionary Society, because there were already numerous foundations of Missionary Institutions underway in France, and that of Forbin-Janson could have been a competition.
The same members of the Opera per la Propagazione della Fede strongly opposed the vescovo's proposal. But the novelty of the fact that the institution was directly directed to the children for the children, overcame all doubts.. Since La Cina seemed too far away to turn to the adults, the young man now asked the children to pay attention to the situation of the children, and asked them for their willingness to help the Church to save the little ones who were dying without receiving the sacrament with two simple commitments: a Hail Mary a day and a hundredth a month. The children have consented and, through prayer, sacrifice and gestures of solidarity, they have started a race of universal fraternity that continues today for the salvation of the children of all continents.
With which objectives was this opera created?
- The objectives of the Opera are clearly stated by both the Founder and his collaborators: to save from death a great number of children and to bring heaven to the greatest possible number of children through the Battesimo; to make of these children an instrument of salvation as teachers, catechists, doctors, priests, missionaries.
The missionary work of the children was not a one-way street; the prayers, the sacrifices and the will of the European children were changed by the prayers, the sacrifices, the joy and, perhaps, by the testimony of the martyrdom of the Chinese children.
And what is the characteristic element?
- The characteristic element is the active participation of children and young people in the evangelizing work of the Church. The Founder attributes to the children the role of missionaries, protagonists in the history of salvation.
For the first time the little ones have acted as pastoral assistants in the Church and very soon they have become part of the universal solidarity current: a true spiritual and material cooperation between the Churches, carried out by the children, for sanctification and salvation, has thus begun.
How does it diffuse in today's world?
- Today the Opera della Santa Infanzia or Infanzia Missionaria is spread in more than 120 countries of the world and the initial motto "The Holy Childhood or Missionary Childhood".children helping children" if it is registered in the following: "children evangelize the children, children preach for the children, children help the children all over the world".
Faithful to the initial charisma and the desire of the Founder, it continues to strive to help children develop their missionary spirit and role, encourages them to share their faith and material means, and promotes, encourages and supports missionary vocations. ad gentes.
It is a tool for growth in faith, also in a vocational perspective. It is organized in different ways depending on the local context. Questioning, offering and sacrifice are the three key words of all the Pontifical Missionary Works and therefore also of the Holy Childhood, to which is added the witness, essential for the Christian faith.
On May 3, 1922 Pope Pius XI, aware of the great contribution that the Opera had made to the missions for nearly eighty years, made it his own, recognizing it as a Pontifical Opera. On December 4, 1950 Pope Pius XII instituted the World Children's Day, declaring the day of the Epiphany as the date of the celebration, but giving each nation the freedom to adapt the date to local needs.
From 2017 Lei ne è il Segretario Generale. How has the world of missions in general and childcare in particular changed in these years characterized by many "emergencies"?
- I believe that today there is an attempt to promote ever greater missionary awareness and responsibility.
There are still those who, speaking of mission and missionaries, think of the long-bearded priest who leaves his country and goes far away to proclaim the Gospel and help other people and never comes back.
Ci sono ancora molti missionari ad gentesAs I have reported, but there are also many missionary realities committed in the announcement and in the missionary cooperation in their local context, to encourage Christians to live according to the missionary nature that comes from the Battesimo.
Among the others, there are no more countries that receive and others that give not only economic aid, but also a priority human presence. Today's missionary world, to be well guarded, shows us the universality of the Church, openness and hospitality, and the circularity of solidarity in prayer and charity. Elements that we have not yet truly internalized to live them in depth and depth.
Inoltre, ci sono molti sacerdoti e laici fidei donum in mission, coming not only from the countries of Europe, but from all continents; dioceses that organize overseas missionary experiences for young people.
Every proposal must help us to learn our hearts, our lies and our eyes, helping us to get out of our narrow enclosure. We sincerely hope it will be so.
On May 22 Pauline Jaricot, founder of the Opera per la Propagazione della Fede, was beatified in Lyon. She was a laywoman who dedicated her entire life to the service of the missions. What insights does the new Blessed bring to today's laity?
- Pauline Jaricot was a woman passionate about Jesus and the missions, attentive to the needs of others, to the social reality of the world around her, and she made herself available to the Holy Spirit through faithful and persevering prayer. She lived with her feet firmly planted on the ground and her heart turned to God. Many describe her as a mistica in azione. He wanted to love God and to make him love all men. He nourished his passion and his missionary commitment in the Eucharist and with sacrifice.
For all lay people, both men and women, their life is an invitation to develop a relationship with the Lord, to serve the Church and in the Church. Her creativity in supporting the missions not only encourages us to use all the tools we have, but also to go beyond, proposing the high values of the Vangelo without the fear of being alone. Paolina died poor and alone, but in her heart she had the joy that only God can give.
This year we are celebrating the 400th anniversary of the Congregazione De Propaganda Fideoggi Dicastero per l'Evangelizzazione. How to invite the "passion" and the commitment to evangelization in a world like ours, individualistic and a little "noisy"?
- I will say that the answer is already in demand: passion and missionary commitment help us to rise above individualism and egoism, to discover that we belong to one world.
I therefore invite all missionary enthusiasts to reproportion, with fervor, missionary animation and missionary information, which is well conducted and respectful of dignity. With these two means the passion is animated, drawn from the life testimony of those who propose them, using an inclusive and complicit language.
As Pope Francis says, it is up to each of us, whether we are priests, priests or lay people, to go out not so much to make ourselves known and promote our limited initiatives, but to proclaim the salvation of Christ..
Which projects are you currently participating in, as Opera dell'Infanzia Missionaria?
- We participate in the projects supported by the Universal Solidarity Fund (the large fund fed by missionary children and young people from all over the world) of the Opera della Santa Infanzia and our other various initiatives in favor of particular churches in Africa, Asia, Oceania and some in Latin America, the so-called "mission territories".
Last year more than 15 million dollars were approved in grants for children and young people of 14 years of age or younger, with projects divided into the following categories:
- Pastorale Ordinaria, 16%.
- Educazione e animazione missionaria, 16%.
- Istruzione scolastica, 45%.
- Life protection, 23%.
Would you like to make an appeal to our readers?
-Certainly! More than an appeal, mine is an invitation to visit the site of the Pontifical Missionary Works, International Secrets, at the web site www.ppoomm.va to discover and deepen the reality of the POM (Pontifical Missionary Operations) that every Christian should know and promote, in order to nourish his own missionary spirituality.
In addition, because those who work with children and young people are in a position to share the charisma of the Opera della Santa Infanzia and its various proposals at national and international level, aimed at inserting them into this worldwide network of prayer and charity in the service of the Pope.
