By Elvis Fernandes
Pilar, Dec 6, 2024: Goa hosted the biennial meeting of International Societies of Apostolic Life at a time when the western Indian state was holding the decennial exposition of the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier, the patron of missions.
The December 2-6 meeting drew representatives of 29 apostolic life societies to the Pilar Pilgrim Centre, some 10 km north of Pilar. The Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier, or the Society of Pilar, organized the MISAL 2024 event.
A society of apostolic life is a group of men and women in the Catholic Church who have come together for a specific purpose and live fraternally.
The delegates described the veneration of St Xavier’s sacred relics as a profound spiritual experience. The 18th exposition began on November 21 and will end on January 5, 2025.
The MISAL gatherings, held over the decades, have served as a vital forum for unity and reflection among missionary societies, said the organizers.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, also attended the event, inspiring the delegates, fostering a spirit of collaboration and shared commitment.
Other dignitaries present on the opening day were Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, the Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Auxiliary Bishop Simião Fernandes, of Goa and Daman, Bishop Sebastião Mascarenhas of Baroda, and Emeritus Bishop Alex Dias of Port Blair.
Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas of Daltonganj, a Pilar Society member, moderated the Questions and Answer sessions following Cardinal Tagle’s keynote address.
On the final day, Cardinal Ferrão presided over Mass at the St. Joseph Vaz Sanctuary Sancoale. Earlier, he addressed the delegates during the morning session at Pilar.
The meeting addressed the theme for this year, Journeying Together: Encountering New Frontiers. The delegates emphasized breaking barriers, fostering mutual learning, and embracing solidarity in their shared vocation.
Noted Asian theologian Father Felix Wilfred called on the delegates to embrace greater faith, courage, and creativity as they respond to the new frontiers of mission in the rapidly changing world.
The director of the Asian Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies in Chennai and emeritus professor at the University of Madras emphasized the need for societies to rediscover their apostolic zeal, deeply rooted in the mission of Christ. He urged the delegates to engage boldly with contemporary challenges, stressing that these are both daunting and exhilarating opportunities for evangelization in today’s world.
Through the synodal process of “Conversation in the Spirit,” the assembly discerned key priorities for missionary engagement in today’s world:
1. Personal transformation and faith formation: Members are called to deepen their spiritual lives, igniting the love of God and the Spirit of Christ.
2. Missionary outreach to the Margins: Special attention was given to serving migrants and others on the peripheries with a spirit of contemplation and openness to God’s surprises
3. Fostering synodality and fraternity: Delegates resolved to strengthen bonds within and between their societies, nurturing solidarity and a lifestyle rooted in fraternity.
4. Digital missionary commitment: Acknowledging the digital world as a new frontier, participants committed to innovative missionary work online.
The event concluded with a renewed resolve to journey forward with resilience, humility, and trust in God’s providence. Delegates expressed their commitment to embody the universal frontier of God’s love, echoing the sentiment that “journeying together, we reach far.”
They invoked the intercession of Saint Joseph Vaz, the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman and Missionary Apostle to Sri Lanka, for their endeavours.
The next meeting will be hosted by the Missionaries of Africa -White Fathers in Kenya.