Prayer, service and mission are the commitments made for the next two years by the children and adolescents who took part in the XX CONIAM

From 1 to 4 May, the XX National Congress for Missionary Children and Adolescents (CONIAM) was held in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. Participants included children and adolescents, animators and pastoral coordinators, lay people and religious, from 22 dioceses in Mexico. 

During the ‘four days’ with the theme ‘Holy Mary of Guadalupe, inspire us in the mission of hope’ Ciudad Juárez became a place of encounter, fraternity and mission, welcoming delegations from dioceses such as Guadalajara, Monterrey, San Juan de los Lagos, Puebla, Tarahumara and San Luis Potosí, among others.

The congress was characterized by a wealth of activities including missionary training focused on the Jubilee of Hope, missionary testimonies, a missionary rosary, moments of prayer and Eucharistic adoration, moments of fraternal communion and liturgical celebrations.

Girls, boys and adolescents lived each day with enthusiasm and faith. One of the most important results of the congress were the commitments made by the children and adolescents for the period 2025-2027, aimed at consolidating the work of Missionary Childhood throughout the country and in preparation for the next CONIAM. In particular, four areas were highlighted:

·         Prayer as a means of union and encounter with God.

·         Service and help for those in need.

·         Promotion and professional support.

·         Being missionaries of hope in the family and school, following the example of St Mary of Guadalupe.

In 2027, Pachuca de Soto, a city belonging to the Archdiocese of Tulancingo, will host the 21st National Congress of Missionary Childhood and Adolescence, as announced by Fr Antonio de Jesús, MG, Director of the Mexican PMS.  The XX CONIAM has left a deep mark in the history of the Pontifical Missionary Childhood and Adolescence Society in Mexico.

“Driven by the love of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” reads a press release from the Mexican PMS, “the missionary children and adolescents return to their dioceses ready to continue proclaiming the Gospel with words, gestures, joy and hope”.