VENEZUELA: 58th Assembly of Diocesan Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies concludes

The 58th Assembly of Diocesan Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) of Venezuela was held from November 10 to 13, 2025, at the Quebrada de la Virgen retreat house in Los Teques, in the State of Miranda. During the opening Eucharistic celebration, the National Director of the PMS, Father Ricardo Guillén, emphasized that the PMS are an institution of both the universal Church and each particular Church, constituting a network of charity and prayer whose task is to awaken the missionary spirit in every baptized person and foster missionary cooperation among the Churches.

During the assembly, pastoral reports were presented by each ecclesial circumscription and the national direction. The plenary reflections identified several key challenges that should be welcomed as opportunities, including the integration of the Pontifical Mission Societies into ordinary pastoral care, consolidation of their works and services in local Churches, and need to encourage and support inter-ecclesial missionary cooperation.  The importance of ongoing formation on the Pontifical Missionary Magisterium, Cooperatio Missionalis, and the PMS Statutes was also emphasized. Finally, the  “best practices” of three dioceses were shared, and the participants in the assembly took part in the Fifth Missionary Symposium, organized by the PMS Missionary Formation Center (CFM) on November 12. The presentations, given by Father Aníbal Lorca, SJ, and Mrs. María Isabel Párraga, addressed the themes "The Interior Life: Embracing Hope" and "Mary, Woman of Hope," respectively. The symposium emphasized that hope is a virtue that instills consolation and strength, not mere human optimism. The 58th Assembly concluded with the dissemination of the national agenda, the conclusions, and the Holy Mass of Thanksgiving.