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DECREE ON THE CHURCH'S MISSIONARY ACTIVITY |
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DECREE ON THE CHURCH’S MISSIONARY ACTIVITY (Ad Gentes) I – Doctrinal Principles II – Mission Work Itself III – Particular Churches IV – Missionaries V – The Organization of Mission Activity VI – Cooperation AG underlines the essential missionary character of the Church. CONTENT 1. The Church exercises its mission as sacrament of salvation by striving to proclaim the Gospel message to all men.
Doctrinal Principles 2. The Church by its nature is missionary. This mission comes: · From the Father for the salvation of mankind. · From the Son who was sent into the world as the true mediator between God and mankind. Everything the Lord said or did for man’s salvation is to be proclaimed and disseminated to the ends of the earth. · From the Holy Spirit who was sent by Christ from the Father to continue the work of salvation in the hearts of men, and to animate the Church’s growth. 3. Christ founded the Church as the sacrament of salvation. He gave them this command: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” 4. The duty of spreading the faith and doctrine of salvation is imposed on the Church by Christ’s explicit command and by reason of the life Christ bestowed on its members. 5. The Church fulfills its mission when it becomes actively present to all men and all peoples to bring them to the faith, liberty and peace of Christ: living example, preaching, the sacraments. 6. The Church must use the same means that Christ used: poverty, obedience, service and self-immolation even to death. 7. This missionary duty is to be exercised: by the order of bishops governed by the successor of Peter, with the prayers and cooperation of the whole Church. 8. The particular efforts of the Gospel preachers sent by the Church to announce the Gospel message and plant the Church among peoples and groups which do not yet believe in Christ, are commonly called “Missions.”
Missionary Activity 1. The reason for missionary activity is found in God’s will that all men be saved and know the truth. Everyone must be converted, and incorporated by baptism with Him and the Church which is His Body. 2. Missionary activity is assigned in geographic units as determined by the Holy See. Its aim is to plant the Church where it has not yet been established, as a seed. 3. The principal means of missionary activity is the preaching of the Gospel. 4. The Church’s mission work has various stages: the initial stage which is the planting of the Church, and the duty of continuing this work. 5. Where the preaching of the Gospel is impossible, missionaries bear witness as a preparation. 6. Missionary activity among non-Christians differs from pastoral activity among the faithful. 7. Missionary activity is connected with human nature: the Church reveals to men their true condition and complete vocation; their need of Christ the exemplar, teacher, liberator, savior, vivifier. 8. The Time for Mission Work is between the first and second coming of the Lord. Missionary activity is a manifestation of epiphany of God’s will, and the fulfillment of that will in the world and in world history. 9. Thus, mission work tends to an eschatological fulness: the Mystical Body is increased to the measure of the fulness of Christ.
Christian Witness 1. The Church must be present to these groups of persons who do not know Christ through her sons who live among them or are sent to them: by acknowledging themselves as members of the groups in which they live, by participating in their cultural and social life, by being familiar with their national and religious traditions, uncovering the seeds of the Word in these traditions, while trying to transform them profoundly. 2. Preaching the Gospel and Assembling the People of God. 3. The Church forbids anyone to be forced. 4. Those who accept the faith are to be admitted to the catechumenate in liturgical ceremonies. Christian initiation is the work not only of the priests, but of the whole community, especially sponsors.
Forming the Christian Community 1. Missionaries must establish congregations of the faithful in which they exercise the threefold role: priestly, prophetic, kingly, being signs of the presence of God in the world. 2. The Christian community should supply its own necessities. New Christians should have the ecumenical spirit. 3. The Christian community is established and is present in order to announce Christ to its fellow Christians by word and action. 4. Priests, deacons, catechists, religious and apostolic laity are to be drawn from the congregation of the faithful itself. 5. The work of the catechist is of the greatest importance. Diocesan and regional schools are to be set up to train future catechists, with their sustenance sufficiently provided for.
Particular Churches 1. The work of planting the Church in a given community reaches its milestone when the congregation of the faithful already enjoys a certain stability and firmness. 2. In the young Churches, the People of God must mature in all phases of their lives, live and feel with the entire Church. 3. The local Church is also sent to the non-Christians of its area. Local priests must close rank with the foreign priests. 4. The Church is not truly established unless there is a working laity bearing witness to Christ, in their society and culture, in a spirit of charity.
Missionaries 1. It is the duty of every Christian to spread the faith. But Christ also inspires the missionary vocation in individuals and brings missionary institutes into being. 2. The missionary is to be given special spiritual and moral training in order to become a man of prayer, with zeal to spend himself for souls. 3. The training shall also be pastoral. As many Brothers and Sisters are to be trained in catechetics. 4. Mission work cannot be done by individuals alone but also by institutes, pooling resources, providing adequate training.
The Organization of Mission Activity 1. All the Christian faithful should work together for the Gospel, each according to ability, charism and appointed task. 2. The bishops are primarily responsible for preaching everywhere, for all missions and missionary activity. 3. The bishop must foster, govern and coordinate mission activity: all missionaries are subject to his authority. He should establish a pastoral council of elected clerics, religious and laity
Decision-Making Body 1. Propagation of the Faith, Secretariate for the Promotion of Unity 2. Special bodies with representatives from bishops around the world, religious superiors and head of pontifical mission societies, religious women. 3. Episcopal conferences may establish missionary institutes. 4. Mission workers require scientific preparation. Cooperation 1. The work of mission requires the cooperation: · Of all Church’s children through Christian witnessing, sharing of mission news through modern means of communication, coordination with national and international agencies. · Of the people of God in communities. · Of bishops who are consecrated, not only for a certain diocese, but also for the salvation of the entire world. Thus, the bishop should rouse his people to work for the spread of the Gospel in the world, and assign some of their better priests to dioceses in need of clergy. · Of priests whose life has also been consecrated for the service of missions. · Of Religious institutes that should continue this work. Of contemplative life that plays an important role in the conversion of souls. Of institutes of the active life, of secular institutes under the direction of the bishops. · Of the laity by increasing their knowledge and love of missions, teaching and other activities in the missions, offering economic-social cooperations to developing peoples, and advancing of peoples and religions. The laity require technical and spiritual training in specialized institutes.
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