The PMS are four universal missionary societies under the patronage of the Holy Father whose principle aim is the promotion of a missionary spirit among the people of God by arousing and deepening their missionsry awareness.These societies inform the people about the life and the needs of universal mission of the church, encouraging the particular churches to pray for one another and to support one another through the exchange of personnel and material resources. They are:-
1. Society for the propagation of Faith
2. Society Missionary Childhood
3. Society of St.Peter the Apostle
4. Society of Missionary Union.
SOCIETY OF MISSIONARY HOLY CHILDHOOD
Founder
This society was founded by Bishop Charles Auguste Marie de Forbin Jansen a French Bishop of Nancy, 9th May 1843. It started as a result of requests for aids by missionaries who were working in China for poor or abandoned Christian to promote their Salvation through Baptism,Education and Freedom from Misery.
Spirit of the Society
Bishop de Forbin Jansen, Proposed to the Children to Pray and sacrifice for the salvation of the poor and abandoned children. They were invited to pray one Hail Mary every day and to save and offer one penny every month.Their slogan became: Children helping children.The association was given the name Holy ChildHood because the founder wanted to put the association under the patronage of the Child Jesus.The Children will be inspired by the life of Infact Jesus,his hidden life under the guidance of his parents until the age of 14. They learn from the child Jesus as they try to imitate him.
WORK OF MISSION CHILDREN
- Help Children to take the role of Christians.
- To visit the Sick.
- Help fellow children from poor backgrounds
- Visit the aged and pray with them.
- Pray for children who do not know Christ to get to know him,
- Contribute to the aid of less fortunate Children.
Some Common Activities for Holy Childhood in Archdiocese of Arusha
1. To visit the Sick.
2. Help fellow children from poor backgrounds
3. Visit the aged and pray with them.
4. We conducting seminars and conferences for all Childhood Catholic 3 days twice in one year.
5. Organize annual meetings with children caregivers in deanery at any Parish for rotating,after two month.
6. Recruitment and training of new members of the Childhood program at the beginning of the year for all parishies from October to December every year.
7. Visiting parishies and deanery to establish Childhood and choosing the new leadership groups for all parishies every year.
8. Organizing and Coordinating celebration of the Patron saint day of Holy Childhood at the Arch diocesan level.
9. Visiting Children with disabilities at a small Christian family level for spiritual and psychosocial support – third Sunday every year.
10. All childhood Pilgrimage on the last Saturday March every year.
(About 4,000 Childhood Pligrimage every year).
11. Read bible verses with children interpret their relevancy to them.
12. Teach them the common prayers e.g. Lords, Prayer, the Rosary, Apostles creed etc.
13. They pray Rosary together on October in their deanaries every year.
14. Organize Joint Mass for Childhood in January and November every year.
15. Engage the children in collecting alms for the disadvantaged person in our society etc.
THE PONTIFICAL MISSIONARY SOCIETIE’S ACTIVITIES
