Mill Hill Missionaries to host international conference

Thousands of Catholic missionaries from around the world will be represented when leaders of 23 Catholic Missionary Societies of Apostolic Life (MISAL) visit London next month for a conference on Mission.

The Mill Hill Missionaries, the only Missionary Society founded in Britain, are hosting the international event which takes place every two years. It will run from 6-10 May.

The Superiors General are visiting from countries as wide-ranging as Nigeria, South Korea, India, Canada, Mexico and Switzerland. This will be the first time that they have all gathered in London since the inaugural meeting of MISAL 40 years ago.

The theme of the conference is 'Mission: 50 Years after Vatican II'. The invited speakers, Professor Annemarie Mayer and Professor Kim Kirsteen experts in the field of culture and global mission, will help the missionary leaders to reflect upon the strong development of the Church’s understanding of Christ’s call to mission.

The conference motto 'Gaudium Ad Gentes' or 'Joy to the Peoples' focuses on the delight there is in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the nations.

One of the highlights of the conference will be a visit on Thursday 8 May to the tomb of Cardinal Herbert Vaughan, the founder of the Mill Hill Missionaries, in Westminster Cathedral. This will be followed by Mass at 5.30pm.

Fr Anthony Chantry, the General Superior of the Mill Hill Missionaries, said: “It is a great honour for us to be hosting this important international conference. Holding it in this diverse and culturally rich city is in itself a reminder of the challenges facing missionaries across the world. It provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon the ongoing Mission of the Church which, in the words of Pope Francis, is giving witness to ‘the God who revealed his immense love in the crucified and risen Christ’. It will also be a chance for us to encourage each other in our common task and to seek new ways to collaborate so that the Good News of Jesus Christ will reach the hearts of all and bring lasting joy to all nations.”

The Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM) are an international fellowship of Catholic missionaries dedicated to announcing the Good News of Jesus Christ to people throughout the world. They were founded by Father Herbert Vaughan, later cardinal archbishop of Westminster, in 1866, to serve those who, in his own words, were “most abandoned and poorest in the means of grace”. The motto of the Mill Hill Missionaries is “Amare et Servire”, “to Love and to Serve”.

Until 2006 St Joseph’s College, Mill Hill, London was the Headquarters of the Mill Hill Missionaries. They are now located in Maidenhead.

There are currently 400 Mill Hill Missionaries – priests, brothers and associates – working throughout the world including Cameroon, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, DRC, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Philippines and New Zealand.  There are 150 students training in Kenya, Cameroon, Uganda, Philippines and India to become Mill Hill Missionaries.

In England and Wales, Mill Hill Missionaries partner with Missio, the Pope’s official charity for overseas mission. Through the Red Box, which is in 200,000 Catholic homes, they fundraise for Catholic parishes overseas that are too poor to support themselves and for missionaries on the front-line.

40 years ago all Missionary Societies of Apostolic Life (MISAL) agreed to meet every two years to encourage co-operation and collaboration in the missionary work of the Church. On alternate years local meetings are held in Europe, Africa and Asia. There are 23 MISAL from Nigeria, South Korea, Philippines, India, Hong Kong, Thailand, USA, Canada, Columbia, Mexico, UK, Spain, Italy, France, Ireland, Portugal, and Switzerland.

Guests of the MISAL conference will be staying at the Royal Foundation of St Katherine, an Anglican conference centre in Limehouse, in the East End of London.