Choice, preparation and appointment of a migrant missionary

Abstract

The migrant ministration, belonging to specialized ministrations, requires adequately chosen and prepared priests, called migrant missionaries.

I. The practice of the special formation of migrant priests dates back to 7th century, but it was not developed until the end 19th and the beginning of 20th centuries. Various forms of recruiting and preparing the candidates as well as a special procedure of appointing a migrant missionary were established then. A synthesis of the Church practices and the legislation of that time were included in the Apostolic constitution Exsul familia.

A new stage in the development of legislation in this field was started by the Vatican Council II and by the documents of the post-Council legislation, especially the instructions De pastorali migratorum cura and Ratio fundamental institutions sacerdotalis.

II. According to the new legislature, in respective countries the conferences of bishops are responsible for the migrant ministration. It is also their duty to define, on the basis of common norms, their own way of forming the migrant missionaries, to establish a council or to adjust proper institutes to this task, as well as to appoint priests to migrant missionaries.

Diocese and monastic priests can be appointed missionaries. They should be rather young, strong and healthy, showing good religious, moral, personal and intelectual qualifications, and prepared to the future tasks.

The special preparation of the candidates for migrant missionaries is supposed to complement their general priestly formation in the spiritual, scientific and pastoral respects. The preparation can be already carried on in seminaries or after taking holy orders by the priests in proper institutions inside the country a quo or ad quern.

The official form of choosing and authorizing a priest as a migrant missionary is a special appointment. The procedure of appointing has several stages in which the conferences of bishops and the involved bishops inside the country a quo and ad quern, play the decisive role.