Switzerland. On April 28 the meetings of the persons in charge of the ministry of emigrants in Europe opened with the participation of the General Prefect of Apostolate, Fr. Vicente Sanz. There were participants from Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, Belorussia and different zones of Spain.
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On the 29th, throughout the whole morning, the different Claretian Provinces have been presenting their works, difficulties, action lines, achievements and challenges that the ministry of emigrants is confronting nowadays. The first Province to present its situation is the Province of Santiago. Juanjo Raya, prefect of apostolate, shows the 7 action lines and an example of different positions that work especially in this line. The Province of Betica continues. Juventino Rodríguez, prefect of apostolate and Pedro Cabrera, responsible of Solidarity and Mission, comment on the different realities they are confronting and the actions that are being carried out and are coming up.
Next in their expositions are Benoît Cayuela, prefect of apostolate in France, Sindo Martín, responsible of the Spanish mission in Paris and Devadass Paul, pastor of the Siro Malabar parish of Frankfurt (Germany).
In the afternoon, Pilar Samanes, of the secretariat of Emigrants of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, joins the group.
We take part of the afternoon to visit the neighbouring monastery of Einsiedeln, guided by Fr. Carlos Burkard, monk of the same monastery.
We eat supper early (Swiss time) and continue with the presentations. Now is the turn of the Province of Euskal Herria. Pilar Maroto presents the work of the SORTARAZI Association and Aitor Kamiruaga, prefect of apostolate, together with Patxi Sádaba, pastor of the Claretian parish of Bilbao, the Claret Sozial Fondoa, of recent foundation.
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Tomazs Ksiazkiewick, pastor of Byelorussia, presents a different reality, since it is a country with a growing emigration. We end the day with the presentation of the hosts. Carlos Latorre, coordinator of the encounter, and Pedro Gil, of the Spanish Mission of Zürich, present the activities and the present situation of the Spanish-language Mission.
