The Church in Spain will celebrate this March 1, the first Sunday of the month, the Day of Hispanoamerica under the motto ‘We walk together, we share joy’, a day promoted by the Spanish Episcopal Conference to highlight the missionary cooperation with the Churches of the American continent.
The initiative, organized through the Episcopal Commission for Missions and Cooperation with the Churches, underscores the universal dimension of the Church and the close historical connection between Spain and America. On the occasion of this day, various pastoral materials have been prepared: an official prayer, a liturgical supplement, an informative document on the Hispanoamerican Priestly Cooperation Work (OCSHA) and the message from Msgr. Filippo Iannone, president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
Iannone’s message: mission, joy, and conversion
In his message for this day, Msgr. Iannone takes up a point he has already presented to the public: the Church’s walking together is tied to an authentic personal and communal conversion, a reality that he himself has pointed out as a decisive factor in resistance to synodality within certain ecclesial spheres. According to the prelate, the lack of deep assimilation of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council —and, therefore, of the understanding of synodality as fidelity to the Gospel and not as an ideological novelty— explains many of the difficulties in walking in communion.
Read also: Msgr. Iannone attributes the resistance to synodality to the «lack of conversion»
In that sense, Iannone emphasizes that the motto chosen this year is not just a pastoral slogan, but a call to integrate the joy of faith with the demand of Christian conversion, reminding us that “the Church does not exist for itself, but to announce with joy the beauty of the Gospel to all people and in all places”.
Mary, model of the missionary Church
Msgr. Iannone also highlights the role of the Virgin Mary as a model of the mission. He presents her as “the first member of the Church” and a permanent reference for evangelizing action. In the American continent, deeply marked by Marian devotion, this dimension takes on special prominence.
Mary is shown as an example of availability and obedience to God’s will, traits that should characterize those who participate in the missionary task.
The OCSHA: concrete presence of the Spanish Church in America
The central axis of this day is the Hispanoamerican Priestly Cooperation Work (OCSHA), founded in 1949 to channel the sending of Spanish diocesan priests to America.
Currently, the OCSHA has 130 Spanish priests assigned to 17 countries on the continent. Peru has the largest number, with 45 presbyters. By diocese of origin, Toledo stands out with 27 priests, Burgos with 11, and Madrid with 10.
These priests carry out their pastoral work in parishes, schools, seminaries, and hospitals, sustaining the sacramental and formative life of communities that, in many cases, lack sufficient clergy.