The Missionary Union of Priests & Religious is a spiritual apostolate
Unlike the other three Pontifical Mission Societies, this mission society family member does not collect or distribute funds. Its purpose is to educate and inspire priests, Religious men and women, pastoral leaders and those responsible for catechesis and religious education so that they may better animate others to share their faith and to be missionaries themselves, supporting also the missionary work of the Church worldwide.
In 1916, Father Paolo M
anna, a PIME missionary serving in Myanmar (then called Burma), envisioned an organization that would help him to share the spiritual graces he had received through his work in bringing the "Good News" of Christ to others. He wanted to encourage those already engaged in the work of the Church to support the work of the Missions — and perhaps to become missionaries themselves. And so, he formed the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious.
Today, this spiritual apostolate started by this Italian missionary continues to address itself to those called to bring Catholics to a better understanding of their baptismal responsibility for the church’s missionary work — to priests, religious, seminarians, pastoral leaders and those engaged in catechesis and religious education.
In fact, the success of the efforts of the
three other missionary societies is linked to the vitality of the Missionary Union, because it is through this work that the missionary spirit –– a spirit of prayer and generous sacrifice – is developed and nurtured. Animators inspiring other animators to carry out the baptismal mandate to "go to all nations and proclaim the 'Good News'" is what inspires so many men and women, Religious and lay to witness and share their faith with so many more.