APOSTOLIC WORK FOR THE MISSIONARY'S EQUIPMENT. - It originated in France in 1838 through the initiative of Marie Zoé Du Chesne, to send missionaries items of personal equipment, furnishings and sacred vestments. Her example was followed by other women.

In 1848 the work established its seat at Orléans. In 1852 it took the title of O. A. delle pie operaie. On 13 May 1856 the central council was constituted in Paris. The first director was Fr. Schwindenhammer, who in 1854 presented the statute of the O. A. to Pius IX, which was approved and enriched with spiritual favors. In 1870 it passed under the direct dependence of Propaganda. It is widespread in Europe and America with its own national directorates. The statutes for Italy were approved by Propaganda on 9 Jan. 1934.

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: G. Goyau, Les origines de l'Oeuvre apostolique: Zoé Du Chesne, in Revue d'histoire des missions, 15 (1938), pp. 161-184; S. Paventi, La Chiesa missionaria. Manuale di cooperazione missionaria e missionografia, Rome 1950, pp. 78-81.

Saverio Paventi

In Germany Catherine Schynse (1854-1935), on the suggestion of her brother Augustine, of the White Fathers, founded in 1902 the Missionary Work of Catholic Women and Girls with the aim of helping the missions and the German diaspora. Its seat is at Pfaffendorf and it has spread to Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and the United States.

On 18 March 1934 Pius XI raised the association to a pontifical work ad instar (letter of the Cardinal Secretary of State to Card. Granito di Belmonte, protector of the Work: Segr. di Stato, Prot. n. 131.006) and on 20 Apr. 1942 Pius XII declared it definitively pontifical (AAS., 34 [1942], p. 219).

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: B. Arens, Handbuch der kath. Missionen, 2nd ed., Freiburg im Br. 1925, p. 310; Zur Gesch. des Missionsvereinigung kath. Frauen und Jungfrauen, in Stimmen aus den Missionen, 33 (1936), pp. 10-14; G. von Drotts, Missionsvereinigung kath. Frauen und Jungfrauen, in Die kath. Missionen, Freiburg 1947, p. 27.

Nicola Kowalsky

@incollection{ec9_opera_apostolica_per_il_corred, author = {Paventi, Saverio and Kowalsky, Nicola}, title = {Opera Apostolica Per Il Corredo del Missionario}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {IX}, pages = {150}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/opera-apostolica-per-il-corredo-del-missionario} }

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Apostolic Work for the Missionary's Trousseau

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