Missionary Union of the Clergy

UNIONE MISSIONARIA DEL CLERO. — The distant origins of the U. M. d. C. are intertwined with the history of the apostolate, which priests have always exercised for the conversion of peoples; its immediate precursors, however, date back to the end of the nineteenth century.

In Holland the clergy had been involved through the Apostolic League. In Germany, Fr. SCHMIDLIN, JOSEPH (v.) gave rise to various priestly associations for the missionary cultural formation of the clergy. The credit, however, for having established an organization of priests committed to effective missionary cooperation belongs to Fr. Paolo Manna of Missions (v.), born in Avellino on 16 January 1872 and deceased in Naples on 15 September 1952. As early as 1908 Manna had launched the idea in the book: Operarii autem pauci, and at the end of 1915 he wrote the first draft of the Union’s statutes, which, through Msgr. Guido M. Conforti (v.), was presented to Benedict XV on 27 April 1916. Propaganda approved it on 31 October of the same year. The U. M. d. C. was immediately established in Italy and was soon enriched with privileges and indulgences. The apostolic letter Maximum illud (1919) officially consecrated its

existence, extending it throughout the world. The success of the U. M. d. C. was by then assured, and today it is established in all countries and in the mission territories themselves. The statutes of 1916 were provisionally approved in 1921. In 1926 the definitive statutes were issued, later modified in 1937 following the establishment of the International Secretariat, decreed in 1936. The International Secretariat, headed by the Secretary General, is the center of all the National Directorates of the U. M. d. C., upon which the respective Diocesan Directorates depend. Secular and regular priests, as well as students of theology, may enroll in the U. M. d. C.; in assuming its obligations, they receive not a few spiritual favors, which are also extended to all missionaries. By decree of 14 July 1949, Propaganda again approved the statutes concerning the activity of the U. M. d. C. for lay religious and nuns, who may affiliate through personal or collective enrollment and enjoy special spiritual privileges.

Among its various initiatives, the “Day of the Sick” deserves mention; on the day of Pentecost, the sick offer their sufferings for the missions.