Pope Benedict Greets
Verbum Dei Founder
Pope Bendict
XVI send a message of congratulations to
Father Jaime Bonet, founder of Verbum Dei Missionary
Fraternity on his 80th birthday.
Isabel
Maria Fornari, fraternity president, read the Pope's message, issued
by the Vatican on May 18, during Father Bonet's May 21 thanksgiving
mass in the church of the Verbum Dei Theological Institute, Madrid,
Spain.
The
Holy Father conferred his apostolic blessing on the founder and
invoked an "abundance of divine graces and the maternal protection
of the Holy Virgin Mary."
Father
Jaime Bonet was born in Alqueria Blanca, Spain.
While still a seminarian, he organized a school or "preaching
academy" to give sound preparation for engaging in the ministry
of the Word.
Later,
Father Bonet was noted for his preaching of the
spiritual exercises. In the 1960s, the growth of groups wishing
to prepare for preaching led him to create "apostolic schools"
or schools of evangelization with youths who, in the measure they
were formed, became leaven in many other parishes.
In
1963 a group of girls belonging to the schools of evangelization
asked Father Bonet about the possibility of consecrating themselves
completely to the life of evangelization that he inspired with his
preaching.
This
first such group, called Diocesan Missionaries of the Word of God,
were dedicated "to prayer and the ministry of the Word."
They received their approval from the bishop of Mallorca in October
1963.
As
the fruit of Father Bonet's preaching, groups of youth and some
diocesan priests adopted this form of life. And, in 1969, two priests
were given permission by the bishop to be incorporated in Verbum
Dei.
On
Wednesday, Father Jaime Bonet will celebrate 50 years of priesthood.
Verbum
Dei is present in 35 countries. It has about 1,000 consecrated persons
and 35,000 disciples. |
“Jesus’
Baptism”