Rome (AsiaNews) – Mass for the anniversary of the foundation of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, will be offered “in thanks to the Lord for the return of Fr. Giancarlo and to ask for His continued protection of our missionaries”. In a letter Fr. Gian Battista Zanchi, Institute Superior General, writes to his confreres “a month on from his kidnap, July 10th last, in a letter addressed to you all, I had asked all of the houses of the Institute to pray for Fr. Giancarlo’s release and so it was. A chorus of prayers from across the world, involving thousands of people, of different faiths, received the desired grace of God”.
"In that invitation to prayer –continues the message – invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary, I concluded by saying ‘…we ask that soon we may be able to sing together with Her the Magnificat’. I am certain that each one of us individually has already done so, but we feel it is our duty a san Institute to settle on a day of thanksgiving to the Lord for the liberation of Fr. Giancarlo”.
“July 30th, anniversary of the Institute’s foundation – the letter reads – mass will be offered to ‘thank’ the Lord for the return of Fr. Giancarlo and to ask for His continued protection of our missionaries”.
The message ends by informing readers that “The Superior General will celebrate a thanksgiving mass on the evening of July 30th in the chapel of the General House”.