Fr Michael Pui Meets Pope Leo XIV at the General Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) May 2026

Who is wearing the Pope's cap?

Fr Michael Pui shares some reflexions during his  time in Rome

Missio Ad Gentes – All Roads lead from Rome!

A reflection by Fr Michael Pui on his attendance at the latest General Assembly of the PMS.
My recent visit to the headquarters of the Pontifical Mission Societies, the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide (now the Dicastery of the Evangelization of Peoples), led me to discover that there was a time when all roads, not so much led to Rome, but from Rome! When Pope Gregory XV established the Congregation of Propaganda Fide in 1622, on the feast of the Epiphany, he made a seismic shift in the way missionary endeavours were initiated and managed. Before that, missionary work was largely controlled by the royal courts of Spain and Portugal. The establishment of the Congregation shifted the missionary efforts of the Church from a colonial patronage system to a more centralised and global effort. It shielded missionaries from secular political agendas. It also meant that missionaries would first come to Rome, to the Palazzo, before they went to faraway lands to sow the love of Christ. Evidence of this ex urbe et orbi, “from the city (of Rome) and to the world”, can still be tangibly seen in the Palazzo, both within the walls and in the walls!   Read the full transcript here 

Saints – The Church Triumphant

A second reflection by Fr Michael Pui on his attendance at the latest General Assembly of the PMS.  Read the full transcript here.
The saints make up a fundamental part of the Celestial Hierarchy, functioning alongside angels, archangels, and cherubim. The Church’s teaching on the Communion of Saints, that the Church Triumphant, the Church Militant and the Church Suffering are in an unbroken communion bond of prayer always strikes a chord with me. Wherever I am, I know I have family and friends who have died, whom I could still call on, both in my private prayer and the Mass I celebrate. By that, I include my loved ones, who are unlikely to be officially declared saints. As the words of the third Eucharistic prayer of the Mass beautifully remind us, “…on whose constant intercession in your presence we rely for unfailing help”.
Knowing that the saints journey with me gives me great comfort.
Blessed Pauline Jaricot – Pray for us.
St Philomena – Pray for us
St John Paul II – Pray for us
All holy men and women – pray for us.

Cardinal Tagle at the PMS Assembly: mission and unity are born from baptism. 28 May 2026

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle proposed a spiritual reinterpretation of Pope Leo XIV’s Message for World Mission Day 2026, drawing inspiration from Jesus’ prayer for unity and the experience of the first Christian communities.

“One in Christ and united in mission”

The Cardinal recalled that the theme of Pope Leo XIV’s Message, “One in Christ, united in mission,” echoes his Augustinian papal motto, “In Illo uno unum” (in the one Christ, we are one).
The Cardinal Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches) presented an exegesis of chapter 17 of the Gospel of Saint John, where the Pope’s reflection finds its roots, particularly in Jesus’ prayer, “I pray not only for them,” meaning the disciples, “but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” “Let me highlight this part of the prayer of Jesus: ‘that all may be one,’ the Cardinal said, “because you have all strands of theology, spirituality, Trinity, ecclesiology, mission all come together there. Brothers and sisters, this is Jesus’ prayer before he died. And we believe that seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us, he continues to pray, and he continues praying this prayer to the Father: ‘that they may all be one.’” The unity for which Jesus prays, the Cardinal continued, is not “just a matter of organization. This is not just a matter of planning and strategy, but of divine communion shared with the disciples and the divine communion into which the disciples are invited or allowed by grace to enter.” Unity is a gift: “the unity that Jesus desires, the unity that Jesus prays for, and which is granted to us through faith and in the sacrament of baptism. It is this type of spiritual communion that is being granted to us.” “So, when we prepare our catechetical materials for the World Mission Sunday about this call of the Holy Father to be one in Christ and therefore one in mission, I hope we do not forget to go back to this very fundamental aspect of communion, which is often overlooked or downplayed in favor of other forms of so-called unity,” he added. For the cardinal, this is the very foundation of mission: “when we talk about baptism as the sacrament of faith and also the sacrament of mission, we should go back to this fundamental element of unity, of communion with the Trinity.”

Unity, a condition of missionary credibility

In the second part of the Message of Pope Leo: “Unity in mission,” the Cardinal emphasizes: unity is not an exclusive good to be lived in one’s own small, elitist groups, but a witness for the world.
“In the prayer of Jesus, it is not the unity of people who say, “I look at you. You look at me. I smile at you. You smile at me. We are united. We are happy together.” For Jesus, unity, spiritual, true and authentic spiritual unity in the Christian community, is not inward looking.”
The unity of Christians in the prayer of Jesus is like a missionary condition: “a condition for missionary authenticity, credibility. The unity of Christians is a missionary declaration of who our God is. And we say, “Look at us, because in us dwells the God of communion.” So the life of Christians should be in itself a living word to the world. And they are in us. Starting from Saint Paul, the Cardinal described what he calls “the mystique of missionary unity”: “the diversity of gifts, the diversity of tongues, the diversity of generations. But all part of one another, concerned for each other, and working for the common good. This is missionary unity, and it is missionary communion.”
The Cardinal painfully evoked the situations of internal divisions, even violent ones, that undermine the credibility of the Gospel message, particularly in the territories of first evangelization: “What is at stake is not my tribe. What is at stake is not my region. What is at stake is: will people believe that Jesus was sent by the Father?”  Read the full address here

Mission Sunday 19 October 2025

Cardinal Tagle at the PMS Assembly: mission and unity are born from baptism. 28 May 2026

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle proposed a spiritual reinterpretation of Pope Leo XIV’s Message for World Mission Day 2026, drawing inspiration from Jesus’ prayer for unity and the experience of the first Christian communities.

“One in Christ and united in mission”

The Cardinal recalled that the theme of Pope Leo XIV’s Message, “One in Christ, united in mission,” echoes his Augustinian papal motto, “In Illo uno unum” (in the one Christ, we are one).
The Cardinal Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches) presented an exegesis of chapter 17 of the Gospel of Saint John, where the Pope’s reflection finds its roots, particularly in Jesus’ prayer, “I pray not only for them,” meaning the disciples, “but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” “Let me highlight this part of the prayer of Jesus: ‘that all may be one,’ the Cardinal said, “because you have all strands of theology, spirituality, Trinity, ecclesiology, mission all come together there. Brothers and sisters, this is Jesus’ prayer before he died. And we believe that seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us, he continues to pray, and he continues praying this prayer to the Father: ‘that they may all be one.’” The unity for which Jesus prays, the Cardinal continued, is not “just a matter of organization. This is not just a matter of planning and strategy, but of divine communion shared with the disciples and the divine communion into which the disciples are invited or allowed by grace to enter.” Unity is a gift: “the unity that Jesus desires, the unity that Jesus prays for, and which is granted to us through faith and in the sacrament of baptism. It is this type of spiritual communion that is being granted to us.” “So, when we prepare our catechetical materials for the World Mission Sunday about this call of the Holy Father to be one in Christ and therefore one in mission, I hope we do not forget to go back to this very fundamental aspect of communion, which is often overlooked or downplayed in favor of other forms of so-called unity,” he added. For the cardinal, this is the very foundation of mission: “when we talk about baptism as the sacrament of faith and also the sacrament of mission, we should go back to this fundamental element of unity, of communion with the Trinity.”

Unity, a condition of missionary credibility

In the second part of the Message of Pope Leo: “Unity in mission,” the Cardinal emphasizes: unity is not an exclusive good to be lived in one’s own small, elitist groups, but a witness for the world.
“In the prayer of Jesus, it is not the unity of people who say, “I look at you. You look at me. I smile at you. You smile at me. We are united. We are happy together.” For Jesus, unity, spiritual, true and authentic spiritual unity in the Christian community, is not inward looking.”
The unity of Christians in the prayer of Jesus is like a missionary condition: “a condition for missionary authenticity, credibility. The unity of Christians is a missionary declaration of who our God is. And we say, “Look at us, because in us dwells the God of communion.” So the life of Christians should be in itself a living word to the world. And they are in us. Starting from Saint Paul, the Cardinal described what he calls “the mystique of missionary unity”: “the diversity of gifts, the diversity of tongues, the diversity of generations. But all part of one another, concerned for each other, and working for the common good. This is missionary unity, and it is missionary communion.”
The Cardinal painfully evoked the situations of internal divisions, even violent ones, that undermine the credibility of the Gospel message, particularly in the territories of first evangelization: “What is at stake is not my tribe. What is at stake is not my region. What is at stake is: will people believe that Jesus was sent by the Father?”  Read the full reflection here

Rome, the Eternal City, and the City of Saints and Sinners

 

One of the perks of being the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS), is that I get a chance each year to meet the Pope.  It’s the perfect panacea and blessing for the seven days of intense and long deliberations that we National Directors have to endure at our yearly assembly.

The chance of a papal encounter this year was initially thought to be highly improbable because of Pope Francis’ ill health and his eventual death.  That improbability changed a few days before I boarded the plane; thanks to a quick conclave, and to Pope Leo XIV virtually commencing work immediately, well before the echoes of “Habemus Papam” quietened down around Rome and the world.  All of a sudden, on the eve of my departure for Rome, our papal audience came back on the agenda.

Travelling with me on the plane was a couple from Christchurch, ex-parishioners of mine, who are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary in the Year of Jubilee.  Our arrival in Rome was on the eve of the assembly of Directors, and it coincided also with the eve of Pope Leo’s XIV’s first Wednesday’s audience at St Peter’s.  It meant Rome was buzzing with excitement, and it felt more crowded than usual.  We had less than twenty-four hours to acclimatise, and I had half a day to show them around.  The couple wanted to say a prayer at the tomb of Pope Francis, and to queue for the tickets for the Wednesday audience.  It rained, and despite their wish to travel by taxi, I encouraged them to follow me and take the bus and train, citing it was perfectly safe if they were to be attentive to their wallets.  Rome, after all, is not only the city of the Popes, but also a city of thieves and pick-pockets!

We arrived at Basilica of St Mary Majors to find ourselves at the end of a long queue standing in the rain – and that queue was just to get past the security!   Christchurch was also represented by another group, from which came a voice, “Father Michael, Christchurch here…!” as we rushed to get to the back of the long queue.  When we finally got into the Basilica, we had only about five seconds to file past the tomb of Pope Francis.  It was a deflating experience and it got a bit dramatic when I received a public telling off by a policeman for slowing down the queue, trying twice to take a photo of the couple!  Then, to add insult to injury for the day, on our way home, the couple got pickpocketed the very minute we boarded the crowded train!  The exhausting day had made them less attentive.  They lost all their credit cards and cash.  Immediately after the theft, several transactions were made within the minutes of the theft of their credit-cards – no thanks to ‘PayWave’.    The hellish nightmare continued for us as they had to make numerous phone calls to cancel the cards, and lodge a police report.  There was also the matter of how they were to survive in Rome for a week, penniless!  Welcome to Rome!

Later in the day we confronted another long queue.  It took hours to get the tickets to the Papal Audience that the couple had requested online.  It was a good time for a good post mortem of the day.   The next morning, we caught up for my private Mass in the Chapel at C.I.A.M (International Centre for Missionary Animation).  At Mass, the saintly couple prayed for the conversion of the thieves, that they find employment and change their ways!  C.I.A.M is located next to St Peter’s Basilica on the hill.  The couple were too tired to queue up again to enter St Peter’s square for the audience, but as I compose this, they were going to queue again for another set of tickets for the next audience on the eve of their departure from Rome!  All is not lost, we witnessed the first Wednesday Papal Audience of Leo XIV from C.I.A.M, from where the speeches and prayers were all within audible distance.  It was actually a better spot from a photographic perspective.

Just before midday, I farewelled the couple and left for the Assembly of Directors at the Capuchin’s College of St Lawrence of Brindisi, whose feast day is the anniversary of my ordination twenty-five years ago, in the year of the Great Jubilee 2000.  I have many times preached that, through the eyes of faith, one sees providences more than coincidences.  Yet, even with this vision, I could not help thinking I was about to start my earthly ‘purgatory’ as the bus snaked through Rome!

The Assembly of Directors opened with a luncheon and concluded in the evening with an address by His Eminence, Cardinal Tagle.  He was one of the “papabile” who entered the conclave as a Pope and came out a cardinal.  Cardinal Tagle is the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, making him the Cardinal in charge of the Pontifical Mission.  That evening, at the end of his address, I posed the final question from the floor, asking his thoughts about our task to update the Statutes of the PMS; and that the ‘draft’ Statutes may still contain elements that stifle ‘creativity’, which Pope Francis asked us to explore in our work.  The next day, we were to join the cardinal in a concelebrated Mass at St Peter’s, followed by a Papal audience.

Every National Director was looking forward to meeting and greeting the (new) Pope in the Clementine Hall in the Vatican.  Several directors turned up with gifts from their homeland.  I think, for one or two, it was a cunning plan to increase their time with the Pope and their photo opportunity!  I, too, had become older and wiser. This year, I managed to secure the second row of seats!  And I had in my hands, my trusty camera and a collection of lenses!  While the crowd was settling down, to my surprise, Cardinal Tagle zoomed up to me (pun intended) and thanked me for the question I had asked him the evening before.  We had a brief discussion, after which, we all sat in silence for Pope Leo XIV.  The wait felt like an eternity.  Leo XIV entered, greeted by a huge applause.  He gave a short address in English, and encouraged us in our work and asked us “…to give priority to visiting dioceses, parishes and communities, and in this way help the faithful to recognize the fundamental importance of the missions and supporting our brothers and sisters in those areas of our world where the Church is young and growing”.  After the speech, there was an air of excitement as the Pope greeted each one of us personally, starting with the Bishops naturally.  When I was in line to shake the Pope’s hands, behind about ten National Directors, the man in charge told me not to say anything to speed up the occasion.  Instead, when the time came, I said to Pope Leo, holding up four fingers; “Your Holiness, it’s been nearly forty years since a Pope came to our shores.  Please come and visit New Zealand…..”.  If he comes to New Zealand, I am going to claim the credit!

We received a Rosary gift each, but the Pontificate is still new, and so the Rosary still had Pope Francis’ insignia!   Maybe next year, I will have another encounter, and a new pair with a new insignia.   Last year I ‘auctioned’ the same rosary for funds towards the mission, raising a four-figure sum!

The events in the Eternal City in my last forty-eight hours, from dealing with the things of our broken world to the blessing of meeting Christ’s Vicar on earth, all came with the feeling that somehow, amid all that happened, time stood still.  Perhaps that is why Rome is called the Eternal City.

Now, for cleansing the fire of seven long days of work…..!  Welcome to Rome indeed!

Fr Michael Pui

25th May 2025

Winners of the inaugural design of the Mission Box announced

As part of the effort to get students in Catholic Schools in Aotearoa – New Zealand to appreciate and support the Church’s work in the missions , Missio – Aotearoa organised a competition to design the 2025 Mission Box. Fr Michael Pui, the Director of Missio – Aotearoa, hopes to make this a yearly event, and he was delighted at the entries he received. The entries from primary schools “ brought a smile to his face ” he said.

The winners;
Primary School : Zanariah Comendador (Year 6), St Bernadette’s, Hornby, Christchurch
Secondary School : Jamie Barillas from St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College , Auckland

They won prize s of $100 and $150 , respectively, including a certificate . Because of the effort of the students , Fr Michael Pui decided he would reward each primary school entry with $10, and $20 for the secondary schools. Part of the winning designs may or may not be adapted for use on the actual boxes that will be sent out to the schools later in the year . This is particularly poignant in light of Pope Francis’ death.

Fr Pui hopes the Mission Boxes will be ready well before Mission Sunday 19 th October, or the Mission Month of October to serve as a focal point for the spirit of mission ; to “faith raise ” and to “fund raise”. Funds raised go towards the Pope’ s missionary endeavours in supporting people in poorer countries.

The motto for Mission Sunday picked by Pope Francis for the Jubilee year is; “ Missionaries of hope among all people.”  It is a great reminder that we all need to bring hope to those less fortunate than ourselves.

Visit of the National Director of Kazhakstan

                       

Take the opportunity to learn something about the universality of the Church through the lens of  Fr. Leopold Kropfreiter SJM, the National Director of the Pontifical Mission of Kazakhstan.  Imagine being a Catholic, numbering less than 1% of a population of 19 million with the majority being Muslim.  Imagine also being at Mass in winter when the temperature is minus 45C!

A koha on the day to support the Pontifical Mission would be appreciated.  For any queries, contact Fr Michael Pui, NZ National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, 021-1737 992 or michaelpui@missio.nz

Date: Sunday 2nd March,

Time: 11.30 am (immediately after the 10.30am Parish Mass)

Venue: Sacred Heart Church Hall – Parish of Our Lady, Queen of Peace, 70 Spencer Street, Addington.

Pope Francis’ address to the National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies

“Communion, creativity, and tenacity. Let us consider these essential words, which are relevant for the Church in its permanent state of mission, and especially for our Missionary Societies called to renewal in order to be ever more effective in service.”

With these words, Pope Francis addressed about 120 National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) on Saturday, 25 May, during the traditional audience for the Annual General Assembly. Many National Directors made the special trip to Rome to attend the Assembly at the “Fraterna Domus” spirituality centre in Sacrofano.
Fr Michael Pui, Catholic National Director of Mission for New Zealand, was among the National Directors who travelled to Rome to attend the Pope’s audience.  (Being new to the job, he also had to attend two days of ‘formation and orientation’ before the Annual Assembly).
“As always, the Pope’s words were full of encouragement and a reminder that the work of mission belongs to the whole Church,” said Fr Michael.  He added that ‘Pope Francis addressed us with a very cordial spirit and even went off script!’
In his opening speech, the President of the PMS, Archbishop Emilio Nappa, highlighted: “The ‘epochal change’ underway in the world also challenges the nature and specific mission of the Pontifical Mission Societies, called to carefully read what is happening in society to set out once again to meet the deep needs of today’s men and women.”
In his address to the National Directors of the PMS, Pope Francis discussed the Holy Trinity’s celebration from the previous day. He interpreted three key words in a missionary context, beginning with “communion”: “When we contemplate the Trinity, we see that God is a communion of persons, a mystery of love. The love with which God comes to seek and save us, rooted in his being One and Triune, is also the basis of the missionary nature of the pilgrim Church on earth (cf. Redemptoris Missio, 1; Ad Gentes, 2).”
He then encouraged everyone to “grow in this spirituality of missionary communion, which is the foundation of the Church’s current synodal journey. I emphasised this in the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium and I reiterate it now, especially as you work on renewing your Statutes. Since a journey of missionary conversion is necessary for everyone, it is essential that opportunities for personal and communal formation be provided in order to grow in the dimension of “communal” missionary spirituality.”
The “creativity” – the second word “delivered” by Pope Francis to the National Directors of the PMS – arises from being “rooted in God’s creative work, which makes all things new.” The Pope emphasised: “missionary activity is creative to the extent that Christ’s charity is its origin, form, and end. Thus, with inexhaustible imagination, such charity inspires new ways of evangelising and serving others, especially the poorest.”  He also quoted St Maximillian Kolbe, saying; “only love creates”.
“Tenacity”, the third word entrusted by Pope Francis to the reflection of the PMS Assembly: “Let us also contemplate this characteristic of the love of the Triune God who, in order to fulfil his plan of salvation, with constant faithfulness has sent his servants throughout history and, in the fullness of time, gave himself in Christ Jesus. The divine mission ‘is a tireless going out to all men and women, in order to invite them to encounter God and enter into communion with him. Tireless! The Church, for her part, in fidelity to the mission she has received from the Lord, will continue to go to the ends of the earth, to set out over and over again, without ever growing weary or losing heart in the face of difficulties and obstacles” (Message for World Mission Day 2024).
The Annual General Assembly is one of the central events during the year. This time it also included debate and discussion of the updating of the PMS Statutes.  Fr Michael reported that a typical day was long, starting with 7am Lauds, and finishing with 7pm vespers.  The perk of course was the meeting with the Pope.

Pope Francis Meets with the Pontifical Mission Societies