In a short time, many countries joined in the initiative and the Society spread from France to Belgium, Spain, Italy and many other nations. In the first months of the foundation of the HC, the Christian community realized the missionary power of the children, which was a big surprise among the priests and bishops in seeing the real welcome extended by the children to this missionary work which puts them at the center of the Church and the world. On May 3, 1922, mindful of the Society’s great contribution to the missions for nearly eighty years, Pope Pius XI made it his own and recognized it as Pontifical. On December 4, 1950, Pope Pius XII created the World Day of the Holy Childhood and declared the day of the Epiphany as the date for its celebration, but leaving each nation free to adapt the date to local needs.

  • Spirituality of Holy Childhood

It is called the Holy Childhood because the Church wanted her children’s missionary movement to follow in the footsteps of Jesus who became a child. Christian children are called to work for the salvation of children who do not know Jesus, in honor of and in imitation of the Holy Childhood of Our Lord Jesus.  From the first rules edited by the founder, it is evident that:

  • The association is placed under the protection of the Child Jesus;
  • The Virgin Mary is the principal protector of the association, along with the guardian angels;
  • All the baptized children can be members of the association.

The association is structured in groups of 12 in honor of the 12 years of the infancy of Jesus, imitating him in the following aspects: simplicity, silence, the joy of living, his total availability, his trust in Mary and the docility toward his foster father, and the desire to work on the things of his Father; the children are admitted from a tender age till they receive Holy Communion.

According to the charism of the Association, the formative itinerary must give the children a new awareness. With baptism, the child becomes a bearer of Divine grace in which it finds the fullness of the Spirit. Baptism is a generous gift that belongs to the individual but the abundance of grace that derives from it belongs to the universality of the brothers and sisters to whom we are united by the same Father God. For this reason, was initiated the Association because Mons. De Forbin Janson could not accept that millions of children would remain outside of the true source of life. The missionary work is born out of baptism and it not just about the adults. The children, in as much children, are missionaries through their prayer and small sacrifices, always in wait of the time when they can themselves become missionaries in the fullness of the term, making the gift of their lives when they are adults. The association returned to the children a privileged place of sanctification: the infancy of the Son of God.

  • Mission of the SHC

Today the Pontifical Society of the Holy Childhood has put down roots in more than 130 countries and the motto has been enriched: children evangelizing children, children praying for the children, children helping children worldwide. The Pontifical Society of the Holy Childhood proposes today to help the children in developing a spirit and a missionary leadership, it drives them to share the faith and material benefits, especially with children who are most in need. It promotes, encourage and supports missionary vocations especially ad gentes. It is an instrument for growth in faith, also from the perspective of vocations. The Association of the Holy Childhood seeks to foster a personal and communitarian involvement in order to:

  • Stimulate the dynamic movement toward God and the latent apostolate in them
  • Support and encourage the taking up of a task that makes them feel part of a family where everyone is important and everyone lends a hand.

The actual challenge is the opening of the heart. The children of the Missionary Childhood pray every day for the other children and for the spread of the Gospel message. The Collection is the fruit of the missionary children’s sacrifices and all those who want to give a better future to the children in the world. These “gifts” are collected by the National Directions present in the respective countries and sent to the Missionary Childhood Universal Solidarity Fund to be redistributed to millions of needy children in every corner of the world. Thanks to this aid, so many children can know Jesus and the Gospel, eat, study, have a roof over their heads where they can sleep, take care of themselves. Through their behaviour and their message, the missionary children are witnesses and an example for their peers and the whole community.

The Pontifical Association of the Holy Childhood is an excellent way of giving the children and adolescents the opportunity of sharing with others and of doing their part for the common good. It advocates a human and Christian education while offering the space for recreation and sharing based on Gospel values, all this through the activities of catechesis, formation, prayer, visits to the poor and the sick. The association offers a positive and fraternal approach towards others, in the light of the Christian faith, to inculcate closeness of the heart and prayer, knowledge and collaboration, and mutual help among the children of the world. The missionary education of children passes through the awareness of the conscience, which would lead to a spirituality and a will to stimulate, in a lasting sense, a change of lifestyle and a growing relationship with God and neighbor.

The universal horizon is at the base of every experience at the local level. The support that a diocese and parish can give to the task of the Holy Childhood could be in the form of awareness of children toward becoming witnesses of God’s love toward everyone, beginning with their own surroundings, thinking of other children, and praying for them.

In the Parish of Katukurunda the Society of the Missionary Childhood functions still in its insipient stage and still it is not fully established as a permanent and regular Children’s Movement due to the lack of lay animators to conduct and guide it for the benefit of the Children. There are two cells in the Parish one for St. Joseph Vaz’s Church community and the other for St. Mary’s Church community.

Animators:

St. Joseph Vaz’s Church – Lakshani Fernando (0774184534), Rushani Mendis (0752803372), Dilshani Appuhamy (0778950118)

St. Mary’s Church – Shamini Seuwandi (0112658564, 0752692564), Anne Madushani (0750691296)