Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2009 / Detroit is PIME Missionaries' U.S. base
Detroit is PIME Missionaries' U.S. base
by Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published June 12, 2009
Detroit - If local Catholics are seeing more of the PIME Missionaries recently, that is a result of the society having its North American headquarters here.
Most priests of the Rome-based Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME represents the initials of its name in Latin) can be found in Asia, Africa and South America - and sometimes in countries where they face danger.
PIME priests serve in India, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, the Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Algeria, Guinea-Bissau and Brazil.
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Robert Delaney | The Michigan Catholic
Standing on the steps of All Saints Church in southwest Detroit are (from left) PIME Frs. Kenneth Mazur, provincial for North America, Gian Battista Zanchi, superior general from Rome, and Christopher Snyder, administrator of All Saints Parish. |
Its North American base in Detroit coordinates the PIMEs' mission activity in Mexico and primarily mission support activities in the United States.
But besides encouraging financial support and vocations from American Catholics, the Detroit house - situated on Quincy Street just north of Gesu Parish - also serves as a residence for PIME priests studying at the nearby University of Detroit Mercy.
And they have become more involved in ministry in the area. Besides their long-time staffing of San Francesco Parish in Clinton Township, PIME priests now also serve at All Saints and St. Hedwig parishes in southwest Detroit, and at Holy Trinity, the campus parish at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti.
Fr. Gian Battista Zanchi, the PIMEs' superior general from Rome, paid a visit to Detroit last month to see firsthand the local work of the society (it's a society of apostolic life, not a religious order, he explained), and also to see its newly renovated headquarters.
During his visit Fr. Zanchi concelebrated Mass at All Saints Church, along with Fr. Kenneth Mazur, PIME, provincial for North America, and Fr. Christopher Snyder, PIME administrator at All Saints.
All together, there are about 500 PIME priests around the world, with 21 of those in North America, Fr. Zanchi said.
PIMEs serve in some countries that have a majority Muslim population or where there is tension between Christians and Muslims.
"In Bangladesh, we don't have any trouble, but in the Philippines, we are in Mindinao province, where we have had two priests kidnapped and two killed - the last one two years ago," Fr. Zanchi said.
He explained that it was the work of the Abu-Sayif group, which is connected with Al-Queda, but added, "Still, our priests are working there as before."
Fr. Zanchi said PIMEs just began two years ago working in Algeria, another country where there has been violence against Christians, but they confine their work to ministering to the small Christian minority.
For more information about the PIME Missionaries, write PIME USA, 17330 Quincy St., Detroit 48221-2765, call (313) 342-4066 or go to www.pimeusa.org.
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