Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions
The Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions or PIME is a society of secular priests and lay people who dedicate their lives to missionary activities in: Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong, India, Ivory Coast, Japan, Mexico, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Thailand.
Independently founded in Milan in 1850 and Rome in 1874 as a group of missionary-style diocesan priests and seminarians, these two seminaries were merged and officially recognized as PIME in 1926 by Pope Pius XI. PIME supports more than 500 missionaries in 18 countries and is headquartered in Rome. The institute opened its North American Regional headquarters in Detroit in 1947 at the invitation of Cardinal Edward Mooney, Archbishop of Detroit.
The members of PIME minister in local parishes, fostering vocations, mission awareness and financial assistance to their missions and missionaries around the world. PIME has built more than 2,000 churches and chapels and either operates or supports many hospitals and clinics, schools, orphanages and shelters. Among the programs offered by PIME are:
- Chapel Building
- Foster Parents - Adoptions at a Distance
- Masses
- Missionary Medical Relief
- Native Seminarians Program
- Special Appeals
- Special Projects
- Vocations
Museum
The Peoples and Culture Museum was founded in 1910 at the PIME Center in Milan. It houses collections from Asia, Africa, Oceania and Latin America.AsiaNews
A news agency, AsiaNews, is operated by missionaries and members of PIME, providing online news coverage of all aspects of Asia, in English, Italian, Spanish and Simplified Chinese versions.Venerated members of the Institute
Saints
- Alberico Crescitelli, missionary martyred in China, canonized on 1 October 2000
Blesseds
- Giovanni Battista Mazzucconi, missionary martyred in Papua New Guinea, beatified on 19 February 1984
- Paolo Manna, missionary and Superior General for PIME, beatified on 4 November 2001
- Mario Vergara, missionary martyred in Myanmar, beatified on 24 May 2014
- Alfredo Cremonesi, missionary martyred in Myanmar, beatified on 19 October 2019
- Clemente Vismara, missionary to Myanmar, beatified on 26 June 2011
Venerables
- Angelo Francesco Ramazzotti, Patriarch of Venice and founder of the Institute, declared Venerable on 14 December 2015
- Carlo Salerio, founder of the Institute of the Sisters of Reparation, declared Venerable on 13 May 2019
- Felice Tantardini, brother of the Institute, declared Venerable on 11 June 2019
Servants of God
- Silvio Pasquali, founder of the Catechist Sisters of Saint Ann, declared as a Servant of God on 3 December 2014
- Pietro Manghisi, missionary martyred in Myanmar
- Giuseppe Obert, Bishop of Dinajpur and founder of the Catechist Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of Angels
- Mario Bortoletto, priest of the diocese of Treviso and associate of the Institute