Identity

The Heralds of the Gospel are an International Association of the Faithful of Pontifical Right, the first to be erected by the Holy See in the third millennium.

An International Association of the Faithful is an association of the Roman Catholic Church that is at its service in its place of origin, archdioceses and dioceses where it is located, and throughout the world through missionary activity.

And being an international association of the faithful of Pontifical Right means that the Pope, successor of Peter, has recognized and approved the statutes, norms, and guidelines, as well as the practices of life of the Heralds of the Gospel.

In 1985, St. John Paul II, as Pope, said in his speech at the 6th symposium of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences on the theme “Secularization and Evangelization Today in Europe”:

“For this sublime mission of bringing about a new age of evangelization, heralds of the Gospel are needed who are experienced in humanity, who know the heart of today's man in depth and, at the same time, are contemplative and passionate about God.” – Pope John Paul II

Sixteen years after that speech, the same Pope, St. John Paul II, on the occasion of the liturgical feast of the Chair of St. Peter on February 22, 2001, erected the pontifical recognition of the Heralds of the Gospel, affirming and attesting to the full communion of the Heralds with the Holy Catholic Church.

He declared that the charism lived and manifested in the world by our founder, Monsignor João, is fully in accordance with the sound doctrine of the Church in all its discipline, morals, and customs, thus welcoming the Heralds of the Gospel as a gift from God for our time.

A day of remembrance and celebration.

Since then, February 22 has been celebrated as the day of the pontifical approval of the Heralds of the Gospel. Thus, the International Association of the Faithful of Pontifical Right Heralds of the Gospel has the purpose of being an instrument of holiness in the Church, helping its members to respond generously to the call to the fullness of Christian life and the perfection of charity, favoring and encouraging the most intimate unity between practical life and faith, through the active, conscious, and responsible participation of its members in the salvific mission of the Church. This participation takes place through the apostolate to which they are destined by the Lord, by virtue of Baptism and Confirmation.

By mission, with the blessing and sending forth of St. John Paul II, we, the Heralds of the Gospel, work for evangelization, sanctification, and Christian animation in our time.

Evangelizing through culture and art

Seeing culture and art as effective instruments of evangelization, the Heralds of the Gospel habitually make use of music, both vocal and instrumental.

Thus, a large number of choirs, orchestras, and musical ensembles have been formed by the Heralds. In this way, they bring their message of faith and hope to contemporary society.

There is a mysterious and profound relationship between music and hope, between singing and eternal life: for this reason, Christian tradition depicts the blessed spirits singing in choir, enraptured and made ecstatic by the beauty of God.

However, authentic art, like prayer, does not make us strangers to everyday reality; rather, it leads us to it, in order to “impregnate” it and bring it to life, so that it may bear beneficial fruit and peace. (Pope Benedict XVI, on the occasion of the concert offered by the President of the Italian Republic on the third anniversary of his pontificate, on April 24, 2008