A formação dos pregadores de missões internas na época contemporânea

The preachers of internal or popular missions are ecclesiastical agents sent to a particular region of the interior of the territory, to develop pastoral actions according to missionary methodology, in order to christianize the local people and refresh their faith. Given the characteristics of this oratory style, the missionaries were subjected to a demanding preparation, which included the twelve years of academic studies in Humanities, Philosophy and Theology, common to other ecclesiastics, followed by a period of specific intellectual and spiritual formation for about five years. During this long period of training, the preachers had to demonstrate their ability in the fields of eloquence and biblical theology, dogmatic and moral. They were also required to have high knowledge in the fields of Canon Law, Church History and Spiritual Theology. Each preacher created his own collection of sermons, lectures and practices, which accompanied him throughout his career.