The Territorial Prelature of Mission de France (Latin: Praelatura Territorialis Missionis Galliae; French: Prélature Territoriale de la Mission de France), also known as the Territorial Prelature of Pontigny (Latin: Praelatura Territorialis Missionis Pontiniacensis; French: Prélature Territoriale de Pontigny) is a Latinterritorial prelature of the Catholic Church, located in the city of Pontigny in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Dijon in Burgundy (France).
History
24 July 1941: The XXVI-th assembly of cardinals and the archbishoprics of France decided to found the Mission de France, opening a seminary in Lisieux, Calvados (Normandy). The purpose of the seminary was to train secular priests to carry out evangelical work in poor French dioceses.[1]
18 January 1954: Giuseppe Cardinal Pizzardo, prefect of the Roman Curia's educational department (now Congregation for Catholic Education, then styled Congregation for Seminaries and Universities), notified the Lille diocese that the Mission de France seminary was to be closed and replaced by an "institute for missionary training" which would prepare priests to be sent to dechristianised regions.[2]
