This year’s World Mission Sunday theme is brought to life by the children’s choir from St. Joseph Parish in Mutunguru, Kenya, as they dance their way into church. The parish is located 60 miles northwest of Nairobi, Kenya in a rural, mountainous area. (Catholic News Service, Nancy Wiechec)
There are thousands of missionaries around the world who go forth to lead others to Christ and bring them the hope that saves - missionaries such as Fr. Emmanuel Luhumbu from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sr. Anila Christy, D.M. from India, and Fr. Akpan Enimabasi Macjoe, M.S.P. from Nigeria. Their heroic efforts to evangelize could not happen without support from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and its World Mission Sunday collection.
Please view our weekly World Mission Sunday series, which appeared in the St. Louis Review from September 30th to October 21st, to learn more about these missionaries and to see how the World Mission Sunday collection supports their work!
The annual World Mission Sunday Mass was celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis on October 23rd. This year’s Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, drew hundreds of guests, including international representatives from various mission countries around the world, who now live in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. The Mass was a joyous celebration, complete with an international procession, readings and prayers of the faithful in different languages, and a reception with displays on the worldwide missionary work of the Church.
In 1926, Pope Pius XI established an annual collection for the missionary work of the Church worldwide called “World Mission Sunday.” World Mission Sunday, organized by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church's missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice. World Mission Sunday is celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday of each October, which is World Mission Month.
As described by Pope John Paul II, World Mission Sunday is "an important day in the life of the Church because it teaches how to give: as an offering made to God, in the Eucharistic celebration and for all the missions of the world” (Redemptoris Missio 81).
The Propagation of the Faith is entrusted with the promotion of World Mission Sunday, collection of the proceeds, and distribution of the proceeds. The Mission Office sends the proceeds to the National Office, which sends the monies to the international office of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in Rome. At their annual meeting in Rome, the International Society for the Propagation of the Faith decides how the funds collected will be distributed to missionaries worldwide, based on needs that are prioritized.
Offerings from Catholics in the United States, on World Mission Sunday and throughout the year, are combined with offerings to the Propagation of the Faith worldwide. Mission dioceses – about 1,100 at this time – receive regular annual assistance from the funds collected. In addition, these mission dioceses submit requests to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples for assistance for needs such as catechetical programs, seminaries, the work of religious communities, communication and transportation needs, and the building of chapels, churches, orphanages, and schools. These needs are matched with the funds gathered in each year. The world's national directors of the Propagation of the Faith vote on these requests, matching the funds available with the greatest needs. These funds are then distributed in their entirety to mission dioceses throughout the world.
Every year, the needs of the Catholic Church in the missions grow – as new dioceses are formed, as new seminaries are opened because of the growing number of young men hearing Christ's call to follow Him as priests, as areas devastated by war or natural disaster are rebuilt, and as other long-suppressed areas are opening up to hear the message of Christ and His Church. That is why the involvement and commitment of Catholics from around the world is so urgently needed.
Special Events and Pictures
September 30, 2011
The annual World Mission Sunday Mass was celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis on October 23rd. This year’s Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, drew hundreds of guests, including international representatives from various mission countries around the world, who now live in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. The Mass was a joyous celebration, complete with an international procession, readings and prayers of the faithful in different languages, and a reception with displays on the worldwide missionary work of the Church.
As described by Pope John Paul II, World Mission Sunday is "an important day in the life of the Church because it teaches how to give: as an offering made to God, in the Eucharistic celebration and for all the missions of the world” (Redemptoris Missio 81).
Offerings from Catholics in the United States, on World Mission Sunday and throughout the year, are combined with offerings to the Propagation of the Faith worldwide. Mission dioceses – about 1,100 at this time – receive regular annual assistance from the funds collected. In addition, these mission dioceses submit requests to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples for assistance for needs such as catechetical programs, seminaries, the work of religious communities, communication and transportation needs, and the building of chapels, churches, orphanages, and schools. These needs are matched with the funds gathered in each year. The world's national directors of the Propagation of the Faith vote on these requests, matching the funds available with the greatest needs. These funds are then distributed in their entirety to mission dioceses throughout the world.