On Sunday, October 21, 2007, Archbishop Raymond L. Burke celebrated World Mission Sunday Mass at the New Cathedral. The entire Archdiocese was invited to join Archbishop Burke and Msgr. Francis Blood, Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, at this special mass. 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. It is always celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday each October, and is to be celebrated in every Catholic place of worship around the world. This year’s theme for World Mission Sunday, given by Pope Benedict XVI, is “All the Churches, For All the World.” Archbishop Burke mentioned this theme for World Mission Sunday in his homily, along with a quote by Pope Benedict XVI. He said, “In the face of the secularized culture, which sometimes seems to be penetrating ever more deeply into Western societies, considering in addition the crisis of the family, the dwindling number of vocations and the progressive aging of the clergy, these Churches risk withdrawing into themselves to view the future with ever less hope and weakening their missionary effort…Yet, this is the very time for opening oneself with trust to the Providence of God, who never abandons his people and who, with the power of the Holy Spirit, guides them toward the fulfillment of his eternal design of salvation.” Archbishop Burke explained that the “dwindling number of vocations” results from the temptation of dioceses that have had many priestly vocations, but are now experiencing a shortage of priests, to cut back on sending missionaries to other parts of the world. Fortunately, the Archdiocese of Saint Louis has not cut back on sending missionaries to foreign lands – rather, our priests have answered the call to be missionary and the Archdiocese has been blessed to be able to send, and continue to send, missionary priests to Latin America.

One group that Archbishop Burke highlighted during Mass was the Daily Worldmissionnaires. The Daily Worldmissionnaires support World Mission Sunday and the missions year-round. They are one of the largest mission support groups in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, comprised of men and women who pledge to help the missions and the cause of Christ by following Christ’s example of sacrifice, responding to the Church’s urge to fast and abstain on one’s own, and actively participating in the spreading of the Good News to all people. The Daily Worldmissionnaires continue to help with the ongoing support of missionary work throughout the world by praying and sacrificing daily for the missions. These prayers and sacrifices directly help sustain missionaries around the world. Archbishop Burke praised the good works of the Daily Worldmissionnaires and encouraged all present at Mass to consider joining this wonderful mission support group. Both the offerings of the Daily Worldmissionnaires and the offerings of all the faithful in the special collection on World Mission Sunday become part of the Universal Solidarity Fund of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. This fund provides many resources for missionaries, such as funds to help build churches, chapels, seminaries, schools, orphanages, transportation for missionaries, Bibles, catechetical materials, and training for catechists who teach the Catholic faith and evangelize. The funds are used directly for evangelization – helping to spread the Gospel to all nations on earth.