"Missionaries of Hope Among All Peoples”
“Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power, or pleasure.
These are contexts where it is not easy to preach the Gospel and bear witness to its truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied. Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed. A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.”
Pope Leo XIV, May 9, 2025.
What is World Mission Sunday?
Imagine a world where billions of people have never heard the name of Jesus. Imagine villages where people walk miles to attend Mass because there’s no church nearby. Imagine communities where faith is alive but fragile, challenged by poverty or isolation. Imagine churches packed every Sunday, even when those taking part know they are targets of terrorists because of their faith.
This is why World Mission Sunday makes a difference.
Celebrated every year on the second-to-last Sunday of October, World Mission Sunday is the day when Catholics around the world unite to support the missionary work of the Church. Established by Pope Pius XI in 1926, it remains the only annual global collection that directly supports the 1,124 mission territories where the Church is young, struggling, or persecuted. On this day, every parish, in every diocese, in every country, joins in prayer and giving to ensure that missionaries can continue their vital work—building churches, forming priests, supporting catechists, and serving communities in need.
More than a collection...
World Mission Sunday is not just a second collection. It is the Church's annual call to put the missions and evangelization at the center of our life and parish communities. It reminds us that every Catholic is by baptism, a missionary disciple, and that our own nation was once mission territory, sustained by the very collection we now have the privilege to support. Let us respond - together with each other and with Pope Leo - as Missionaries of Hope among the Peoples.
This year's theme-"Missionaries of Hope Among the Peoples"-is a call to embody the love of God, poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 5:5). Your offering today provides hope where despair too often dominates-through the building of churches, formation of seminarians and religious sisters, healthcare clinics, and Catholic schools. Thank you for responding with faith, love, and generosity. As Pope Francis told us, "Each of us is a mission on this earth" (Evangelii Gaudium, 273). Together, we share in that mission by ensuring that no one is excluded from the invitation to encounter Christ.