A Shepherd's Message - Oct. 14, 2025

World Mission Sunday brings light of Christ to the all the earth

This year, we celebrate World Mission Sunday on Oct. 19, a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility to proclaim the Gospel to all nations. It is a day when Catholics around the world unite in prayer and solidarity to support the missionary work of the Church. 
This year’s theme, “Missionaries of Hope Among the Peoples,” is particularly moving because, even though it was chosen by Pope Francis, it reflects both the heart of our faith and the vision of our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. 

Pope Leo spent most of his priestly ministry as a missionary in the remote regions of Peru. In an address soon after his election, the Holy Father reminded us that The Pontifical Mission Societies are “the primary means for awakening missionary responsibility among all the baptized and for supporting ecclesial communities in areas where the Church is young.” 

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The second collection on World Mission Sunday supports the work of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of four Pontifical Mission Societies, the Pope’s official means of assisting Catholic communities in the world’s poorest and most remote regions.

Our contributions provide essential resources for the Church’s mission: the formation of seminarians and religious sisters, the training of lay catechists, medical care in Church-run hospitals and clinics, and the construction and maintenance of churches and parish centers. 

Your prayers and sacrifices ensure that the light of Christ reaches the ends of the earth. The Church’s mission is not the responsibility only of those who serve in distant lands; it belongs to all of us by Baptism. 

Each time we support the missions, we affirm that we are one Church, one family in Christ, united in bringing hope and love to all people. I encourage you to respond with a generous heart, knowing that your support makes a real difference in the lives of those who might otherwise never hear the Gospel.

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Pope Leo XIV to every parish: 'Take part in World Mission Sunday'

In a video message, Pope Leo XIV calls on every Catholic parish to take part in World Mission Sunday, 19 October, recalling how the generosity that day concretely enables and sustains the good work of missionaries worldwide, as he saw firsthand while serving in Peru.

"I urge every Catholic parish in the world to take part in World Mission Sunday," Pope Leo said. "Your prayers, your support will help spread the Gospel, provide for pastoral and catechetical programs, help to build new churches, and care for the health and educational needs of our brothers and sisters in mission territories." Read more at Vatican News

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