The Pontifical Mission Societies:
Reaching out to the World

About World Mission Sunday…

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.

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 Society for the Propagation of the Faith is entrusted with the promotion of World Mission Sunday, collection of the proceeds, and distribution of the proceeds.  

As a representative of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Mission Office in San Francisco sends the proceeds to the National Office of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States.  Offerings from Catholics in the United States, on World Mission Sunday and throughout the year, are combined with offerings to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith worldwide.

Mission dioceses – about 1,100 at this time – receive regular annual assistance from the funds collected.  These mission dioceses submit requests to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and Pontifical Mission Societies 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 Society for 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

DOWNLOAD A PDF FILE HERE.          DONATE TO WORLD MISSION SUNDAY HERE.

The Society for the Propagation of the Faith: Helping the World's Missions.

This Society has become the Church’s official organization for mission aid.  The Society for the Propagation of the Faith continues to seek prayer and sacrifice for the world’s missions. Help is offered for pastoral and evangelizing programs, for catechists and catechetical work, for the building of churches and chapels, for the work of religious communities in health care and education, and for communication and transportation needs. The financial contributions in our own Archdiocese of San Francisco largely come from the World Mission Sunday collection each October. Funds are also received from faithful monthly donors, from wills, bequests, and legacies, and through outright gifts made by the faithful of the diocese.  

TO SUPPORT THE SOCIETY, CLICK HERE.

The Missionary Childhood Association:  Promoting Mission and Global Awareness Among School-Age Children.

In the 1840s, the founders of the new mission societies appealed to the children of Europe to help their sisters and brothers in the missions in China, and so began of what was then called the Holy Childhood Association in which young people can take part in service to mission youth around the world. Now named the Missionary Childhood Association (MCA ), this society is established in mission lands in more than 60 nations. MCA promotes mission and global awareness among school-age children. For more information: MCA, A History of Helping.  MCA is unique among organizations for children in that its primary aim is to encourage children to share their Catholic faith with children in the developing world through their prayers, personal sacrifices, and financial offerings. Children also have a missionary calling: By our Baptism we become members of a family—the family of the Church.  Family members have responsibilities, and our responsibility is to share our faith.  Some people fulfill this responsibility by actually going to mission countries to bring the Good News of Jesus to our brothers and sisters who are in need.  Most of us are missionaries by prayer and sacrifice. MCA engages children positively in the Church's mission and provides resources and programs to increase their understanding and knowledge of the faith and the larger world.

FOR MCA RESOURCES AND PROGRAMS, CLICK HERE.

The Society of St. Peter the Apostle: Educating New Priests and Religious in Developing Countries.

More than 140 years ago, a French missionary bishop in Japan asked for help from French Catholics to support the training of Japanese men for the priesthood. The Bigards, mohter and daugher, started a small group for this purpose in Caen, France. From these humble beginnings emerged the Society of St. Peter Apostle. Within five years of sending their first donation to Japan, the Bigards, and those whom they enlisted to help, were sending funds to seminaries in India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Korea and China.  The goal of the Society of St. Peter Apostle, then and now, has been to invite individuals to support the education of candidates for the Catholic priesthood in the developing world and to support the formation of men and women candidates for the Religious life in the missions. Today, some 30,000 major seminarians, mostly in Africa and Asia, receive important subsidies to meet the costs of their studies and formation.

TO SUPPORT THIS SOCIETY, CLICK HERE.

The Missionary Union of Priests and Religious: Lay People in Common Cause with Religious and Pastoral Leaders.

Founded in 1906, the Missionary Union is a spiritual apostolate. Unlike the other three Pontifical Mission Societies, this mission society does not collect or distribute funds. Its purpose is to educate and inspire priests, men and women religious, pastoral leaders, and those responsible for catechesis and religious education so that they may better animate others to share their faith and to be missionaries themselves, supporting also the missionary work of the Church worldwide.

I would like to serve as a lay missionary: What should I do?

There are a number of local and national organizations that help connect lay Catholics to mission opportunities in the United States and abroad. Contact the Catholic Volunteer Network, a national membership organization of Christian volunteer and mission programs that fosters and promotes full-time national and international service opportunities for people of all backgrounds, ages, and skills: www.catholicvolunteernetwork.org. Member programs have volunteer positions available in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and in over 100 countries across the world, ranging from a week to a summer to a several-year commitment and everything in between.

TO JOIN IN THIS APOSTOLATE, CLICK HERE.