As Catholics, we are all called to share the good news of Jesus with everyone. Two common ways to participate in mission work are available at your parish:
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Direct Missionary Work- Many of our parishes are directly involved in mission work both close by and in far away places. Contact your parish for details.
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Financial Support and Prayer- Each year, missionaries from outside of the diocese visit our parishes to educate the faithful about their work, and to request prayers and financial support from the faithful. We help coordinate the missionaries’ parish visits. These visits offer you a great opportunity to keep informed about the good work of missionaries here in the U.S. and abroad. In addition, you can also support mission work through a special annual collection on the next to last Sunday in October at your local parish. This special collection benefits the Pontifical (at the request of the Pope) Mission Societies(see below).
The Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States (These receive proceeds from the World Mission Sunday Collection)
The Pontifical Mission Societies are under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome (the pope). It is the church’s official support organization for overseas outreach. The four different societies are:
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The Society for the Propagation of the Faith
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Holy Childhood Association
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Society of St. Peter Apostle
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Missionary Union of Priests and Religious
The first three Societies invite baptized Catholics to express their missionary commitment by offering their prayers, personal sacrifices and financial support for the work of the Church in the Missions.
The Missionary Union of Priests and Religious works to deepen mission awareness among priests, men and women Religious, catechists and educators so that they are fully prepared to take on the mission formation of the faithful.
For more information on the Pontifical Mission Societies please click here.
A Missionary Church
Jesus was a missionary. As the Word of God, he is the light of all nations. As the Word made flesh, he brought God's own life into our midst. Before returning to the Father, he sent the Church to continue the mission given him by the Father and empowered her with his Spirit: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you" (Jn 20:21).
The Church, therefore, is missionary by her very nature. She continues the mission of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit by proclaiming to the ends of the earth the salvation Christ offers those who believe in him. We are faithful to the nature of the Church to the degree that we love and sincerely promote her missionary activity. As teachers and pastors we are responsible for keeping alive a vibrant Catholic missionary spirit in the United States.
Annual Mission Mass
A Mission Mass is celebrated yearly to acknowledge those who are engaged in the work of mission in the local community and globally. If you’d like to receive emails about upcoming events like this, click here.