World Mission Sunday
HEARTS ON FIRE, FEET ON THE MOVE
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” - Luke 24:13
Sunday, October 22, 2023
What is World Mission Sunday?
World Mission Sunday is an annual global celebration within the Catholic Church, observed on the second to last Sunday of October. This special day is dedicated to the support of the missionary work of the Church through prayer and sacrifices.
This Year's Theme: "Hearts on Fire, Feet on the Move" | "Corazones fervientes, pies en camino"
Pope Francis invites us to set our hearts ablaze with faith and put our faith into action, serving God's mission with joy, enthusiasm, and tireless dedication.
"Hearts on Fire"
As Christians, we're called to kindle the fire of Christ's love in our hearts. Our burning faith fuels our actions, inspiring us to serve others in our daily lives.
"Feet on the Move"
Pope Francis encourages us to not only feel the faith but to act on it. It's our mission to move, serve, and spread the Good News, bringing God's love and peace to all His children.
How to Take Part?
In the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the collection for World Mission Sunday takes place on October 14-15 during the Fall Combined Collections. We invite all parishes to help us raise awareness within your congregations on the importance of supporting the priests, religious, and laity who serve the poor and marginalized in over 1,100 missions half a world away. Please use the below resources during the month of October before the Fall Combined Collections (October 14-15) and before World Mission Sunday (October 22).
World Mission Sunday Resources
World Mission Rosary
We invite you to pray the World Mission Rosary every week before Mass during the month of October. Help us encourage your prayer groups, women's and men's groups, religious education programs, parish staff, etc. to pray for the success of the Church's missionary efforts, missionary priests, religious brothers and sisters, and lay people. And also pray for the people served by them in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Pacific Islands, and some regions of Europe. If your school, parish, family, or group is interested in praying, please contact us for FREE World Mission Rosaries and/or more information.
World Mission Sunday Short Videos
Publish these videos throughout October, World Mission Month, on your parish website or Facebook page to help raise awareness within our communities about the evangelization efforts of our brothers and sisters in dioceses around the world.
World Mission Sunday Parish Resources
Bulletin Ads (JPG versions) - English and Spanish
Facts About World Mission Sunday - Did You Know That?
Bulletin Announcements - For each Sunday in October
Parish Announcements/Mass Intentions - PDF version | PNG version
The Pontifical Mission Societies and World Mission Sunday - Video
How does your World Mission Sunday gift help?
Your financial support helps fund missionary activities around the world, such as:
- $20 assists with renovation of a chapel in the Fiji Islands
- $40 provides support for a catechist in Peru
- $100 supports a sister in Kenya serving among homeless children
- $1,000 can provide a home, food, medical help and education for orphans in Thailand
- $3,500 helps support two girls' homes in Sri Lanka
- 26 million children in primary school
- 844,000 catechists teaching the faith
- 38,140 seminarians receiving an education
- 258,540 Sisters caring for families
- 8,750 homes for orphans and the elderly
- 11,840 health clinics in rural area
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 Office for World Mission in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee 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.
Over 1,100 mission dioceses receive regular annual assistance from the funds collected! Each year, these mission dioceses submit requests to the Pontifical Mission Societies for assistance with catechetical programs, seminaries, the work of religious communities, communication, transportation, the building of chapels, churches, orphanages, and schools, and the list goes on. Then, the national directors of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith of every country gather to 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 mission dioceses grow– new dioceses are formed, new seminaries are opened because of the growing number of young men hearing Christ's call to follow Him as priests, areas devastated by war or natural disaster are rebuilt, and 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.