As the Church prepares for World Mission Sunday on October 19, Pope Leo XIV has issued a heartfelt appeal to Catholics everywhere: “I urge every Catholic parish in the world to take part in World Mission Sunday.”
According to Vatican News, the Holy Father made his appeal in a video message for the annual celebration, reminding the faithful that this day of solidarity “unites the whole Church in prayer for missionaries and for the fruitfulness of their apostolic labors.”
A Call to Renew Missionary Zeal
World Mission Sunday—celebrated each year on the second-to-last Sunday of October—invites Catholics to reflect on their shared responsibility to bring Christ’s light to the nations. The 2025 theme, “Missionaries of Hope among the Peoples,” echoes Pope Leo’s call to live the Gospel with renewed vigor.
“When I served as a missionary priest and Bishop in Peru,” Pope Leo recalled, “I saw first-hand how the faith, the prayer, and the generosity shown on World Mission Sunday can transform entire communities” (Vatican News, Deborah Castellano Lubov). His personal witness links the universal mission of the Church to the lived experience of evangelization in remote corners of the world.
Concrete Support for Mission Territories
The Pope emphasized that participation in World Mission Sunday is not merely symbolic—it provides tangible aid to those proclaiming the Gospel where resources are scarce. “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,” he said, according to Vatican News.
In parishes across the world, the day’s collections and prayers sustain dioceses and mission centers that depend entirely on this global act of solidarity. Through these offerings, Catholics share directly in the Church’s missionary outreach, echoing Christ’s command to “go and make disciples of all nations.”
“Missionaries of Hope Among the Peoples”
“This October 19th,” Pope Leo continued, “as we reflect together on our baptismal call to be ‘missionaries of hope among the peoples,’ let us commit ourselves anew to the sweet and joyful task of bringing Christ Jesus our Hope to the ends of the earth.”
He concluded his message by thanking parishes worldwide for their support of missionary efforts and imparting his Apostolic Blessing.
A Day for Every Parish, Every Heart
Pope Leo’s words remind Catholics that World Mission Sunday is not reserved for far-off missions—it begins within every parish and every heart. Each prayer, offering, and act of charity contributes to the Church’s great mission: to make Christ known and loved in every nation.
As the Holy Father said, this October’s celebration is an invitation “to take part” and to let faith, hope, and generosity reach “to the ends of the earth.”
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