MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
FOR WORLD MISSION DAY 2025
“Missionaries of Hope Among All Peoples.”
“Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak & unintelligent. Settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power, or pleasure. These are contexts where it is not easy to preach the Gospel & bear witness to its truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated & pitied. Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed. A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family & so many other wounds that afflict our society.”
Pope Leo XIV, May 9, 2025.
THE HEART OF THE MISSION
His Holiness Leo XIV & the Global Church. Join St. Anthony of Padua’s celebration of solidarity & support for the Church’s missionary efforts at mass on Sunday, October 19, 2025.
What is World Mission Sunday?
Imagine a world where billions of people have never heard the name of Jesus. Imagine villages where people walk miles to attend Mass because there’s no church nearby. Imagine communities where faith is alive but fragile, challenged by poverty or isolation. Imagine churches packed every Sunday, even when those taking part know they are targets of terrorists because of their faith.
THIS IS WHY World Mission Sunday MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
Celebrated every year on the second-to-last Sunday of October, World Mission Sunday is the day when Catholics around the world unite to support the missionary work of the Church. Established by Pope Pius XI in 1926, it remains the only annual global collection that directly supports the 1,124 mission territories where the Church is young, struggling, or persecuted. On this day, every parish, in every diocese, in every country, joins in prayer & giving to ensure that missionaries can continue their vital work—building churches, forming priests, supporting catechists, & serving communities in need.
ARE YOU READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
World Mission Sunday is just a single day within the entire month of October for prayer & recollection for those answering Jesus’ command to “go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Lk 24:47). St Anthony of Padua’s missionaries have accepted this invitation to bring Christ’s light & hope to the world, specifically to the remote Honduran communities where the Church is young, growing, & often struggling.
Domingo Mundial De Las Misiones
Join us in this universal mission to spread the Gospel & share the love of Christ!
Your gift makes a meaningful impact
Support for The Pontifical Mission Societies is an investment in the future of the Catholic Church, with your help reaching millions in the Pope’s Missions. This includes: pastoral and evangelistic programs, catechists and catechetical work, the building of new churches, healthcare, education, communication, and transport needs.