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October 13, 2022
My dear friends in Christ,
In his message for World Mission Day 2022, Pope Francis asks us all to reflect on these words from the Acts of the Apostles: You shall be my witnesses. (Acts 1:8) He explained that “every Christian is called to be a missionary and witness to Christ. And the Church, the community of Christ’s disciples, has no other mission than that of bringing the Gospel to the entire world by bearing witness to Christ. To evangelize is the very identity of the Church.”
The Holy Father goes on to share that the same Spirit who guides the universal Church also inspires ordinary men and women for extraordinary missions. For example, a young French woman, Pauline Jaricot, founded the Society for the Propagation of the Faith exactly two hundred years ago. Her beatification will be celebrated in this jubilee year. Albeit in poor health, she accepted God’s inspiration to establish a network of prayer and collection for missionaries, so that the faithful could actively participate in the mission “to the ends of the earth”. This brilliant idea gave rise to the annual celebration of World Mission Day, in which the funds collected in local communities are applied to the universal fund with which the Pope supports missionary activity.
Your donations on the weekend of October 23rd are critical. The Pontifical Mission Societies serve the Church’s universality as a global network of support for the Pope in his missionary commitment by prayer, the soul of mission, and charitable offerings from Christians throughout the world. These donations assist the Pope in the evangelization efforts of particular Churches (the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith), in the formation of local clergy (the Pontifical Society of Saint Peter the Apostle), and in raising missionary awareness in children (Pontifical Society of Missionary Childhood).
In a world where so much divides us, World Mission Sunday rejoices in our unity as missionaries by our Baptism. It also provides an opportunity to support the life-giving presence of the Church among the poor and marginalized in more than 1,111 mission dioceses. Thank you for prayerfully reflecting on your own baptismal call, and support World Mission Sunday in your parish.
With every prayerful best wish, I remain
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Robert J. McManus
Bishop of Worcester