This Sunday, October 22, is known as “World Mission Sunday”, and when you attend Mass, after the usual offertory collection, there will be a second, special collection that supports the Pontifical Mission Societies which are directly under the Pope’s guidance; his official way to help the Missions.
World Mission Sunday is a direct call from the Pope to assist the global effort of the entire Church to provide for the building up of over one thousand local churches in Asia and Africa, the Pacific Islands, and parts of Latin America and Europe.
This year, we are reminded by Pope Francis that Mission is at the Heart of Christian Faith; one that can literally change the world. In his message for World Mission Day, Pope Francis said:
The Pontifical Mission Societies are a precious means of awakening in every Christian community a desire to reach beyond its own confines and security in order to proclaim the Gospel to all. World Mission Day, promoted by the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, is a good opportunity for enabling the missionary heart of Christian communities to join in prayer, testimony of life and communion of goods, in responding to the vast and pressing needs of evangelization.
There are two great ways you can answer Pope Francis’ call to support the global missionary activity of the Church. The first is to prayerfully consider giving generously to the special collection at Mass this Sunday. This generosity directly impacts the neediest and most desperate people throughout the world who are shown the Gospel through the activity of missionaries.
The second way to support World Mission Sunday is to give through MISSIO, a new and innovative Catholic crowd-funding platform created by the Pontifical Mission Societies that allows you to directly assist Catholic missions and projects all over the world.
Launched by Pope Francis himself, the MISSIO platform offers a direct connection to change-makers who work on the “front lines” making a difference for the poor and forgotten through direct, daily service. MISSIO helps you continue the celebration of World Mission Sunday every day of the year.
MISSIO allows you to search through life-giving and life-saving projects – ones providing for basic needs, others extending the Good News of the Gospel to remote areas, and still more, bringing the light of the Lord’s loving-kindness to those in the darkest circumstances. With MISSIO, you can choose one of these missions and donate directly to them, knowing that 100% of your donation will go directly there. You can also share them on social media and reignite the discussion and remind people of these forgotten situations, so others can support the projects also.
Some example of what your generous donation to Pope Francis’ personal missionary fund can do include:
- $20 Assists with the renovation of a chapel in Fiji
- $50 Provides support for catechists in India
- $100 Covers tuition for a Sister studying in Kenya
- $1,000 Provides for abandoned children in Madagascar
- $2,500 Helps support the education for young girls in Sri Lanka
MISSIO is powered by The Pontifical Mission Societies, the Catholic Church’s official support organization for overseas missions since 1822, providing for a global network of people who are making a difference for communities in need around the globe.
Check out MISSIO today and start giving!
Source: ucatholic.com
