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World Mission Sunday, organized by 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. In 2012, World Mission Sunday is celebrated on October 21.
Annually, World Mission Sunday is celebrated on the
next-to-last Sunday in October. 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" (see Redemptoris
Missio 81).
Pope John Paul II has also spoken of the Propagation
of the Faith's General Fund of support, calling this a "central fund of
solidarity." In a message delivered on a recent World Mission Sunday,
the Pope said: "The offerings that will be collected [on World Mission
Sunday] are destined for a common fund of solidarity distributed, in the
Pope's name, by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith among the
missions and missionaries of the entire world."
Every year the needs of the Catholic Church in the
Missions grow - as new dioceses are formed, as new seminaries are opened
because of the growing number of young men hearing Christ's call to
follow Him as priests, as areas devastated by war or natural disaster
are rebuilt, and as other areas, long suppressed, 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.
Offerings from Catholics in the United States, on World Mission Sunday
and throughout the year, are combined with offerings to the Propagation
of the Faith worldwide.
Mission dioceses - about 1,100 at this time - receive
regular annual assistance from the funds collected. In addition, these
mission dioceses submit requests to the Congregation for the
Evangelization of Peoples for assistance, among other needs, for
catechetical programs, seminaries, the work of Religious Communities,
for communication and transportation needs, and for the building of
chapels, churches, orphanages and schools. These needs are matched with
the funds gathered in each year. The world's national directors of the
Propagation of the Faith 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.
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