In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul profoundly remarked, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.” Within these words lies a timeless truth: though universal by its nature, the Catholic Church is one, and we are called to pray for one another, support one another, and be missionaries, both at home and abroad.
In today’s digital age, with information at our fingertips, it’s easy to assume that everyone must know about Christ. In fact, some could even argue, how could someone not know about him? Yet, according to the Pew Research Center, 8 in 10 people around the world have a religious affiliation, but only 2.5 billion of the world’s 8 billion people identify as Christians. Among those who do not follow Jesus, 8 in 10 people don’t know a single Christian person.
The assertion of “many paths to heaven,” while ecumenically sensitive, doesn’t negate the Church’s belief in the unique and universal salvific role of Jesus Christ. Although the Church acknowledges that individuals outside the Christian fold can achieve salvation, it firmly believes in the transformative power of a relationship with Christ and his sacraments, a gift it yearns to share with all.
To answer this longing to make disciples of all nations, the Church since 1926 has observed World Mission Sunday, an annual celebration of the Church’s missionary activity. It takes place on the second-to-last Sunday of October (October 22 this year) and serves as a clarion call to mobilize faith, resources, and action in advancing the gospel to our brothers and sisters living in the farthest reaches of the world.
As the theme for this year’s World Mission Sunday, Pope Francis has chosen “Hearts on Fire, Feet on the Move.” It is based on the evocative narrative of the disciples’ encounter with Jesus on their way to Emmaus, as narrated in Luke 24:13-35. This Scripture passage vividly reminds us that when our hearts are set ablaze by the living Christ, our feet naturally move in mission, spreading the warmth of his love and the light of his word.
As an inspiration, let us look to the example of the woman whose love for the gospel, and for the children of God in far-flung places who had yet to hear it, has inspired millions over centuries to live more prayerfully and to propagate the Faith by word and deed. Bl. Pauline Jaricot was born in 1799 to a profoundly religious French aristocratic family. She was wealthy, carefree, and good-natured. As a young woman, she became the foundress of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, a confraternity dedicated to praying for and supporting the Missions. It began in a simple way: a friend asking her friends for prayers each day and a penny each week.
Funds from that society helped build many churches here in the United States, which was considered a mission territory until 1908 and benefited from the collections of these prayer groups, predecessors to what is today World Mission Sunday.
Today, the organization that she founded, the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of four Pontifical Mission Societies, served by thousands of missionaries in 1,100 dioceses worldwide, extends Christ’s healing and his entire ministry to people in desperate need of it. They are building churches; educating children; and treating physical and psychological wounds caused by war, cruelty, oppression, terror, and despair. They are bearing witness to the compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The funds raised through this collection are distributed through the Pontifical Mission Societies to territories where the Church is too poor or too young to be self-reliant, enabling them to grow and flourish in faith. The support from the faithful throughout the world—even small parishes in mission territories hold this collection—allows the Pontifical Mission Societies, through the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, to provide annual subsidies to missionary dioceses, and to directly support mission seminaries and religious formation houses, the education of children in mission schools, and the building of chapels and churches, as well as sustaining homes for orphaned children, the elderly and sick.
The Catholic Church is growing rapidly in Asia and Africa, but mostly among the poorest people in these continents. This means that the institutional Church needs support from regions of the world such as Europe and North America, where the faith is more established. For example, seminaries in Ghana and Nigeria are overflowing with hundreds of seminarians, and local bishops struggle not only to have sufficient infrastructure, but also to find good formators.
While numerous non-profit organizations worldwide work tirelessly to provide for physical, educational, and social needs, Catholic missionaries embark on their journey with a different primary focus. Rooted deeply in Christ’s Great Commission, their foremost goal is to bring Christ to those who have not known him and to deepen the faith of those who do.
At a superficial glance, the work of Catholic missionaries might seem indistinguishable from that of NGOs. They feed the hungry, heal the sick, and educate the marginalized. Yet the underlying purpose goes beyond temporal needs:
- Sacramental Life. The sacraments are at the heart of the Church’s life. Missionaries often prioritize sacramental preparation and administration. Whether it’s celebrating the Eucharist in remote villages or baptizing eager catechumens, the sacraments are channels of grace that missionaries strive to make available to all.
- Evangelization. True missionary work is about not just physical aid, but also spiritual nourishment. Missionaries catechize, foster prayer communities, and guide individuals in deepening their relationship with Christ.
- Integral Human Development. The primary focus is spiritual nourishment, and after that, the Catholic Church recognizes the intrinsic link between spiritual and temporal well-being. Hence, missionaries also provide education, medical care, and other necessary services. These are seen not as ends in themselves, but as means to demonstrate Christ’s love and pave the way for deeper evangelization.
Catholic missionaries are driven by a sense of spiritual urgency.
They persevere amid violence and persecution, often serving in regions hostile to Christianity, finding strength in their faith to remain in conflict regions long after diplomats have called it quits. We saw this in Iraq and Syria during the rise and fall of ISIS; we see it in India, where Dalits who embrace Christianity support of the least of the last in the country’s caste system; we see it in Ukraine, where priests and missionaries are at the forefront, tending to those physically and spiritually wounded by war; and we see it in the Holy Land, with historically missionary orders keeping Christianity alive where it began.
Ad Gentes, the Second Vatican Council’s decree on missionary activity, is clear when it defines missions as “those particular undertakings by which the heralds of the gospel, sent out by the Church and going forth into the whole world, carry out the task of preaching the gospel and planting the Church among peoples or groups who do not yet believe in Christ. . . . The proper purpose of this missionary activity is evangelization, and the planting of the Church among those peoples and groups where it has not yet taken root” (6).
“Christian charity truly extends to all,” Ad Gentes affirms, “without distinction of race, creed or social condition. It looks for neither gain nor gratitude. For as God loved us with an unselfish love, so also the faithful should in their charity care for the human person himself, loving him with the same affection with which God sought out man” (12).
Every Catholic, regardless of geographical location, plays a pivotal role in embracing the missionary spirit. We are called not only to pray for our missionaries, but also to become missionaries in our own right. Whether in our local communities or through international initiatives, we have the power to share Christ’s message and love with others.
In a world where connectivity can sometimes feel superficial, World Mission Sunday reminds us that the heart of our faith lies in bringing Christ’s love and message to every corner of the globe. Together, with hearts on fire and feet on the move, we can carry forward this mission and ensure that the transformative power of Christ’s love reaches every soul, near and far.