The Universal Church gathers to celebrate World Mission Sunday on October 21 (next Sunday). On this day Catholics are asked to enter into solidarity with missionaries all over the world through their prayers and the second collection that will be taken up for the missionary activity of the Church and the work of evangelization. This year’s celebration of Mission Sunday is observe
d as we begin the Year of Faith which also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. Both remind us of the importance of the New Evangelization in which we are “Called to radiate the Word of truth” (Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei, n.6). Pope Benedict XVI’s message for World Mission Sunday recalls how Blessed John Paul II had spoken on the mission mandate of Jesus in his Encyclical Redemptoris Misso, “The number of those awaiting Christ is still immense. We cannot be content when we consider the millions of our brothers and sisters, who like us have been redeemed by the blood of Christ but who live in ignorance of the love of God.” In announcing the Year of Faith, Pope Benedict XVI adds, “Today as in the past, he (Christ) sends us through the highways of the world to proclaim his Gospel to all the peoples of the earth (Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei, n.7). The Holy Father encourages the observance of World Mission Sunday each year in order that all Catholics continue to carry the message of the Gospel to the ends of the earth with the same zeal and commitment of the early Christian communities.
Catholic communities are asked to remember the countless thousands of missionaries throughout the world as they gather in their local communities to celebrate the Eucharist. In entering into such prayerful solidarity, the Catholic community gives thanks to those unsung heroes who work tirelessly in making the love of God known in the remotest parts of the world, often amidst impoverished conditions and hostile environments. The World Mission Sunday collection, taken up by the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, contributes toward their missionary endeavors. Over 1,100 mission dioceses throughout Asia, Africa, the Americas, Oceania, and Europe, benefit from the contributions of those who share of their treasure to help in the work of the New Evangelization. Blessed John Paul II, referred to this collection as the “central fund of solidarity.” As Catholic communities take up this important collection throughout the world, much hope is given to missionaries who await the blessings of such sacrifice. The fruits of people’s giving are seen in the support of seminaries, Religious Communities, communication, catechesis, the building of schools and orphanages, chapels and churches. Such contributions also help areas of the missions that have been devastated by war, drought, or other natural disasters. In giving, we enable missionaries to share the gift of the gospel and faith to others. Again, in his message on World Mission Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI reminds us, “Faith is a gift that is given to us to be shared; it is a talent received so that it may bear fruit; it 
is a light that must never be hidden, but must illuminate the whole house. It is the most important gift which has been made to us in our lives and which we cannot keep to ourselves.”
The missionary activity of the Church is entrusted to every Catholic. In the very vocation of baptism, each Catholic is anointed to become God’s light to the world – that is to be missionaries of Christ. When we enter into a new life with Christ in baptism, we do not merely enter into singular and local community, but enter into the global Church in which we are called to take His message to the ends of the earth (Mt. 28:19). Throughout history, many have taken this responsibility seriously. The missionary journeys of St. Paul attest to that fact. So too, the spread of monasticism in ancient Europe, to the growth of the Church in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Thousands of men and women have given totally of themselves in the history of salvation, many of which even sacrificed their very lives in order that others know of Christ and be saved by His word. Even though we live in the midst of the global village, there are many who have yet to encounter Christ and his message of Truth. In supporting World Mission Sunday by praying and contributing on behalf of the missions, you share in making that a reality. Mission Sunday is a day in which we are called to reflect and reach out to others. Please be as generous as you can in supporting missionaries around the world. If you would like to know more about how you can support the missions, please call the Diocesan Mission Office at 941.625.4754.
article written by Fr. John J. Ludden, Pastor
images: St. Lucia Mission Trip, 2012