Jesus was a missionary. As the Word of God, he is the light of all nations. As the Word made flesh, he brought God's own life into our midst.
Before returning to the Father, he sent the Church to continue the mission given him by the Father and empowered her with his Spirit: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you" (John 20:21).
-except from To the Ends of the Earth: A Pastoral Statement on World Mission.
World Mission Sunday is October 18th, 2026
One Sunday for the Whole World
EVERY YEAR, SOMETHING SPECIAL HAPPENS on the next-to-last Sunday of October. WORLD MISSION SUNDAY joins all Catholics of the world into one community of faith. At Mass that Sunday, we recommit ourselves to our common vocation, through Baptism, to be missionaries, through prayer, participation in the Eucharist, and by giving generously to the collection for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
World Mission Day was first established by Pope Pius XI, beginning in October 1927. This year the Church celebrates the 100th World Mission Day on Sunday, October 18, 2026. As the Church prepares to celebrate this day, Pope Leo XIV calls us to unity in Christ, love, and renewed missionary commitment "with joy and zeal in the Holy Spirit" in his first World Mission Sunday Message: “One in Christ, united in mission."
As we pray and respond on World Mission Sunday here at home, we share in those celebrations taking place in every parish and school throughout the world. Together, through our prayers and financial support, we bring the Lord’s mercy and concrete help to the most vulnerable communities in the Pope’s missions.
In a world where so much divides us, World Mission Sunday rejoices in our unity as missionaries by our Baptism, as it offers each of us an opportunity to support the life-giving presence of the Church among the poor and marginalized in more than 1,111 mission dioceses.
A Message of Pope Leo XVI for World Mission Sunday 2026
For World Mission Day 2026, which marks the centenary of a celebration established by Pius XI that is very dear to the Church, I have chosen the theme “One in Christ, united in mission.”
Following the Jubilee Year, I wish to encourage the whole Church to continue its missionary journey with joy and zeal in the Holy Spirit. This requires hearts united in Christ, reconciled communities and, in everyone, a willingness to cooperate with generosity and trust.
As we reflect on being one in Christ and united in mission, let us allow ourselves to be guided and inspired by divine grace, “to renew in ourselves the fire of our missionary vocation” and advance together in the commitment to evangelization, in this “new missionary age” in the history of the Church (Homily, Jubilee of the Missionary World and of Migrants, 5 October 2025).
“One in Christ, United in Mission."
Mission belongs to the entire Church. Every baptized person is called to share God’s love through prayer, generosity, and witness. Inspired by the dedication of missionaries around the world, we continue working together so that the message of Christ may reach every community, especially those most in need.
What your donation supports
The World Mission Sunday collection grants funds to mission dioceses, which help to underwrite the basic physical footprint that keeps missionary life going: where priests live, where sisters live, where children are catechized, where formation and pastoral work can happen, and where Holy Mass can be celebrated, often for the first time.
Part of the funds are used to help missionary dioceses run and survive, while the rest of the funds are used to build churches, seminaries, convents, and pastoral centers. In an average year, WMS helps to fund over 900 infrastructure-related projects for the Church!
