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.

Pope Leo’s message for World Mission Sunday this year reflects on the theme: “Missionaries of Hope Among All Peoples”. He reminds us, “Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power, or pleasure.”

"Missionaries of Hope Among All Peoples"

As the Church prepares to celebrate World Mission Sunday 2025, on October 19, Pope Francis has given us a powerful theme that resonates deeply in this Jubilee Year: “Missionaries of Hope Among All Peoples.” In his message, the Holy Father reminds us that hope is at the heart of the Christian mission, calling every baptized person to be “messengers and builders of hope” in a world that often finds itself overshadowed by uncertainty and despair.

Reflecting on the significance of this Jubilee Year, Pope Francis urges us to keep our gaze fixed on Christ, the center of history, emphasizing that His mission continues today through the Church: “Through his disciples, sent to all peoples and mystically accompanied by him, the Lord Jesus continues his ministry of hope for humanity. He still bends over all those who are poor, afflicted, despairing and oppressed, and pours ‘upon their wounds the balm of consolation and the wine of hope.’”