This year, we will observe World Mission Sunday on 22 October 2023. We want to encourage the full participation of our parishes and Catholic Communities, and ask that you support the World Mission Sunday collection.
World Mission Sunday focuses our attention on the great needs of the Church in the Developing World. This year’s scriptural theme is “Hearts on fire, feet on the move” (cf. Lk 24:13-35). It is with burning hearts that the disciples, tired from walking, they ran, returned to Jerusalem and told the eleven what had happened on the road and how Jesus had been made know to them in the breaking of the bread (Lk. 24:33-34).
Earlier this year in his series of catechesis, Pope Francis chose the theme: “The passion of evangelizing, apostolic zeal”. He said that “the passion for evangelization, that is, apostolic zeal … is a vital dimension for the Church: the community of Jesus’ disciples was in fact born apostolic, born missionary, not proselytizing” (General Audience, 15 January 2023). The pope reminded us that “There is a passion that involves everything: the mind, the heart, the hands, going out… everything, the whole person is involved with this proclamation of the Gospel, and for this reason we talk about the passion for evangelizing” (General Audience, 15 February 2023). World Mission Sunday unites all of the faithful in our call to be missionary disciples who proclaim the word of God, celebrate the sacraments and exercise the ministry of charity.
All parishes and Catholic Communities are invited to generously contribute towards this collection. We are very grateful to our Families of Parishes that support mission work and projects throughout the world.