This year, World Mission Sunday takes place over the weekend of the 18th of October. Similar to the Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land and Peter’s Pence, it is one of the three yearly Universal Church collections. On the weekend of the 18th, all World Mission Sunday Mass collections and donations, including those from the most impoverished churches in the developing world, will be offered to support the Holy Father’s Universal Solidarity Fund. This Fund is a lifeline, not only for missionaries, but also for the future of the Church, as it supports missionary activities in over 1,100 mission dioceses, mostly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
This year’s theme ‘Together We Can Do More – Blessed are the Peacemakers’, is highlighting that our Church is a global community that must stand together if it is to do more. It also recognises our missionaries as peacemakers, who like Jesus, the Prince of Peace, emulate love and harmony as they reconcile fragile people, from fractured communities, with God and with each other.
World Missions Ireland, the Church’s official charity for overseas mission, coordinates World Mission Sunday activities throughout Ireland each year. As part of this, we prepare the Mission Month Pack, for all parishes and congregations. The Pack helps guide communities to enrich their daily liturgies and celebrations for the entire month, and not just on World Mission Sunday.
More information and resources to follow over the coming weeks – check back soon!
