Every Year, on the second last Sunday of October the church celebrates World Mission Sunday.
WORLD MISSION SUNDAY unites 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, we help to bring that mission to fruition.
Pope Francis message for World Mission Sunday 2023 reflects on the theme: “You will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). The Pope draws attention to the fact that the mission of every disciple is linked to the mission of Christ himself. Christ was the first to be sent, as a “missionary” of the Father (cf. Jn 20:21), and as such, he is the Father’s “faithful witness" (cf. Rev 1:5). In a similar way, every Christian is called to be a missionary and witness to Christ. He goes on to say, "And the Church, the community of Christ’s disciples, has no other mission than that of bringing the Gospel to the entire world by bearing witness to Christ. To evangelize is the very identity of the Church."
On World Mission Sunday, we join our Holy Father as we reflect on the universal mission of the church. As we pray and respond 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 around the world.
In a world where so much divides us, World Mission Sunday rejoices in our unity as we reflect on the mission that each of us received at Baptism, and as we recommit ourselves to the mission of Christ and his church.
Fr. Jeremiah Browne, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies Societies South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini
