Here at the office of the Pontifical Mission Societies of Boston, we have a two-fold ministry. While tasked by the Holy Father with gathering material support for the missions, we must also educate our benefactors about the specific, ongoing needs of the mission Church.

The publishing of these posts is part of the job, as are the regular newsletters sent to donors, and mission appeals in parishes. Through written and spoken words and images, we're privileged to tell the stories.

Social media helps us reach a wider audience. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram carry the mission message in a new way and perhaps to a new audience. We are Zooming into classrooms, and bringing people from the missions with us, to educate students about the lives of their peers in mission countries.

Most recently, we've upgraded one of the most important tools we have to proclaim the good news of the young Church: our website.

You can still find us at the same domain name: www.propfaithboston.org. Each Society is featured with stories and pictures. Up-to-date information on the mission Church, and our responsibilities as baptized Catholics to support it with prayer and material help, are easily found.

Learn about Sister Stan and her home for abandoned children in Ghana, supported by The Propagation of the Faith; find out what makes James Moonga of Monze, Zambia smile at a Missionary Childhood gathering; meet seminarians in Sri Lanka who think of themselves as brothers thanks to scholarships from the Society of St. Peter Apostle; pray for the missions with members of the Missionary Union; enroll your loved ones in our Societies or have a Mass offered for them in the missions.

There are many ways to get involved and our website will get you started! Would you like to volunteer in our office once we reopen? Can you make World Mission Rosaries to be given to Catholic students in the Archdiocese? Will you be a parish "Mission Faithraiser" and make sure that our mission prayers and bulletin announcements are used regularly? Click on the "Get Involved" tab to see the full list of opportunities.

Catholic educators will find that the Missionary Childhood Section is a great help in developing a missionary spirit in students. Click on the "Teacher's Toolbox" to find our Saint and Mission Country of the Month as well as a monthly prayer service. Past months are available as well and searchable by subject.

We believe that the more you know about the mission Church, the more you will want to become a member of our One Family in Mission. We can't wait to meet you!

- Maureen Crowley Heil is Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies, Boston.