ROXBURY — Bishop Peter Nworie Chukwu of the Diocese of Abakaliki in Nigeria has a pair of dancing feet under his cassock.

For him, World Mission Sunday on Oct. 22 was such a grand occasion that he had to show off some of his moves, alongside a group of women from the Archdiocese of Boston’s Nigerian Catholic Community. A Nigerian DJ provided the music.

World Mission Sunday, held this year at St. Katharine Drexel Church in Roxbury, is an annual celebration of the work of the Pontifical Mission Societies and the global reach of the Catholic Church. Representatives of the Archdiocese of Boston’s Nigerian, Cameroonian, Kenyan, Ugandan, and Haitian Catholic communities attended the Mass, celebrated by Bishop Chukwu. All wore the colorful traditional dress of their home countries. They were joined by members of the Knights of Columbus and the Knights of Peter Claver.

“They embrace their own culture,” said Maureen Heil, director of programs and development for the Pontifical Mission Societies of Boston, “so they do like to worship together and in their own languages, but everyone gets so excited to see each other’s representation.”

Embracing the theme of universality, Heil wore a traditional Nigerian skirt and scarf, made for her by a Nigerian woman in the archdiocese.

The theme of this year’s World Mission Sunday, declared by Pope Francis, was “Hearts on Fire, Feet on the Move,” a reference to the Gospel of Luke. Heil said that the theme reflects the wide reach of the Gospel, which must be proclaimed in a way that is understandable to every culture on Earth without losing its truth.

“It’s thrilling to see how people receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ and make it their own,” she said. “It has not been imposed, but proposed, and accepted.”

A group of Cameroonian women presented Bishop Chukwu with the Book of the Gospels. In a joyous procession down the center of the aisle, the women cleared the way with brushes traditionally used to make way for royalty in Cameroon.

“I am so happy to be in your midst,” Bishop Chukwu said. “It feels like home. Here, the liturgy is lively and is celebrated in a very compelling way.”

He is currently on a tour of the U.S. and Canada, to visit the 23 priests from his diocese who are stationed there. He has seven priests in Boston, more than anywhere else. He thanked Bishop Mark O’Connell and Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley for welcoming priests from around the world.

“We have come to the realization that the church is universal,” he said, “and I am willing to send priests to different parts of the world to help in the propagation of the Gospel.”

He also thanked those at the Mass for spreading the Gospel throughout Boston.

“I congratulate you for adjusting to the weather and culture here,” he said. “Even the food, right?”

He pointed out the ironic position that the modern church finds itself in. In past centuries, Europeans came to Africa to evangelize. Now, as Catholicism is declining in Europe and the United States, Nigerian priests are coming to them.

“We give you priests, and you give us resources,” he said. “Simple as that. That way, we will serve the needs of one another.”

Nigeria, he said, struggles with understaffed public universities and an epidemic of women dying in childbirth. Catholic schools and hospitals have become pillars in Nigerian society, but Nigerian dioceses need money to build them. Priests are also routinely kidnapped and killed by Islamist terrorists.

“They want to instill fear in the faithful so that people think before they go into church,” he said. “But our Christians have refused to buy that. They are not afraid to go to church. And that is faith in action.”

Bishop Chukwu noted that, unlike many parishes throughout the U.S. and Europe, St. Katharine Drexel was filled with large families and children. This, he said, is why the Catholic Church is so strong in Africa.

“Our greatest strength as Africans today is that we cherish family.”

He said that the church and the family are one and the same: The father is the priest, the mother is the catechism, and the children are the altar servers. With Catholic education, he added, those children will grow up “and deliver Nigeria from the quagmire” it’s in today.

“Those children will one day return to save our country,” he said. “So we expect you to be good Catholics and good Africans.”

Everyone who attended Mass received a World Mission Rosary, designed by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. The rosary’s five different colors represent Africa, Europe, Asia, the Pacific islands, and the Americas.

Heil explained that in her 25 years of ministry with the Pontifical Mission Societies she has traveled to many of their mission sites.

She said, “Whenever I leave one, I always tell people not to envy us our toys, because they have the true treasure – their faith is central to their lives. It’s a joy to celebrate World Mission Sunday Mass with people like you who have vibrant faith, who come together to worship with their children, who are teaching the faith in a way that also reflects your culture and that is the beauty of a day like today.”