Spirituality

Not all of us are called to go to the ends of the earth -- but all of us are called to support those who do, to pray for them, to walk with them.

Cardinal Seán P.
O'Malley

As we mark World Mission Sunday on Oct. 19 -- during this Jubilee Year of Hope -- we are invited to remember that the church's very nature is missionary. Christ's final words to his disciples were not a suggestion but a command: "Go and make disciples of all nations." That call, echoing across centuries and continents, is as urgent today as it was on the mountain in Galilee.
This year's theme, "Missionaries of Hope Among the Peoples," taken from Romans 5:5, reminds us that hope is not an idea or a feeling -- it is a gift poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. And this gift is meant to be shared, especially with those who need it most. Nowhere is this more needed than in the 1,124 mission dioceses and territories across the world where the church is still young, often poor, sometimes persecuted -- and always courageous.
Growing up in St. Luke's Parish in Cleveland, I came to understand the missions not as something far away or abstract, but as part of our Catholic identity. Through the Missionary Childhood Association, our prayers, our pennies, and our imagination stretched far beyond our neighborhood. That experience shaped my vocation. In fact, when I entered the Capuchin Franciscans, it was with the hope of being sent to the missions.

That dream became real. I had the privilege of serving in the Virgin Islands, and later visiting the highlands of Papua New Guinea, where our friars were among the first to share the Gospel with peoples who had never heard the name of Jesus. In one particularly moving moment, I witnessed thousands of people gather -- wearing traditional feathers and paint -- for the ordination of one of their own.
Those scenes, and the sacrifices behind them, remind me that the mission of the church is not a task we delegate. It is something we live. Not all of us are called to go to the ends of the earth -- but all of us are called to support those who do, to pray for them, to walk with them.
We are all missionaries, each in our own way.
This year, we are especially inspired by our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope in history and a man who spent nearly his entire priestly life serving in the missions. He knows, firsthand, the challenges and the joys of bringing Christ to the peripheries. He has reminded us that the Pontifical Mission Societies -- that coordinate the World Mission Sunday collection -- are "the primary means of awakening missionary responsibility among all the baptized." His words are a powerful invitation for the church in the United States to rise to the occasion.
Pope Leo has also emphasized that this missionary responsibility must extend to every Catholic, from bishops to children. We must all feel connected to the church's missionary efforts, particularly in a world so wounded by conflict, poverty, and despair. And we must recommit ourselves to the Great Commission -- not only by giving, but by fostering vocations, educating children in mission awareness, and praying for those on the frontlines of evangelization.
In the United States, we have been blessed in so many ways. But let us not forget: this country once received support from the Universal Church. We were once mission territory. And we have repaid that gift tenfold -- with missionaries, with resources, and with prayer. Now, with Pope Leo leading the Universal Church, the urgency to continue that legacy could not be clearer.
We are also heirs to the great missionary witness of men and women like St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, and Archbishop Fulton Sheen, whose own leadership of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith left an indelible mark on the church's missionary outreach. As a child, I had the great joy of serving Mass for him during a visit to my parish. I still remember how he drew crowds even for daily Mass, because his love for the missions and for the Gospel was palpable. He understood that bringing Christ to others was the highest calling.
On this World Mission Sunday, I ask you to take up that call. The missionaries of today -- those serving in forgotten villages and crowded cities across Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Latin America -- depend on our generosity. And the world depends on their witness. Through your support of the Pontifical Mission Societies, you are ensuring that the Gospel continues to be preached, that the sacraments are celebrated, that hope is carried to places the world seems to have forgotten.
Now, it's our turn. Let us go -- through our prayers, our generosity, and our witness -- to bring the hope of Christ to all peoples.

CARDINAL O'MALLEY IS ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS OF BOSTON AND SERVES ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE PONTIFICAL MISSION SOCIETIES USA.

- Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, OFM Cap. Is Archbishop of Boston

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