World Mission Day: Baptised and Sent

Sunday 20th October 2019

Around the world, Catholics will today celebrate World Mission Sunday.

Instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1926, the annual day encourages prayers, cooperation and help for missions as well as reminding Christians about the fundamental missionary character of the Church and of every baptised person.

The theme of this year’s observance is “Baptised and Sent: The Church of Christ on Mission in the World.”

Below you can hear Pope Francis’s message to all, encouraging all to remember the heart of the Church’s mission: prayer, and to share this message with all of those on the peripheries.

Pope Francis also puts focus on the Church’s place in the world: “The Church is on mission in the world.  Faith in Jesus Christ enables us to see all things in their proper perspective, as we view the world with God’s own eyes and heart.  Hope opens us up to the eternal horizons of the divine life that we share.  Charity, of which we have a foretaste in the sacraments and in fraternal love, impels us to go forth to the ends of the earth (cf. Mic 5:4; Mt 28:19; Acts 1:8; Rom 10:18).”

You can read Pope Francis’s message in full here.

We have recently launched Stage Three of Hope in the Future in our diocese. Hope in the Future is a journey for us all to become Missionary Disciples in Missionary Parishes.

Throughout the month of October, we continue to use our gifts to grow and strengthen our parish communities, taking our faithout to the wider community in service of all, particularly people who are marginalised and poor.

Find out more about Hope in the Future and Mission in our diocese

Tagged | Catholic Church