Pope Leo XIV by Catholic Church England and Wales (Mazur/cbcew.org.uk) / Flickr
Pope Leo XIV is asking all parishes across the globe to participate in World Mission Sunday this weekend to help spread the Gospel.
On World Mission Sunday, the Pope explained in an Oct. 13 video message, “the whole Church prays, united, particularly for missionaries and the fruitfulness of their apostolic labors.”
It is observed annually on the penultimate Sunday of October. This year, it will occur Oct. 19 and has the theme of “Missionaries of Hope among the peoples,” according to Vatican News.
The Pontiff, who served in Peru for many years, spoke in the video about how he has observed the impact of this annual observance.
“When I served as a missionary priest and bishop in Peru, I saw first-hand how the faith, the prayer and the generosity shown on World Mission Sunday can transform entire communities,” he said.
The Pope then appealed to every parish worldwide to pray for missionaries this Sunday.
“Your prayers,” he said, “your support will help spread the Gospel, provide for pastoral and catechetical programs, help to build new churches, and care for the health and educational needs of our brothers and sisters in mission territories.”
He thanked parishes for those prayers and reminded the faithful that all the baptized are called to preach the Gospel.
“This October 19th, as we reflect together on our baptismal call to be ‘missionaries of hope among the peoples,’ let us commit ourselves anew, ” he said, “to the sweet and joyful task of bringing Christ Jesus our Hope to the ends of the earth.”
