Baptized and sent: The Church of Christ on mission in the world
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This year, on this World Mission Sunday, Oct. 20, in this Extraordinary Missionary Month, Pope Francis addresses all of us to live out our baptismal call to be sent forth to continue the mission of our Lord to the world. “This missionary mandate touches all of us personally: I am a mission, always; you are a mission, always; every baptized man and woman is a mission. Each of us is a mission to the world, for each of us is the fruit of God’s love” (Vatican, June 9, 2019, Solemnity of Pentecost).
In a world where so much divides us, World Mission Sunday unites us as missionaries by our baptism to help build the body of Christ. This day is set aside for Catholics worldwide to celebrate their individual and communal call to mission, to solidarity, to unity and to evangelization.
Mission is so central to the Gospel and the needs are so urgent throughout the world, that I encourage you to embrace this responsibility wholeheartedly. Every parish, every home, every workplace must be a place of mission awareness, prayer and sacrifice.
Through this World Mission Sunday celebration, our Mission Office/Society for the Propagation of the Faith connects with the loving work of great missionaries of every time and every place. It shares directly in the work of the Holy See, not with one mission but with all missions of the world.
Thousands of priests, religious and laypeople who serve in various ways in more than 1,111 mission dioceses throughout the world depend on annual subsidies from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and on the prayers of all of us. These mission churches provide a spiritual home for those most in need, offering them the Lord’s peace and hope.
In order to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters throughout the world, please join me in helping to make World Mission Sunday a resounding success. On behalf of all those who will benefit from your generous gifts, I thank you.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
+ Donald J. Kettler
Bishop Donald J. Kettler is the ninth bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota.