World Mission Sunday has ‘borne fruit in my own life,’ says Pope Leo

Pope Leo XIV shared that the purpose of World Mission Sunday has personally impacted his life in a video message released by Vatican News on Oct. 7. The upcoming observance, scheduled for Oct. 18, follows the theme "One in Christ, united in mission," which the pope selected in January.

In his message, the pope encouraged the Church to pursue its missionary work with joy and zeal through the Holy Spirit. World Mission Sunday was established by Pope Pius XI in 1926 and became a universal observance in 1927. The day serves as a global period of prayer and missionary promotion.

The observance includes a collection that provides the main financial support for the Pontifical Mission Societies. This network includes the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, which assists local church evangelization; the Missionary Childhood Association, which teaches children about missionary outreach; the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, which trains missionary clergy and religious; and the Pontifical Missionary Union.