As the Church celebrated on October 1st the Feast of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux—patron saint of missions—Catholics in Canada, every man and woman of good will are invited to (re)discover, celebrate and support missionary activity around the world to benefit the world’s most impoverished peoples. 

World Mission Day (WMD), the “pinnacle” of Missionary Month, will be celebrated on October 22, and will once again provide an opportunity to support projects and initiatives in many of the world’s 1,100 poorest dioceses still under the responsibility of the Dicastery for Evangelization. Inspired by the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, this year’s theme is Hearts on fire, on the move (cf. Luke 24:13-35). 

In his Message published on January 6, 2023, the Pope once again reiterates the permanent validity of the missio ad gentes—the mission to all peoples, given to the Church by the Risen Lord, to evangelize every person and all peoples to the ends of the earth.

“I invite us to pray for the Spirit’s guidance as the Synod on Synodality also takes place in the coming weeks. During this time, the Church continues its work, together with the people of God, to identify the challenges of the Mission in all the cultures and nations to which we are sent,” declared Father Yoland Ouellet, OMI, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in French-speaking Canada. “The Spirit is truly at work in this missionary renewal—a renewal so deeply longed for by the Holy Father and the baptized who are committed in the name of their faith.”

Thanks to the generosity of Canadians in 2022, nearly $732,185 was distributed by Mission foi (Pontifical Society of the Propagation of the Faith) to support various projects in Madagascar and Burundi as well as to the Domus Missionnalis foundation, whose mission is to support seminarians, priests and clerics making their way to Rome from various mission dioceses in order to further their higher education.

Once again this year, Mission foi appeals to the generosity of Canadians to support the various projects underway around the world, and to continue praying for all missionaries so that the Gospel may continue to be proclaimed to the people, wherever missionary action is at its highest.

To this end, Mission foi has prepared its annual Guide (in French and English), which provides numerous resources that are especially useful for supporting facilitation of missionary work in dioceses, parishes and various groups across Canada. Several short videos featuring a variety of testimonies about the Mission, as well as a video that explores the Pope’s Message for World Mission Day, will be published on the missionfoi.ca website (in French only).

About Mission foi 

Mission foi (Pontifical Society of the Propagation of the Faith), founded in 1822, is one of four Pontifical Mission Societies in Canada. Its aim is to help the Church in its universal mission and meet its evangelization needs. Present in over 120 countries, it is the Vatican’s most important organization, supporting the missionary work of the world’s poorest churches. For more information, visit the missionfoi.ca website.