“Church, Family, Let Us Be Merciful” is the invitation to all from the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith in Canada’s French sector. Its 90th edition of World Mission Sunday (WMS) will be celebrated October 23rd.

The theme, as developed in the Animation Kit prepared by the Propagation of the Faith, is inspired by the Jubilee of Mercy and invites the Church not only to act in a merciful way, but also to rethink its missionary style. The Church must never forget that Jesus' mandate to go forth and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28, 19-20) still stands and "commits all of us, in the current landscape with all its challenges, to hear the call to a renewed missionary "impulse"". (Pope Francis' Message for World Mission Sunday 2016)

The Holy Father reminds us that, on this World Mission Sunday, "all of us are invited to "go out" as missionary disciples, each generously offering their talents, creativity, wisdom and experience in order to bring the message of God's tenderness and compassion to the entire human family. " (Ibid.)

The main reason in celebrating WMS and participating in the special collection for the missions in which all the Dioceses of the world take part, is to support projects in the world's Local Church's poorest dioceses that still depend on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. This spiritual and financial support ensures missionary animation and formation, as well as cooperation with these Churches. It also strengthens the faith of all those missionaries, consecrated and lay men and women that are on the ground, serving and filling the needs of pastoral, educative, and social works.

May "all the offerings collected in every diocese, parish, religious community, association and ecclesial movement throughout the world", reminds Pope Francis, be destined to the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith, "for the care of Christian communities in need and for supporting the proclamation of the Gospel even to the ends of the earth. " (Ibid.) 

On October 23, at Saint-Jude Parish, Archbishop Lépine will preside a Mass at 5 pm.

To learn more on the subject, the Assembly of Quebec Catholic Bishops published a document intitled The Missionary Shiftof Christian Communities.