The Pontifical Mission Societies in the USA rejoices in the historic election of the first pontiff from the United States of America, Leo XIV, Chicago native Robert Cardinal Prevost
Through his personal care for missionary priests, Pope Francis showed that the Church’s heart beats strongest where the Gospel is just beginning to take root.
Each of these moments speaks to the heart of Pope Francis’ mission: to bring the light of the Gospel where it is most needed.
His death, coming at the close of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, felt profoundly symbolic for a man who spent his papacy proclaiming the joy and hope of the Gospel to the world’s most forgotten corners.
In his message for World Mission Sunday 2025, to be marked on October 19, Pope Francis reminds us that hope is at the heart of the Christian mission, calling every baptized person to be "messengers and builders of hope."
Speaking to Catholics from Vietnam who live in the United States, Pope Francis highlighted their vital contributions to the universal Church through their support of The Pontifical Mission Societies USA.
The numbers reported by Fides do not include the death of Father Tobias Chukwujekwu Okonkwo, who was shot dead by unidentified assailants, at lhiala, along Onitsha-Owerri Expressway, Nigeria, hours after Pope Francis honored the first Christian martyr on Boxing Day.
“Sadly, even today, many men and women are persecuted—sometimes to the point of death—because of the Gospel,” Pope Francis said.
On Christmas Day, Pope Francis thanked missionaries throughout the world because "they bring light and comfort to so many people in difficulty. To all of them we want to say: Thank you!”
In a letter to the people of Nicaragua, Pope Francis reiterated his affection to them amidst a violent crackdown against the local Catholic community.
Pope Francis canonized several men and women, including Father Giuseppe Allamano, the founder of the Consolata Missionaries who first suggested to the Pope having a day of reflection and giving for the missionary Church in 1925.
Father Giuseppe Allamano, founder of the Consolata Missionaries... And of World Mission Sunday, will be canonized on October 20th by Pope Francis,
