World Mission Sunday
World Mission Sunday (WMS) is celebrated throughout the Universal Church in response to the Gospel invitation to solidarity with all the world’s peoples, especially those most in need of the Good News of God’s love.
In the Gospel of Matthew, the Pharisees attempt to entrap Jesus as he travels around proclaiming the Gospel and healing people who feel troubled and abandoned. They ask “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” Jesus confidently responds, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” (Matthew 22:15-21). Throughout our world, mission dioceses strive with limited resources to follow the model of Jesus, even during a global pandemic. We call upon the Catholics in the Archdiocese of Chicago to generously join in prayerful and financial support through this annual second collection.
- About 75% of the collection supports over 1,000 mission dioceses through the Pontifical Mission Societies, particularly in the rapidly growing churches of Africa and Asia, as well as under resourced parts of Latin America and the Pacific Islands.
- 9% of the collection supports the work of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, which works to alleviate poverty and affirm human dignity, build up the church, and promote Christian unity and interreligious dialogue in the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe.
- Approximately 15% of the WMS supports the operations of the Mission Office, which is funded entirely through this collection and the Summer Mission Co-op.
- The WMS Collection is recommended to be held on the second-to-last weekend of October.
- The Mission Office will mail to each parish:
- A letter from Cardinal Blase J. Cupich encouraging participation (available in English, Polish, and Spanish),
- Two copies of a poster to promote awareness of the collection (bilingual English/Spanish),
- Bulletin announcements and other promotional materials (available in English, Polish, and Spanish),
- Liturgical helpers to foster missionary spirit during the weekend services (available in English, Polish, and Spanish), and
- A remittance card for processing the collection.
- How to encourage participation:
- Share the Cardinal’s letter with your congregation,
- Include announcements and WMS images in your parish bulletin and/or website,
- Hang the posters supplied by the Mission Office in prominent locations,
- Include intentions for our global neighbors and missionaries in your Prayer of the Faithful, and
- Contact the Mission Office to arrange a special WMS speaker.
- After the collection is taken up, it is deposited into the parish account following best practices.
- The parish prepares and sends a check to the Mission Office. It should be made payable to “The Society for the Propagation of the Faith” with “WMS-(year)” in the memo line. Please use the grey remittance card and mail checks to Mission Office, 3525 S. Lake Park Ave. Chicago, IL 60653.
- It’s very important that the Mission Office receive your donation by December 31. The financial year of the Mission Office ENDS IN DECEMBER each year. The office must report our donations to the national office of the Pontifical Mission Societies by the end of the calendar year.
If you need additional materials, please feel free to contact the Mission Office.
