Parish Resources & Materials

- These resources have been made available for you to help promote World Mission Sunday at your Parish during October. Posters, prayer cards, and envelopes have already been mailed to your parishes.
  
  All forms are in Adobe PDF format. Click Here to download Adobe PDF.
Pope Leo XIV Video Message to be played in all parishes on World Mission Sunday October 18!
Other Languages Available:
- SPANISH
  ITALIAN SUBTITLES
  TAGALOG SUBTITLES
  VIETNAMESE SUBTITLES
  FRENCH SUBTITLES
  PORTUGUESE SUBTITLES
Pope Leo XIV Message for WMS
- This year’s World Mission Sunday, to be celebrated on October 18, holds particular significance, as we mark the 100th anniversary of this global day of prayer and solidarity, established by Pope Pius XI in 1926.
  
  In his message for this centenary year, Pope Leo XIV invites the entire Church to reflect on the theme: “One in Christ, united in mission.” He reminds us that the Church’s evangelizing mission begins in communion with Christ and is sustained by unity among his disciples. Indeed, “the evangelizing mission that Christ entrusted to his disciples requires, above all, hearts that are reconciled and eager for communion.” This call speaks directly to our priestly life and work.
  
  Through our preaching, pastoral care, and leadership, we help our parishioners recognize that mission is not the responsibility of a few, but the vocation of all the baptized. In a world often marked by division and uncertainty, our witness of unity in Christ becomes itself a proclamation of the Gospel.
  
  As we reflect on this centenary, we are reminded that the Church in the United States was once mission territory. The faith we now live was nurtured through the prayers and sacrifices of Catholics around the world, inspired by the vision of Blessed Pauline Jaricot, who invited ordinary believers to pray daily and give regularly for the missions. Today, we are blessed to carry that mission forward.
  
  The offerings entrusted to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith continue to sustain the life of the Church in places where she is just getting started, young, poor, and often facing persecution.
  
  Pope Francis WMS message English Pope Francis WMS message Spanish
Archbishop Jose Gomez’ Message for WMS
- As we prepare for World Mission Sunday, Archbishop Gomez’s letter provides thoughtful reflections that can help inspire and unite your parish in this important celebration.
  
  We encourage you to share his message with your parishioners through your website, bulletin, social media, or any other platform. This is a wonderful way to promote the celebration and engage your community in the Church’s mission to bring the Good News to all corners of the world. Let his words guide your parish in celebrating this day with purpose and passion!
  
  Read Archbishop Gomez's Eng/Spa Letters Here
What's the Story behind the World Mission Sunday Poster?
- One in Christ, United in Mission The Story Behind Our World Mission Sunday Poster
  World Mission Sunday | October 18, 2026 | 100th Anniversary
  
  Look closely at this year's World Mission Sunday poster and you'll notice it's really two stories in one frame.
  On the left, in black and white, is a face many of us know well: Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, gazing outward the way he did from countless television screens and pulpits. On the right, in full color, is the living, breathing mission of the Church today — a religious sister in prayer, altar servers vested for Mass, children in Asia and Africa, and a shepherd kneeling among them. Together they tell us something simple and beautiful: the mission Christ gave His Church a hundred years ago is the very same mission we're invited into on October 18, 2026.
  The face in black and white: Archbishop Fulton Sheen
  From 1950 to 1966, Archbishop Sheen served as National Director of what was then called the Society for the Propagation of the Faith — now The Pontifical Mission Societies. It's easy to remember him for his Emmy-winning television program, Life Is Worth Living, but Sheen himself considered his work for the missions his greatest love. In sixteen years he helped raise roughly $200 million for missionary dioceses, founded Mission magazine, wrote two mission columns a week for Catholic newspapers around the country, and traveled constantly to see mission needs firsthand rather than write about them from a desk. His influence even reached the Second Vatican Council, shaping its landmark missionary document, Ad Gentes. When he died, he left 40% of his estate — and the rights to his own books and recordings — back to the Societies. Missions weren't a project for Sheen; they were the whole point.
  It's Sheen's own words on the poster:
  Let us be charitable about the missions, remembering that the Lord who said: 'Go teach all nations' is the same Lord who bewailed: 'I have mercy on the multitudes.'"
- And this year, that quote carries extra weight. On September 24, 2026 — just weeks before World Mission Sunday — Archbishop Sheen will be beatified in St. Louis, becoming Blessed Fulton Sheen. A man who spent sixteen years asking Catholics to open their hearts to the missions will, this fall, be raised to the altars of the Church. It's part of why the poster already calls him “Blessed”: by the time we celebrate World Mission Sunday, he will be.
  The faces in color: The Church today
  The color photographs on the poster are today's answer to Sheen's black-and-white witness— a religious sister in quiet prayer, young altar servers vested in red and white, children in Asia flashing peace signs, a shepherd kneeling to meet a child at eye level, and Pope Leo XIV cradling a baby in his arms — are not stock images of “somewhere else.” They're pictures of our own family in faith: the 41% of the world's seminarians, the 1,130 mission dioceses, and the 843,785 catechists that last year's gifts helped form, sustain, and train. Every parish that donates on October 18 has a hand in every one of those photos.
  
  Why “One in Christ, United in Mission” — and why 2026 matters
  
  This year's theme, chosen by Pope Leo XIV, is “One in Christ, United in Mission” — a phrase that echoes his own episcopal motto, In Illo uno unum (“In the One we are one”). It's a fitting theme for a milestone year: 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday, established in 1926 at the suggestion of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. A hundred years later, the day still asks the same thing of every Catholic parish in the world, rich or poor: to pray for missionaries, and to give what we can so the Gospel can keep reaching where it hasn't yet taken root.
  
  That's the whole story behind the poster in one sentence: a Church that is one in every century, one on every continent, and one in every parish pew — from Blessed Fulton Sheen's generation to your own parish on October 18, 2026.
  
  How your parish can join the story
  
  Display this poster in your worship space and gathering areas throughout October. Include Archbishop Sheen's quote and the World Mission Sunday date in your bulletin. And on October 18, invite your community to give generously — through the second collection, or by scanning the QR code on the poster — so that next year's version of these photos can be even fuller.
  World Mission Sunday is celebrated in every parish, in every diocese, in every country of the world on October 18, 2026 -- the 100th anniversary of this global day of prayer and giving for the missions.
WMS Posters, Prayer Cards, & Envelopes
- In celebration of World Mission Sunday, we are pleased to provide your parish with vibrant resources—double-sided posters, prayer cards, and specially designed envelopes—to help engage your community in this universal mission. Each poster features English on one side and Spanish on the other, ensuring that the missionary message speaks to your entire parish family.
  
  These materials were mailed directly to every parish:
  
  Posters – Display them in prominent gathering spaces as a visible reminder of this worldwide day of prayer and generosity.
  
  Prayer Cards – Distribute them so the faithful can carry the missionary spirit into their daily lives through prayer.
  
  Envelopes – Use them to invite parishioners to share their personal offering for the missions, helping us reach communities most in need.
  
  For added convenience, digital versions of the posters and prayer cards are also available below, ready to print, share, or post online so that the mission message can reach even further.
  
  Together, these resources serve as powerful reminders of our shared call to bring the Good News of Christ to the world.
- External Side of Envelope
- Inside of Envelope
Homily Helps, Parish/Bulletin Announcements, Prayers of the Faithful, Music suggestions
- In keeping with this year’s 2026 World Mission Sunday theme, we are pleased to share Homily Helps, Parish/Bulletin Announcements, Prayers of the Faithful, and Music Suggestions to enrich your parish’s celebration. This resource is designed to support you in preparing a meaningful liturgy that highlights the missionary call at the heart of our faith.
  
  Within these materials, you will find Scripture connections, thoughtful reflections, and practical examples that echo the missionary spirit of World Mission Sunday. Whether you are preparing your homily, leading a parish reflection, or seeking ways to inspire your community, these tools are meant to help you ignite missionary zeal and strengthen awareness of the Church’s worldwide mission.
  
  May these homily helps and resources guide your parish in embracing Christ’s call to bring hope and the Good News to all peoples. Together, let us shine the light of Christ more brightly into the world!
WMS Videos
- Bring World Mission Sunday to life in your parish all October long, with our inspiring short videos!
  
  These compelling videos are a wonderful way to make the global mission tangible for your parish community. Whether projected during Mass, shown before or after services, or shared with ministry groups, they offer a moving reminder of our call to carry Christ’s love and the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
  
  Incorporating these visuals into your parish’s World Mission Sunday celebration will inspire hearts, foster missionary awareness, and deepen your community’s participation in the Church’s worldwide mission.
WMS Graphics
- Brighten your parish’s World Mission Sunday celebration with our vivid graphics! These eye-catching visuals are perfect for sharing on your parish’s social media, bulletin, or website, helping to spread the message of the Church’s global mission.
  
  Share these graphics to engage your parish community and encourage deeper involvement in the celebration. Whether online or in print, they are a beautiful way to remind everyone of our shared call to bring Christ’s love to all corners of the world.
Logos
- Click on image to download PDF
- Click on image to download PDF
- Haz clic en imagen para descargar el PDF
- Haz clic en imagen para descargar el PDF
The World Mission Rosary
- Invite your parishioners to lift up missionaries and the communities they serve in prayer. A beautiful way to do this is through the World Mission Rosary. Consider gathering to pray it every Friday in October—the month of Our Lady of the Rosary—as a special devotion for the missions. A downloadable pamphlet in both English and Spanish is available below to guide you step by step in praying the World Mission Rosary.
  
  To further engage the younger members of your parish, encourage religious education programs and children’s ministries to use the downloadable World Mission Rosary Activity Book below. Through prayer, learning, and coloring activities, children can grow in their love for the missions and discover their own role in sharing the Good News.
Bilingual World Mission Rosary Brochures
- Click on Image to see Bilingual (Eng/Spa) PDF
World Mission Sunday Resources for Children
"One in Christ, United in Mission"
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Parish Resources & Materials

One in Christ, United in Mission The Story Behind Our World Mission Sunday Poster