World Mission Sunday will take place the weekend of Oct. 22-23. The weekend serves as the annual Eucharistic celebration for the Church’s missions. The prayers and gifts of the faithful reaches more than 1,100 mission dioceses, “supporting the proclamation of the Gospel, the building of the Church, and service to the poor.”

In a letter to the faithful encouraging their support, Bishop Raica wrote: “Your prayers and generous support today sustain priests, religious and lay pastoral leaders … . Blessed Pauline Jaricot began this work 200 years ago.

As Pope Francis reminds us, ‘She accepted God’s inspiration to establish a network of prayer and collection for missionaries so that the faithful could actively participate in the mission “to the ends of the earth.”’ Her vision would lead to World Mission Sunday, which helps the pope support missionary activity. When you contribute to the World Mission Sunday collection, you make it possible for the Holy Father to provide for the formation of our seminarians and religious men and women. You assist in building the schools and orphanages that care for children in places few visit. Missionaries can build churches in areas with scarce resources. Priests and religious brothers and sisters can buy food and the bare essentials that make it possible to proclaim the Gospel and celebrate the sacraments. I encourage your generosity on World Mission Sunday, especially in this bicentennial anniversary year. Your prayers remain your greatest gift, and your financial support is life-giving to our brothers and sisters in the world’s most vulnerable communities.”