World Mission Sunday
Catholic Diocese of Youngstown
Sunday, October 18, 2026
"One in Christ, United in Mission"
World Mission Day was first established by Pope Pius XI, beginning in October 1927. This year the Church celebrates the 100th World Mission Day on Sunday, October 18, 2026. As the Church prepares to celebrate this day, Pope Leo XIV calls us to unity in Christ, love, and renewed missionary commitment "with joy and zeal in the Holy Spirit" in his first World Mission Sunday Message: “One in Christ, united in mission."
Pope Leo reminds us that "being a Christian is not primarily about practices or ideas; it is a life in union with Christ, in which we share in his filial relationship with the Father in the Holy Spirit. It means abiding in Christ, like branches on the vine (cf. Jn 15:4), immersed in the life of the Trinity." Citing the words of St. Paul—"we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord” (2 Cor 4:5)—Pope Leo explains, "This process of genuine evangelization begins in the heart of every Christian in order to reach all of humanity. Therefore, the more united we are in Christ, the better able we will be to carry out together the mission that he entrusts to us."
The Holy Father exhorts us, "Let us all commit to contributing to the great mission of evangelization — which is always a work of love —according to our own vocation and the gifts we have received."
Your ongoing support is vital to the missionaries serving throughout Asia, Africa, parts of Latin America and Europe, and on the Islands of the Pacific. Your generosity makes it possible for local priests, religious, and lay catechists to reach out to communities, families, and children in need.
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For more local information about Missions in the Diocese of Youngstown, please contact Dominic Colucy, Director of the Office of Missions, at dcolucy@youngstowndiocese.org, 330-744-8451 x293, or Propagation of the Faith and Missions Office, 144 W. Wood St., Youngstown, OH 44503.
Photo for World Mission Sunday courtesy of The Pontifical Mission Societies
