On 18 October, Pope Leo XIV is encouraging our entire Church family to celebrate 100 years of World Mission Sunday. We are urged to unite in prayer and giving with our sisters and brothers around the globe.
Our participation on World Mission Sunday is a tangible way to demonstrate to families in great need that they are not alone. It reminds them that they are part of a worldwide family and that we will do our best to care for them, so that they too can experience the love and compassion of a merciful God.
The Holy Father has shared this special message for World Mission Sunday 2026, in which he invites all of us to get involved on this special centenary year, through Missio, his official charity for world mission. Watch below:
The Holy Father has chosen the theme ‘One in Christ, united in mission’ and in his message for World Mission Sunday, he says:
‘Our mission as disciples, and the mission of the whole Church, is to continue the mission of Christ in the Holy Spirit: a mission born of love, lived in love and leading to love.’
Being ‘one in Christ’ calls us to keep Our Lord at the centre of our lives and communities, and our mission is lived by witnessing to God’s love through our words and deeds.
One of only three Papal collections, Pope Leo has tasked Missio with coordinating World Mission Sunday:
‘The global Missio network plays a valuable role for the entire Church. They are a living sign of unity and ecclesial missionary communion. I invite everyone to work with them in a spirit of gratitude.
‘Your prayers and practical support, particularly on World Mission Sunday, will be a great help in bringing the Gospel of God’s love to everyone, especially the poorest and those most in need. I renew my heartfelt gratitude for everything you will do to help me help missionaries throughout the world.’
World Mission Sunday draws us together with the faithful in places like Malawi, where people are being supported by the Church through missionaries like Fr Matthew. He serves families whose lives have been turned upside down by severe cyclones and flooding. Fr Matthew puts it simply: ‘We have welcomed displaced families and tried to help them by offering what we can with kindness… because kindness does not discriminate, just as poverty does not discriminate’.
Fr Matthew witnesses first-hand the results of your prayers and donations. He says that your support gives people: ‘a sense of hope going forward, to say they’re not left alone; that they are with the Church, they are with God and God comes to them through other people.’
For generations, communities all over the world have given what they can to help bring God’s love to all people. This generosity is more than an act of charity: it is an act of mission.
This World Mission Sunday, you can stand united with missionaries as they share the Good News and make God’s love visible to people living in poverty, conflict and crisis, providing vital support through schools, clinics, chapels and other vital projects. Their presence brings hope and the opportunity for communities to build a more secure and self-reliant future.
Please give what you can this World Mission Sunday. Your gift, however large or small, can bring hope, transform lives, and help our brothers and sisters around the world build a brighter future. Together, we can make God’s love visible wherever it is needed most.
To donate, call 020 7821 9755 (office hours) or visit missio.org.uk/wms to give a gift, set up a Direct Debit, and Gift Aid your donation if possible.
To support mission year-round, visit missio.org.uk or call 020 7821 9755 (office hours).