As Catholics across the globe prepare to mark World Mission Sunday on October 19, this year’s focus turns to the vibrant yet often hidden Catholic communities in Vietnam – particularly a leprosy colony in the Diocese of Kon Tun, nestled in the country’s remote Central Highlands.
At the heart of the Church’s missionary outreach, World Mission Sunday is the one day each year when the entire global Church unites in prayer and generosity to support over 1,124 mission territories, regions where the Church is still young, materially poor, or faces persecution.
The collection is coordinated by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of four Pontifical Mission Societies.
This year’s theme, “Missionaries of Hope Among the Peoples,” was chosen by Pope Francis before his death, and now takes on renewed significance under his successor, Pope Leo XIV. The new Holy Father—formerly a missionary bishop in Peru—is the first pope in modern history to have served most of his priestly life in mission territory.
In May, Pope Leo XIV described the Pontifical Mission Societies as “the primary means for awakening missionary responsibility among all the baptized and supporting ecclesial communities in areas where the Church is young.”
He added: “We see this in the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, which provides aid for pastoral and catechetical programs, the building of new churches, healthcare, and educational needs in mission territories. The promotion of apostolic zeal among the People of God remains an essential aspect of the Church’s renewal… Our world, wounded by war, violence, and injustice, needs to hear the Gospel message of God’s love and to experience the reconciling power of Christ’s grace.”
This Gospel message is powerfully lived in the Diocese of Kon Tum, where earlier this year Msgr. Roger J. Landry, National Director of The Pontifical Mission Societies USA, visited a leper colony supported by St. Joseph Mission Charity and the faithful in the United States through the World Mission Sunday collection.
“Then we had the great privilege to take Jesus to those lepers in this colony who are incapable of getting to Mass,” Msgr. Landry recalled. “The first leper we visited, with great hunger, looked up to the Lord through watery eyes and received the Lord on his tongue because he no longer had hands. His hands had been given back to God. And he received with great faith.”
He described another visit: “We brought Communion to a woman in her home. She was so excited to receive the Lord Jesus, she crawled down the hallway on all fours. Even though she had no hands left, she came onto a carpet that had been set, to welcome the Lord Jesus. And then received him with great love.”
“This is our Catholic faith,” he added. “This is what The Pontifical Mission Societies strive to do: to make it possible to bring Jesus, the Light of the World, to people no matter what they are suffering.”
In Vietnam, Catholics comprise about 7% of the country’s 100 million people—roughly 7 million faithful. The Church there traces its roots to the 16th century and has survived waves of persecution, with over 130,000 martyrs and continued government restrictions on Church activity. Yet the Church endures: Vietnam is home to 27 dioceses, more than 2,800 parishes, 8,000 priests, and 30,000 religious.
World Mission Sunday offers Catholics in the United States a chance to support communities like Kon Tum, and to stand with those who cannot stand on their own. It is more than a second collection—it is a global act of solidarity, one that reaches the corners of the world most in need of hope.
Let us respond together—this October—as missionaries of hope among the peoples.
Read online more stories from Vietnam in the Fall edition of Mission magazine:
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/70774489/2025-fall-mission-magazine
Ways to Give:
- Use the envelope in your parish collection on October 19
- Online via the Diocese’s website at www.hbgdiocese.org/WMS
For More Information:
Reverend Alfred P. Sceski
Diocesan Director
Office of Pontifical Missions
missions@hbgdiocese.org
717-657-4804 ext. 240
www.hbgdiocese.org/missions
(Ines San Martin is Vice President of Communications for The Pontifical Mission Societies USA and Editor of Mission Magazine. Photos by Margaret Murray/The Pontifical Mission Societies USA.)
By Ines San Martin, Special to The Witness
A Message from Bishop Senior about World Mission Sunday
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Sunday, October 19, we celebrate World Mission Sunday, a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility to proclaim the Gospel to all nations. It is a day when Catholics around the world unite in prayer and solidarity to support the missionary work of the Church. This year’s theme, “Missionaries of Hope Among the Peoples,” is particularly moving because, even though it was chosen during this Year of Hope by Pope Francis, it reflects both the heart of our faith and the vision of our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV.
Pope Leo, who spent most of his priestly ministry as a missionary in the remote regions of Peru, reminds us that The Pontifical Mission Societies are “the primary means for awakening missionary responsibility among all the baptized [and for] supporting ecclesial communities in areas where the Church is young.” (Address to Pontifical Mission Societies, May 22, 2025) His personal witness deepens the meaning of this year’s celebration, inviting us all to renew our commitment to the Church’s mission in the world.
It is fitting, as we reflect on our role in supporting the missions, to remember that the Catholic Church in the United States was itself once considered a mission territory. Just over a century ago, the faith here was still taking root, supported by the generosity of Catholics from Europe and beyond, who provided financial assistance, sent priests and religious, and built the parishes and schools that formed the foundation of the Church in this country. Without that missionary support, many of the dioceses we know today would have struggled to grow. In those early years, American Catholics benefited from the same collection we are today invited to support, overseen by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of four Pontifical Mission Societies.
We are called to continue the generosity of those who contributed when our Country needed assistance by supporting the missionaries, priests, religious sisters and brothers, and lay leaders who serve in the 1,124 mission territories throughout the world. The second collection for World Mission Sunday supports the formation of seminarians and religious sisters; the training of lay catechists; education for children in Catholic schools; medical care in Church-run hospitals and clinics; and the construction and maintenance of churches and parish centers.
Your prayers and sacrifices today ensure that the light of Christ reaches the ends of the earth. The Church’s mission is not only the responsibility of those who serve in distant lands; it belongs to all of us by baptism. Each time we support the missions, we affirm that we are one Church, one family in Christ, united in bringing hope and love to all people. Please be generous in your giving!
May this World Mission Sunday deepen our commitment to the missionary dimension of our faith. Let us embrace our baptismal call to be Missionaries of Hope, bringing God’s love and mercy to all people.
Sincerely in Christ,
Most Reverend Timothy C. Senior
Bishop of Harrisburg
