October is the month of mission in the Church, and this year Pope Francis proposes that we meditate on the last words of the resurrected Jesus, before he ascends into heaven:

“You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1,8).

In his message for World Mission Sunday (23/10/22), the Pope writes:

“When the Risen Christ commissioned the disciples to be his witnesses, he also promised them the grace needed for this great responsibility: ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses’ (Acts 1:8)…‘Receiving the joy of the Spirit is a grace. Moreover, it is the only force that enables us to preach the Gospel and to confess our faith in the Lord’ (Message to the Pontifical Mission Societies, 21, May 2020). The Spirit, then, is the true protagonist of mission…The same Spirit who guides the Universal Church also inspires ordinary men and women for extraordinary missions.”

Pope Francis goes on to talk about an amazing French woman, recently beatified in Lyon:

“…a young French woman, Pauline Jaricot, founded the Society for the Propagation of the Faith exactly two hundred years ago. Her beatification…celebrated in this jubilee year. Albeit in poor health, 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.’ This brilliant idea gave rise to the annual celebration of World Mission Sunday, in which the funds collected in local communities are applied to the universal fund with which the Pope supports missionary activity among Christian communities…Indeed, would that all of us in the Church were what we already are by virtue of baptism: prophets, witnesses, missionaries of the Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the ends of the earth! Mary Queen of Missions, pray for us!”

To view Pope Francis’ message in full go to :Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for World Mission Day 2022