Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “One in Christ, united in mission” is the theme of the World Missions Day which next year will mark the 100th anniversary of its establishment by Pope Pius XI, at the suggestion of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith.On the day that marks the end of the month traditionally dedicated to missions, the theme chosen by the Holy Father for the next World Mission Day, which will be celebrated on 18 October 2026, as every year, on the penultimate Sunday of October, is announced.In his appeal sent this year in support of World Mission Day, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that it is a special occasion when the whole Church unites in prayer for missionaries and for the fruitfulness of their apostolic work. Recalling his personal experience as a priest and then missionary bishop in Peru, the Supreme Pontiff said: “I saw first-hand how the faith, the prayer and the generosity shown on World Mission Sunday can transform entire communities”.The theme of World Mission Day 2026, which in its first part recalls the motto chosen by the Holy Father for his Pontificate, “In Illo uno unum”, recalls the unity of believers in faith, based on the unity with Christ con the Father, and the consequent common mission of evangelization.The first step in the preparation of World Mission Day 2026 will be the dissemination, in the first months of the year, of the Holy Father’s message. This will become the guiding thread of the many initiatives of animation and formation in the spirit and of missionary responsibility in all the faithful throughout this significant year, during which we will also celebrate the 110th anniversary of the foundation of the Pontifical Missionary Union, defined by Saint Paul VI as “the soul of the other Pontifical Missionary Works” (Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Society of the Holy Childhood and Society of Saint Peter the Apostle). These four societies, each with its own specific character, are dedicated to promoting missionary responsibility among the baptized and supporting the new particular Churches (cf. Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, Art. 67 §1). (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 31/10/2025)
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