Evangelising and helping the needy go hand in hand. Or at least that is what is promoted by the Pontifical Mission Societies.
From the United States alone, they have helped hundreds of thousands of people in both ways.
In the area of Christian and theological formation, they have supported 38,000 seminarians and more than 800,000 catechists.
In the social field, they have helped 26 million children to continue their studies and more than 11,000 clinics and hospitals.
The work done from here is key to sustaining the mission of the church throughout the world. In the United States, they point out that the vigour of the missions depends, first and foremost, on how much time Christians dedicate to strengthening their faith.
“We are also challenged to revitalise our devotion and commitment to the Eucharist, and to find ways to reach out to those who have never thought about the church,” said ad interim national director, Reverend Anthony Andreas.
Therefore, it is hoped that major events such as the National Eucharistic Congress have served to strengthen the faith and commitment of Catholics.
“Not all of us will go to the missions. Very, very few of us will. Some will go for a short time, but the rest will not because of work or family commitments.” he explained.
“So the important thing is to collaborate. That makes the efforts much more successful.”
The theme of this year’s World Mission Sunday is an invitation to evangelise with energy. It is a verse from the Gospel according to St Matthew where it says: “Go and invite everyone to the banquet.”