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Pontifical Mission Societies

The Pontifical Mission Societies are the official missionary arm of the Church.  Each of the four societies or associations works to raise mission awareness among the people of the Church.  Funds are raised so that our Holy Father may care for the poorest mission Churches.  The funds are used to enable the Gospel to be preached in word and sacrament, as well as in combating poverty, disease, injustice, exploitation, and in providing for educational opportunities among the neediest local Churches in the mission world.    

Society for The Propagation of the Faith seeks prayer, sacrifice and financial support for the Church's missionary work, and provides ongoing help for the pastoral and evangelizing programs of the Church in Africa, Asia, the islands of the Pacific and remote regions of Latin America.

Society of St. Peter Apostle encourages prayer and financial help for vocations to the priesthood and Religious Life in the Missions.

Missionary Childhood Association helps to foster a universal missionary spirit in children in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Missionary Union of Priests and Religious is a spiritual apostolate that informs and forms priests, Religious men and women, pastoral leaders and those responsible for catechesis and religious education so that they may better animate others in the missionary spirit.

Missionary Cooperation Plan provides opportunities for parishioners to hear directly from representatives of mission sending societies or mission dioceses and organizations. Each year, usually from early summer through early autumn, each parish hosts a mission representative who preaches about the missionary work of his or her society/diocese/organization and then a second collection is taken up for the support of the missionary work of that particular society/diocese/organization.