As we prepare to celebrate World Mission Sunday on October 19, during this Jubilee Year of Hope, we are called to rediscover the Church’s very identity: missionary. This year’s theme, “Missionaries of Hope Among the Peoples,” reminds us that the hope poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit is not meant to be stored away. No, it is meant to be shared!

Nowhere is this hope more urgently needed than in the 1,124 mission dioceses and territories around the world — places where the Gospel is still taking root, the Church is materially fragile, and believers often face persecution for their faith. In these communities, the presence of a missionary — often living in hiding or under threat — is a lifeline. It is a sign that the world has not forgotten them, and more importantly, a reminder that Christ has not forgotten them.

This year, we are especially moved by the leadership of Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope in history, and a man whose priestly life was shaped by missionary service. Before being called to the Chair of Peter, he spent decades living and working in mission territories in Peru. His love for the Church’s evangelizing work is not theoretical — it’s lived experience. Earlier this year, he reminded us that the Pontifical Mission Societies, which coordinate the World Mission Sunday collection, are “the primary means of awakening missionary responsibility among all the baptized.” His call is clear: the Gospel must be proclaimed, and hope must be carried to all nations.

Here in the Archdiocese of New York, the missionary dimension of our faith is unmistakable. Blessed with rich diversity — Latinos, African Americans, Asians, Europeans — our city shines as a microcosm of the Church Universal. On any given Sunday, Mass is offered in more than 20 languages, and we see how the Eucharist sends us forth into service and mission.

Our history abounds with missionary witnesses: Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who led The Pontifical Mission Societies and brought the missions to national attention; Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, a missionary from Italy to the United States, whose institutions served generations of immigrants; Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, a pioneer of Catholic education who responded to the needs of a growing Church in America with the same zeal that missionaries abroad carry into territories where the Church is young and struggling. And let’s not forget the countless priests and religious from other lands who brought the faith to our city.

This missionary legacy compels us today. This year’s theme calls us to both give and go. Through the Pontifical Mission Societies, our contributions help sustain pastoral, charitable, catechetical, educational, healthcare, and vocational projects on five continents. Whether through a modest or a more substantial gift, every offering builds up the Church and spreads the Gospel’s promise of salvation. Some 258,540 religious sisters, 82,498 seminarians, and nearly one million catechists rely on this October 19 collection.

But giving alone is not enough. We pray, advocate, and even consider a season of missionary service ourselves. Our vibrant archdiocese, a microcosm of the universal Church, must also be a springboard for mission ad gentes – “to the nations.”

World Mission Sunday is the day when the Church around the globe unites in prayer and support for the Church in mission territories, those regions where the name of Jesus and His teachings are still being introduced, and where the Church is young, fragile, and growing. And the growth is real. In Africa, in Asia, there is a dynamism in the missionary Church that should inspire and challenge us. It tells us that our prayers and generosity matter. They are bearing fruit.

Supporting the missions not only feeds the hungry elsewhere — it also feeds our faith and souls, and deepens our love for Jesus and one another.

This coming October 19, I invite every person and parish in our archdiocese to reflect on our roots as a mission territory and our future as a missionary Church. Let’s open our hearts, our wallets — even our calendars — to support “Missionaries of Hope Among the Peoples.” In doing so, we fulfill Pope Leo XIV’s call to be a Church that’s not only holy, but holy and missionary.