Why Mission Sunday and How Funds are Distributed
The Pontifical Mission Societies under the direction of the Congregation for Evangelization of Peoples in Rome are catholic churches official support organization for missions worldwide. The congregation for Evangelization of people assists the Holy Father in proclamation of the Gospel throughout the world. It helps to erect and sustain new dioceses in mission Lands which is the only organization that supports every one of the approximately 1,100 mission diocese of the world. It helps with faith formation, selective of native bishops, with the formal formation of seminarians, religious sisters, brothers and lay catechists. As these dioceses struggle to take root, they as well provide related education, health and social services to the people of the missionary diocese.
The main goal is to support the mission dioceses through subsidies so they may eventually become self-sufficient. These missions are then moved from missionary status and become the evangelizers of the new nations in the proclamation of the Gospel.
How does the pontifical Mission Society differ from other charitable organizations?
Many local charities and community outreach programs exist to relieve pressing needs of the poor and marginalized in our country and abroad. These are noteworthy projects to which Catholics respond with love and generosity. Though mission and the spread of the Gospel are at the heart of Christian faith and should animate each of us, especially our children and youths, to look beyond the borders of our community to “teach and preach the Gospel to all nations”
Therefore the Pontifical Mission Societies are not in competition with other with social services and programs. There focus is on the spread of the gospel and the importance of prayer; and help to instill in the faithful a desire to spread healing massage of JESUS CHRIST to those who need it most in missionary lands.
WHERE DO MISSION FUNDES COME FROM?
- Annual collections in the parish
- World Mission Sunday (3rd Sunday of October) each year
- Propagation of Faith Membership Sunday (1st Sunday in February) each year
- Annual appeals/mailings
- Christmas Appeal and SPOF Lent Appeal both sent from the National Office in New York;
Summer Appeal from archdiocesan office
- Monthly Donations
- Ongoing monthly gifts, either as a check or through an automatic deduction from your credit card.
MASS INTENTIONS
Occasionally Mass intentions are received in our office to forward to mission priests. Mass Stipends are often the only means of daily support for priests in mission Lands.
Missionary Cooperative Program
Appeal during which a Missionary Priest, brother, or a sister preaches in the parish. Gifts got in that collection goes directly to their mission.
MISSIONARY CHILDHOOD ASSOCIATION (MCA)
In the catholic schools in the (Arch) diocese and in parish religious education programs, moderators for the MISSIONARY CHILDHOOD ASSOCIATION, sponsor fundraising activities while teaching the children importance of prayers and sacrifices for poor kids in our world from Missionary Childhood Association (MCA) well known as Holy Childhood Association (HCA) It is same association but a change of name in America the rubrics is same in our catholic.
OTHER DONATIONS
End of the year Gifts, Wills, Bequests, and Legacies, outright gifts made by the faithful go to the Arch diocese/diocese
HOW ARE MISSION FUNDS DISTRUBUTED?
Mission (Arch) dioceses receive regular annual assistance from the funds collected, according to a diocese’s size. In addition, mission diocese submit requests to the congregation for Evangelization of people for assistance for specific projects, including catechetical programs, seminaries, the work of religious communities, communication and transportation needs and the building of chapels and churches
That each year the world’s national directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies gather and vote on these requests, matching the funds available with greatest need for help . These funds are then distributed to the missions and missionaries around the world. Rome employs a system of check and balances, through the Vatican Ambassador in each nation, to make sure the money and grants received are actually used according to project requested. All the General Fund of support is frankly distributed in its entirety every year.
CAN I DESIGNATE A PARTICULAR MISSIONARY ORGANIZATION OR SCHOOL AS A RECIPIENT OF MY DONATION?
Per Pontifical Mission Societies, individual Diocesan Mission offices are not permitted to consider special requests for funding. Rather we send all donations to the National Office in New York, which then forwards the money to the general Headquarters in Rome where they are distributed in A FAIR AND JUST MANNER. This General Fund, of all donations is important because it supports mission diocese and institutions that may be unknown and overlooked. Sometimes a particular mission has a great many private supporters, especial from the US, and does well in raising funds. The General Fund, however, assists those institutions that struggle to do same ministry but do not have private support. The main exception to the remittance of donations is the Cooperative Program, in which monies collected as a result of an appeal by a missionary priest are sent directly to the missionary organization.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE NAMES OF DONERS?
This is very important, ALL DONERS INFORMATION IDS KEPT CONFIDENTIAL and is used exclusively by the designated diocesan representative of the Pontifical Mission Societies, and only for seeking support for , any other cause or organization, thus honoring the pledge made to contributors when they become part of the donor database.