SCRANTON – A Pontifical Mass in celebration of World Mission Sunday will be celebrated at the Cathedral of Saint Peter at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, will be the principal celebrant. Deacon Edward Kelly, Interim Diocesan Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, will be the homilist.

All people of goodwill are invited to attend the Mass.

CTV: Catholic Television will provide a live broadcast the Mass. The Mass will also be livestream on the Diocese of Scranton website, YouTube channel and across all Diocesan social media platforms.

This global Eucharistic celebration for the Church’s missions is an opportunity to remind our parishioners of their own call to be missionary disciples. We assist the Holy Father to exercise his Petrine obligation to support the Church in the missions by praying for our missionaries and financially supporting their ministry.

World Mission Sunday, organized by the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies, is the only canonically mandated collection in the Church. This year, the spirit of Pope Francis’ theme, “Hearts on fire, feet on the move,” resonates with us as we are reminded of the energetic and unwavering faith that fuels our shared mission.

For the past 201 years, the Society for the Propagation of the Faith has extended its arms to support growing churches globally, reaching more than 1,100 mission dioceses across Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands, Latin America, and parts of Europe.

This assistance bolsters the proclamation of the Gospel, the building of the Church, and service to the poor. Let us echo this spirit in our parishes, inspiring our congregations to contribute both prayer and sacrifice to this cause on World Mission Sunday.

As new Cardinal Christophe Pierre wrote to the bishops in the United States last year, our support to World Mission Sunday “makes possible the proclamation of the Gospel, the celebration of the Sacraments, and service to the poor in mission dioceses. For the first decades of its life, the fledgling Church in the United States received essential support from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, and the Catholics of this country have returned that generosity in abundance.”

Your role in echoing this call is paramount. Your voices collectively carry great influence and can be the spark that inspires the “hearts on fire, feet on the move” spirit that Pope Francis calls us to embody.