The Dicastery for Evangelization, through the Section for the First Evangelization and New Particular Churches and the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS), has announced the theme chosen by the Holy Father for the upcoming World Mission Sunday 2026: “One in Christ, united in the mission”.
The day, which will be celebrated on October 18, 2026, coinciding as every year with the penultimate week of October, will also commemorate the 100 years of its institution, established by Pope Pius XI at the proposal of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
“One in Christ, united in the mission”
The motto chosen by Pope Leo XIV —“One in Christ, united in the mission”— recalls the spirit of his own pontifical motto, In Illo uno unum, and seeks to underscore the unity of the faithful in faith, founded on Christ’s communion with the Father, as the basis of the Church’s universal evangelizing mission.
The Dicastery’s statement highlights that this Day will be “a privileged occasion in which the entire Church unites in prayer for the missionaries and for the fruitfulness of their apostolic work.”
The testimony of Pope Leo XIV: “I have seen with my own eyes the strength of faith”
In his message of support for the Day, the Pope recalled his own experience as a missionary priest and bishop in Peru: “I have seen with my own eyes how faith, prayer, and the generosity demonstrated in this Day can transform entire communities.”
The Pontiff exhorts the faithful to renew the evangelizing impulse in a world marked by religious indifference, reminding them that “mission is not the task of a few, but the vocation of every baptized person.”
Preparation toward 2026: communion, formation, and prayer
During the first months of 2026, the pontifical message for the Day will be published, which will serve as the guiding thread for the numerous missionary animation initiatives in parishes, dioceses, and religious communities.
These activities will be oriented toward forming a missionary spirit and strengthening the awareness of apostolic responsibility among all the faithful, in harmony with the upcoming centenary of the Pontifical Missionary Union (1916–2026), which Saint Paul VI defined as “the soul of the other Pontifical Mission Societies.”
The Pontifical Mission Societies: united in the Church’s mission
The statement recalls that the four Pontifical Mission Societies —the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Society of the Holy Childhood, the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, and the Pontifical Missionary Union— work together “to promote missionary responsibility among the baptized and to support the new particular Churches” (Praedicate Evangelium, art. 67 §1).
These institutions, under the guidance of the Dicastery for Evangelization, continue to be fundamental instruments of communion and apostolic cooperation, uniting the faithful of all continents in prayer and charity in the proclamation of Christ.
A united Church for the world
On the eve of the centenary of this Day, the Vatican encourages the entire Church to rediscover the profound meaning of mission. “Evangelizing is not a strategy, but an act of love —the statement recalled—, a witness that springs from communion with Christ and becomes fraternal service to humanity.”
With the motto “One in Christ, united in the mission”, World Mission Sunday 2026 presents itself as a call to unity and hope, reminding us that only in Christ does the Church find its true identity and its evangelizing strength.