2026 Winter MISSION Magazine

A MAGAZINE OF THE PONTIFICAL MISSION SOCIETIES

WINTER 2026

ONE IN CHRIST,

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From the National Director

Society of St. Peter the Apostle

Inside St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Ghana

Society for the Propagation of the Faith

A Light in the Darkness


A New Church Rises in Karamoja, Uganda

From the Archives

Following in the Footsteps of the First

Witnesses

Missionary Union

A Joy That Dignifies

Missionary Childhood Association

Once Upon a Time


Under the Patronage of St. Kizito in Uganda

The Uganda Martyrs: Seeds of Faith in Africa

Society of St. Peter Apostle

$100 and a Yes

The Fulton Sheen Legacy Society Part 7

Editor’s Note

Four societies

one mission

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Give now

The Pontifical Mission

Societies USA

PUBLISHER: MONSIGNOR ROGER J.

LANDRY, NATIONAL DIRECTOR

EDITOR/WRITER: INÉS SAN MARTÍN

PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL

OFFICE OF THE PONTIFICAL MISSION

SOCIETIES

IN COOPERATION WITH DIOCESAN

OFFICES IN THE UNITED STATES

©THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION

OF THE FAITH

MEMBER, CATHOLIC MEDIA

ASSOCIATION

We welcome your ongoing

feedback and your “letters to the

editor,” ever grateful for your

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A Letter for our National Director

A Letter from our

National Director

A True Year of the Lord

As we begin a new civil year, it’s

important for us to ponder why

we say “2026 AD.”

As most are aware, “AD” is an

abbreviation of the Latin annus

Domini, which means “Year of the

Lord.”

In various academic circles,

some secularists and non-

Christians, opposed to marking

time with reference to Jesus, have

tried to change the abbreviation

“BC” (“Before Christ”) to “BCE”

(“Before the Common Era”) and

“AD” (“Year of the Lord”) to “CE”

(“Common Era”).

I’ve always deemed that attempt

doomed, because it obviously begs

the question of why the birth of

Jesus Christ in Bethlehem would

have inaugurated the “common

era” and what would be common

in this new era if not Jesus himself,

Monsignor Roger J. Landry

the Church he founded, and the

way he changed history. That’s

one reason why that academic

runaround thankfully hasn’t

gained popular traction.

But it’s important for Christians

not just to allow AD to remain a

dating mechanism. It’s meant to

influence the way we live in time.

We’re called to make each year

a year of the Lord, one centered

on Jesus and on the way he —

still very much Emmanuel, “God

with us” — wants to accompany

us throughout this new year and

to help us to grow into deeper

friendship with him, illumine the

world with his Gospel, and help

others come to know, love and

follow him.

To make 2026 a true year of the

Lord is to make it a year of faith

and mission.

This year we’re marking a very

important anniversary in the

Church. On April 14, 1926, Pope

Pius XI established World Mission

Sunday as a “day of prayer and

information for the missions to

be celebrated on the same day in

every Catholic diocese, parish and

institute in the world.” He wanted

the day to “foster understanding

of the greatness of the missionary

task, encourage zeal among the

clergy and the people, offer an

opportunity to make [the Society

for the Propagation of the Faith]

ever more widely known and

encourage offerings for the

missions.”

The new year that is just

beginning is, therefore, an

opportunity for the Church to

put more emphasis on what

we mark every World Mission

Sunday: prayer for the missions,

understanding of the greatness of

our missionary calling, promotion

of missionary zeal, gratitude for

the Society for the Propagation

of the Faith and the other three

Pontifical Mission Societies, and

generosity toward our brothers

and sisters in missionary territories

where the Church is too young,

materially poor or persecuted to

be self-sustaining.

Pope Leo is one who has

already dedicated special effort

2 3

A Letter for our National Director

to promoting World Mission

Sunday. Last October 13, this

former missionary priest and

bishop became the first pope in

history to record a video message

for World Mission Sunday so that

the message could be shown to

Catholic parishioners before Mass,

placed on parish and diocesan

websites, shared in email blasts,

and made to go viral on social

media.

“Dear Brothers and Sisters,”

the Holy Father began that oneminute

message, “on World

Mission Sunday every year, the

whole Church prays, united,

particularly for missionaries and

the fruitfulness of their apostolic

labors.”

Recalling his own experience

for 22 years as an Augustinian

missionary, he continued, “When I

served as a missionary priest and

bishop in Peru, I saw first-hand

how the faith, the prayer and

the generosity shown on World

Mission Sunday can transform

entire communities.”

He then asked pastors and

parishioners to prioritize this

annual day of prayer and support.

“I urge every Catholic parish in

the world to take part in World

Mission Sunday. Your prayers,

your support will help spread

the Gospel, provide for pastoral

and catechetical programs, help

to build new churches, and care

for the health and educational

needs of our brothers and sisters

in mission territories.”

At the end of the message, he

made clear that World Mission

Sunday is a joyful day that assists

him in his solicitude and care for

all the Churches in the world.

This World Mission Sunday,

he concluded, “let us commit

ourselves anew to the sweet and

joyful task of bringing Christ Jesus

our Hope to the ends of the earth.

Thank you for everything you will

do to help me help missionaries

throughout the world. God bless

you all!”

I anticipate that in 2026, as we

mark the centenary of World

Mission Sunday, Pope Leo will

urge everyone in the Church to

grow in their commitment to the

missions. He’s already released

the theme of this year’s World

Mission Sunday, which will

take place on October 18: “One

in Christ, United in Mission.”

Later this month, he will release a

Message reflecting on that theme,

which is based on his papal motto,

In Illo Uno, Unum, “One in the

One Christ.”

This year’s theme is also based

on Jesus’ words from the Last

Supper, when he prayed that we,

his disciples, might be one as He

and God the Father are one in

the Holy Spirit, so that the world

would believe that God the Father

sent Jesus and loves us just like he

loves Him. The effectiveness of the

Church’s mission, Jesus says, will

flow from our unity. To live 2026

as a year of the Lord is to seek

to live it united with each other

and intent on trying to help unite

the whole world in Jesus. I can’t

wait to hear how the Holy Father

is going to nourish us with that

theme.

We also know that 2026 is a

big year on account of another

anniversary: the 250th anniversary

of the United States on July 4. We

give thanks for all blessings God

has given us over the course of

these last two-and-a-half centuries.

We give thanks in a particular way

for the American saints, famous

and unknown, as well as our first

native born Pope, a fruit of the

mature faith of our country. This

is a year to commit ourselves to

sharing our faith with our fellow

citizens and, united with Pope Leo

in the one Christ, to help him help

missionaries everywhere.

God bless you!

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St. Gregory the Great Provincial Major Seminary

at a Glance

Location:

Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana

Founded:

1990

Society of Saint Peter the Apostle

Inside St. Gregory

the Great Seminary

in Ghana

By Inés San Martín

“Without the subsidy made possible through World Mission Sunday, it

would be near impossible for us to re-open for the next academic year.”

Forming seminarians for:

Six dioceses across Ghana

Current enrollment:

216 seminarians

Formation pillars:

Human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral

Support: Subsidized by the Society of St.

Peter the Apostle through the Pontifical

Mission Societies USA

Vision: To form holy, educated, and

compassionate priests ready to serve the

Church in Ghana and beyond

— Fr. Michael Boakye Yeboah, Acting Rector

In the hills outside Kumasi, Ghana,

where the call to prayer mingles with

the rustle of palm trees and the hum

of nearby farms, the St. Gregory the

Great Provincial Major Seminary

stands as a beacon of hope for the

Church in West Africa.

Here, 216 young men from six

dioceses across Ghana live, pray, and

study together, preparing to dedicate

their lives to serving God’s people.

Their formation — spiritual, human,

pastoral, and intellectual — is made

possible thanks to the support of

Catholics around the world who give

to the Society of St. Peter the Apostle,

one of the four Pontifical Mission

Societies.

“Since the inception of the seminary,

the Pontifical Mission Societies have

been of tremendous help to us,” says

Father Michael Boakye Yeboah, acting

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rector of the seminary. “Without the

subsidy made possible thanks to

World Mission Sunday, it would be

near impossible for us to re-open for

the 2026-2027 academic year.”

That annual subsidy, he explains,

covers the essentials of daily life.

“It is used predominantly to feed

the seminarians,” he says. “Local

farmers from the six dioceses send us

foodstuffs, but it is the subsidy that

forms the main backbone of funds

needed to feed them.”

Electricity bills, fuel for the

generator, and maintenance of the

boreholes that supply the community

with clean water also depend on those

funds. “Most of our teaching and nonteaching

staff only take home a token

of appreciation,” Father Boakye adds.

“We continue to be grateful to God

for gifting the seminary the services

of these kind people.”

Seeds of Vocation

Behind every vocation is a story

— often one of resilience, faith, and

gratitude. For Andrews Kwasi

Yeboah, a second-year philosophy

student, that story begins in the fields

of Ghana’s Bono Region.

“I come from a humble,

hardworking family rooted in

farming,” he says. His parents,

both smallholder farmers, worked

tirelessly to raise five children. When

his parents separated, his mother

carried the full responsibility of

raising the family. “Through these

challenges, I learned the values of

resilience, community living, and

hard work,” he recalls.

His call to the priesthood grew

gradually. “On January 1, 2022,

during a spiritual formation program

in our parish, something awakened

within me — a genuine and burning

desire to respond to God’s call,” he

says. Encouraged by his parish priest

and a close friend, he applied to the

seminary after finishing high school.

“Life in the seminary is a deeply

reflective and transformative

experience,” Andrews explains. “It

allows one to respond meaningfully

to God’s call while developing

spiritually, intellectually, pastorally,

and humanly.”

Though the journey has its

challenges, he says, “I embrace them

as part of my growth in readiness to

serve selflessly in the future.”

Answering a Persistent Call

For Kelvin Dwomoh Frimpong,

the call to priesthood was more like

a gentle but persistent voice that

refused to be ignored.

“I was born into a devout Catholic

family in Asante Mampong,” he

shares. “From an early age, we

actively participated in parish life —

attending Mass, praying the Rosary,

serving at the altar.”

He first felt drawn to the priesthood

as a boy serving at Mass. “I admired

the priests who celebrated the

Eucharist with such reverence and

humility,” he says. But doubts about

his worthiness led him down another

path. He became a teacher, spending

two years in the classroom. “The call

did not go away,” he says simply. “It

only intensified.”

With the guidance of spiritual

directors and the encouragement of

priests, Kelvin entered St. Gregory’s.

“It was a moment of surrender and

trust in God’s plan for my life,” he

recalls. “The seminary has been

a grace-filled journey of personal

growth, spiritual formation, and

deeper self-discovery.”

There have been challenges —

doubts, struggles, and the complexity

of community life — but he sees them

as opportunities to grow in humility

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and maturity. “The priesthood is not

merely a profession,” he says, “but a

sacred vocation, a lifelong mission of

love, sacrifice, and service to God and

His people.”

A Late Vocation, a Living Witness

At 39, Paul Badoh is among the

oldest seminarians at St. Gregory’s —

what the seminary calls a “matured

candidate.” His journey to the

priesthood has been anything but

linear.

“As a boy, I wanted to go to school

like other children, but my parents

did not have the means,” he recalls.

Instead, he became a tiler, mastering

his trade and finding steady work.

Yet, “my childhood desire to become

a priest grew stronger.”

Encouraged by his parish priest,

Paul entered primary school as

an adult. “People made fun of me

because my classmates were far

younger than me,” he says, “but I

was determined.” Step by step, he

advanced through school and was

eventually admitted to the minor

seminary — and now the major

seminary in Kumasi.

“It was a dream come true,” Paul

says. “Here in the major seminary, I do

not carry the usual financial burden

because my school fees are covered

by the kindness of benefactors from

the United States and elsewhere.”

He is acutely aware of how fragile

that support can be. “Without the

generosity of those who share what

they have, I could not pursue my

vocation. But I know that God will

always touch the hearts of kind

benefactors so that we can continue

our studies.”

Faith, Formation, and the Future

of the Church in Africa

Ghana is home to more than 3.5

million Catholics, about 10 percent

of the population, according to the

Annuario Pontificio 2024. The Church

is young, dynamic, and growing

— but with that growth comes the

challenge of forming enough priests

to serve the faithful.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, the

number of seminarians continues

to rise, even as vocations decline in

other parts of the world. According

to Vatican data, nearly one in three

seminarians worldwide now studies

in Africa.

“The formation of priests here is

not just for Ghana, but for the entire

Church,” Father Boakye says. “Many

of our graduates serve in other

African countries, and even beyond.”

In Ghana, where agriculture

remains the main livelihood for more

than 30 percent of the population,

many seminarians come from humble

farming backgrounds like Andrews’s.

Their formation — sustained by the

generosity of Catholics around the

world — ensures that future priests

can continue to preach the Gospel in

communities that hunger not only for

bread, but for the Word of God.

Each day at St. Gregory’s begins

with prayer and ends in gratitude.

“During our communal prayers,”

Paul says, “we always remember our

benefactors. Our rector reminds us

that we must pray for those who help

God provide for us.”

The seminarians’ lives are marked

by simplicity, study, and service

— and by hope. “The day we are

ordained,” Kelvin says, “it will not

be our accomplishment alone. It will

be the fruit of many hands, many

prayers, and much love.”

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MISSION Magazine

A magazine of The Pontifical Mission Societies



“A Light in the Darkness”:

Emmanuel Tran on His

Daughter’s Miracle Through

Blessed Pauline Jaricot

By Ines San Martin

On May 29, 2012, Emmanuel

Tran lived through what he calls

“the worst day of my life.” His

youngest daughter, three-and-ahalf-year-old

Mayline, was at the

family’s apartment in Lyon, France,

celebrating the end of the school

year with her sister and friends.

“I insisted that she eat before she

went to play,” Emmanuel recalled.

“On the very first bite, she choked.

At first I didn’t realize it. She came

up to me, tapping her feet on the

ground and holding her throat.

Suddenly I understood — she

couldn’t breathe.”

Trained in first aid, Emmanuel

tried the Heimlich maneuver, then

CPR. Nothing worked. “I started

screaming to my wife to call rescue,

but the building was old, and there

was no phone signal inside. She

had to run outside between two

buildings just to make the call.”

By the time first responders

arrived, Mayline’s heart had

stopped for 40 minutes. Emmanuel,

desperate, had carried her into the

street so paramedics could find

them more easily. “I shouted so they

would hear me: no heartbeat, no

breathing. She’s gone.”

“No Hope”

At the hospital in Lyon, the

prognosis was grim. Mayline

suffered repeated cardiac arrests.

“They told us she had a pulmonary

embolism, and they weren’t sure

she’d make it through the night,”

Emmanuel said.

The following days brought no

relief. Scans showed massive brain

damage. “She had very little brain

signal on one side, and none on

the other,” he recalled. “After ten

days, she had lost all brain signals.

The brain had shrunk in the skull.

Doctors told us there was no hope.

They even proposed what they

called a ‘project for the end of life’—

to disconnect food so she could die.”

For Emmanuel and his wife,

Nathalie, the idea was unthinkable.

“We said, no, it’s impossible. We

cannot just make our daughter die

like this.”

The family was preparing

to move to Nice for work, and

eventually, Mayline was transferred

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MISSION Magazine



By August, Mayline was

standing, walking, even playing on

the playground. Emmanuel sent

videos to the neurologist to prove

it. “He couldn’t believe it. Finally,

in November, the doctors gave her

back to us.”

by ambulance to a hospital there.

Something changed along the way.

“When she arrived, she looked so

different,” Emmanuel remembered.

“Her eyes, which had been so dark,

were now like yours or mine —

full of life. We asked the nurses if

something had happened on the

journey. They said no. But Nathalie

and I could see it: she was not the

same.”

Doctors in Nice were baffled.

Her file described a child with no

brain activity. “They told us, her

condition doesn’t match the report,”

Emmanuel said. “They said she

wouldn’t die, but she would be in

a vegetative state forever — unable

to eat, speak, or follow us with her

eyes. We said, we’ll take her like

this.”

A Novena Begins

Unknown to Emmanuel, while

all this unfolded, a woman devoted

to Pauline Jaricot, foundress of the

Society for the Propagation of the

Faith, one of four Pontifical Mission

Societies, had begun a novena for

Mayline.

“We were in Lyon at that time, and

we were praying a lot,” Emmanuel

explained. “I was not Christian then,

but I prayed, because I realized that

if someone could change things, it

would be only God.”

One day, the director of Mayline’s

school handed the family a novena

prayer card. “She told us, ‘A lady

asked me to give this to you, so you

can join if you like.’ It was through

the intercession of Pauline. We

said yes, because it was so kind of

everyone to think of Mayline — and

because all our hope, we were trying

to bring to God.”

That novena spread far beyond

the school community. “At first, we

thought it was only the children

and teachers. Later, we discovered

people all over France — even in

Lille, in the north — were praying

without knowing us,” Emmanuel

said. “Years later, some came to me

in tears when they realized the little

girl they had prayed for was alive. It

was just beautiful.”

“She Was Supposed to Be in a

Coma”

What happened next stunned

doctors. “She was supposed to be

in a coma forever,” Emmanuel said.

“But only a couple of weeks after

arriving in Nice, she began trying

to sit up in bed. She wouldn’t sleep.

Nurses had to take her during their

breaks because she wanted to play

all the time.”

Medical follow-ups only deepened

the mystery. “Her brain had grown

back, the damaged areas restored,”

Emmanuel said. “Her brain signals,

which had been completely lost,

returned 100%. One doctor told us

he had never seen anything like it in

his career.”

For Emmanuel, it was undeniable:

“I used to think that miracles were

something that happened 2,000

years ago. But after what we lived,

I know they happen today. It’s like

turning on a light in a dark room —

suddenly everything is clear.”

Who was Pauline Jaricot?

For Catholics worldwide,

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MISSION Magazine



Mayline’s healing is more than

a family story — it became the

recognized miracle that opened the

way for the beatification of Blessed

Pauline Jaricot.

Born in Lyon in 1799, Pauline was

a laywoman who dedicated her life

to prayer and missionary work.

At just 23, she founded the Society

for the Propagation of the Faith —

which oversees the World Mission

Sunday Collection on the second

to last Sunday of October — by

encouraging ordinary workers and

families to support the Church’s

missionary efforts with “a penny a

week and a prayer a day.” She later

founded the Living Rosary, uniting

people around the world in prayer.

This year marks the 100th

anniversary of the World Mission

Sunday collection which, instituted

by Pope Pius XI in 1926, was

inspired by Pauline’s weekly penny

collection.

In 2020, Pope Francis formally

approved Mayline’s healing as

the miracle needed for Pauline’s

beatification, celebrated in Lyon in

May 2022. Cardinal Luis Antonio

Tagle, Prefect of the Dicastery for

Evangelization, presided over a

Mass attended by 12,000 people

— including Emmanuel, Nathalie,

and Mayline herself, who carried

Pauline’s cross in the procession.

“I told the Cardinal,” Emmanuel

said, “‘if all Masses were like this, the

whole world would be Christian.’”

A Father’s Conversion

The miracle did more than heal

Mayline. It transformed Emmanuel’s

own life.

While his daughter lay in a coma,

Emmanuel had a powerful dream.

“I heard a voice saying, put your

hands on your daughter’s head and

she will be healed. I answered, I

am afraid, my hands are in flames.

But the voice said, trust me. I drove

to the hospital in the night, but I

doubted. I thought, I’m no one, I’m

not baptized, why would God hear

me? But when Mayline woke up, I

realized it was God speaking.”

In 2016, Emmanuel was baptized.

Today, he and Nathalie pray the

Rosary daily, always including

Pauline. “For me, she is part of the

family — Mary, Jesus, God, and

Pauline,” he said. “I cannot pray

without her.”

Life Today

Now sixteen, Mayline is thriving.

She recently finished her studies

and is training to become a florist.

For years she practiced horseback

riding, and she still brings an

energetic spirit to each day. “She has

a heart full of love for everyone,”

Emmanuel said proudly.

Yet her journey has not been

without trials. After the beatification,

some classmates mocked her.

“She came home crying, saying,

‘I just want to be a normal girl,’”

Emmanuel said, acknowledging her

faith had been put to test. “I told

her: you will never be a normal girl,

because very few people receive the

graces you have. This is part of who

you are.”

Gradually, Mayline embraced her

faith again. On a Marian feast day in

Lyon, Emmanuel found her deep in

prayer. “I was so relieved. She found

her faith again in Jesus, in Mary, in

Pauline. That made me so happy.”

“Part of Us Every Day”

The Tran family does not mark the

accident nor the healing each year.

“We don’t celebrate the miracle,”

Emmanuel explained. “It’s part of

us every day. We are grateful every

single day. When you have God with

you, you don’t need one special date

— He is walking with us always.”

They do, however, mark Pauline’s

birthday each July with prayer, and

they join the annual novena in her

honor in January.

For Emmanuel, giving testimony

has become his vocation. “For years,

people thought I was crazy when I

said we lived a miracle. But I am so

happy for Pauline, so grateful. My

way to give thanks is to share the

story, so others realize miracles are

real. Some who hear it tell me, ‘Now

I will start praying again.’ That is the

grace of God at work.”

Witness of Hope

Today, Emmanuel sees his

family’s journey as inseparable from

Pauline’s mission. “She sacrificed

everything she had to bring others

to God,” he said. “The way she was

raising funds was not just to give

money, it was to bring faith to other

people around the world. That is

what she left behind.”

For Emmanuel, that legacy is alive.

“Prayer has a wonderful power. Our

prayers are heard — I know it for

sure. My daughter is living proof.”

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MISSION Magazine


A New Church Rises in Karamoja, Uganda


A New Church

Rises in Karamoja,

Uganda


When Blessed Pauline Jaricot

founded the Society for the

Propagation of the Faith in 1822, her

vision was simple and bold: to unite

the baptized in prayer, sacrifice, and

support for mission lands where

the Church is young, vulnerable, or

resource-poor. Two centuries later,

that mission continues in places

like Karamoja, Uganda — a region

where the Gospel still advances

amid severe poverty, climate

extremes, and social instability.

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In 2024 alone, the Propagation

Photo Credit: EU/

ECHO Martin Karimi

of the Faith, through its network

of donors and National Offices,

supported the building of 570

churches worldwide (across

Asia, Africa, Latin America, and

Oceania). Though many of those

projects remain unseen, their fruit

is real: they become places where

communities pray, gather, heal, and

grow in faith.

One such project now rising from

the red earth of northeastern Uganda

is the Church of Our Lady of Fatima

in Nawanatao, in the Diocese of

Moroto. Under the leadership of

Father Jakoslav Banic, a Croatian

missionary assigned to Karamoja,

this new parish is poised to become

a beacon of faith and hope in one of

Africa’s poorest regions.

Karamoja: A Region of Hardship

and Hope

Karamoja, a vast semi-arid

plateau in northeastern Uganda,

covers roughly 27,500 km² and

is home to multiple districts

including Moroto. It is dominated

by savannah grasslands and suffers

from inconsistent rainfall, prolonged

dry seasons, and water scarcity.

Livestock pastoralism remains the

primary livelihood, supplemented

by marginal crop cultivation where

the soil and climate permit.

Yet Karamoja is also among

Uganda’s poorest and most

underdeveloped regions. Decades of

conflict, cattle raids, and instability

have left deep scars. Many young

people live on less than $2 a day,

while unemployment, limited

educational access, and past conflict

pose ongoing challenges. In many

of the villages served by Father

Banic’s mission, huts are built from

straw and earth, children and adults

often sleep on the bare floor, and

medical and educational resources

are minimal.

Amid these harsh conditions, the

presence of the Church carries both

spiritual and material meaning. It

offers a place of refuge, learning,

community, and dignity in a land

where social structures are fragile

and hope is scarce.

The Vision of Our Lady of Fatima

Parish

Father Banic and his team have

purchased 15 hectares of land in

Nawanatao for the development of

a full mission campus: the church,

residences for priests and volunteers,

a pastoral center, nursery, schools, a

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MISSION Magazine


The Church Among the Forgotten

dispensary, and even an agricultural

farm. The 650,000-dollar project

centers on the parish church as the

heartbeat of this vision.

Once completed, the Church of

Our Lady of Fatima will serve more

than 35,000 Catholics across 37

village communities. It will host

catechetical instruction, sacramental

life, retreats, youth programs,

pastoral training, and evangelization

efforts. In a place where villagers

often ask, “When will we finally

have a church?” the new building

represents not just a structure, but

a long-awaited sign of permanence,

dignity, and belonging.

Father Banic writes:

“Nawanatao is the Ugandan

Nazareth. Just as in Jesus’ time

Nazareth was a village of only a

few hundred souls … today, here

near Moroto, people live in fragile

and modest huts … in very poor

conditions. The Church is their sign

of true security.”

He continues:

“In our mission, more than 70%

of the population lives below the

poverty line … 20% of children

die before age five; only 15% go to

school; 48% eat one meal a day (or

less).”

These stark statistics underscore

the urgency of the project and the

real human lives behind every brick

and beam.

Building a Legacy of Faith in

Uganda

For the people of Karamoja, this

church is more than a building.

It is a tangible sign that they are

seen, loved, and supported by the

universal Church. It becomes a

locus from which faith will radiate

outward: to children, families,

catechists, and future generations.

Through the Society for the

Propagation of the Faith, your

generosity becomes intimately

connected to these lives. Your

prayers, your sacrifice, your gift —

through that chain — enable the

Church to grow where it is weakest,

bring sacramental life where it is

absent, and build institutions that

last.

If you would like to help complete

the Church of Our Lady of Fatima

in Nawanatao, you can make a gift

at www.pontificalmissions.org.

May the work we begin together in

Uganda bear abundant fruit, to the

glory of God and the evangelization

of hearts.

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MISSION Magazine


Following in the Footsteps of the First Whitnesses

From the Original Article (1994)

“Station for station, around 1,500 people proceed through the streets of

Kampala on the first youth pilgrimage of the road to Calvary. Singing and

praying, they pass Muslim street traders in their crocheted caps, through

the old part of the city. The faces of the pilgrims are marked by the threehour

journey. Others have already passed this way — Joseph Mukasa

Balikuddembe, Mathias Kalemba Mulumba, Charles Lwanga...”

From the Archives

Following in the

Footsteps of the

First Witnesses

“Charles Lwanga and 14 pages refused to be daunted. For months the

Christians had been spied upon and persecuted. For months they had been

waiting on the day that they could give testimony of their faith... Together

they prayed and called from the flames: ‘Kanda Katona!’ — God, my

God.”

“The present large number of Christians in Africa,” said Pope Paul VI

at their canonization on World Mission Sunday in 1964, “lives from the

strength of this martyrdom, which made an ostensibly barren soil yield

fruit.”

World Mission Sunday turns 100

this year. To mark this milestone,

MISSION Magazine will feature a

new section in each issue — From

the Archives — bringing stories from

the past that continue to inspire the

Church’s mission today.

In this inaugural feature, we

revisit a 1994 article from Missio

Germany, written by Ingelore Happ,

recounting the story of the Ugandan

Martyrs — the first canonized saints

of sub-Saharan Africa and witnesses

whose faith continues to animate

the missionary Church.

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23

Following in the Footsteps of the First Whitnesses

Reflection: Then and Now

Thirty years after that article was

written — and one hundred years

after Pope Pius XI established World

Mission Sunday — the witness of

the Ugandan Martyrs continues

to remind us that the Church’s

missionary spirit is not an abstract

idea but a lived reality of love,

sacrifice, and joy.

In 1886, their courage transformed

a kingdom. Today, Uganda is nearly

40% Catholic and home to one of

the most vibrant Churches in Africa,

forming priests, religious, and lay

leaders who carry the Gospel to

every corner of the continent.

As we celebrate the centennial

of World Mission Sunday in 2026,

we remember that missionary zeal,

born in martyrdom and nourished

by faith, still shapes the life of the

Church. Like those first witnesses,

we are called to stand firm in love —

“One in Christ, United in Mission.”

Listen now!

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MISSION Magazine



Missionary Union

“A Joy That Dignifies”:

A Missionary’s Life in

Rural Mozambique


The Mission at a Glance

Location:

Jécua, Manica Province,

Mozambique

Parish:

Our Lady of the Rosary,

with 11 pastoral zones and

74 communities

Missionaries:

Franciscan Friars (OFM)

Focus:

Evangelization

through presence —

sowing faith, building

community, restoring

dignity

Projects:

• Construction of 100 homes for the poorest families

• “St. Francis Agricultural Institute” – forming young

people in sustainable farming

• “Water for All” initiative

• Digital connectivity and education access for rural

students

“A missionary ad gentes is a bridge — someone who crosses cultures

lightly, with respect and joy, to announce the Good News.”

Fr. Jorge Bender, OFM

When Franciscan missionary

Father Jorge Alberto Bender first

set foot in Mozambique, he says he

felt a rush of emotion mixed with

questions — and “a certain sense of

powerlessness.” Yet behind those

feelings was something deeper:

the conviction that this was exactly

where God was calling him to be.

“I am from a small town in Santa

Fe, Argentina,” he recalls. “We

were twelve siblings — eleven and

one adopted, to make a full dozen.

My mother used to talk about the

children of Africa, and I remember

a missionary magazine arriving at

home. I think that’s where the first

seeds were planted.”

Today, those seeds have borne

fruit far from Argentina. Father

Bender, a member of the Franciscan

Order (OFM), serves in Jécua, a rural

village in Mozambique’s Manica

Province, where he and his fellow

friars have been ministering for

more than a century. His parish, Our

Lady of the Rosary, covers eleven

pastoral zones and seventy-four

small Christian communities.

“The Franciscan presence in

Mozambique goes back 126

years,” he explains. “Here in

Manica, it’s been a hundred years

of accompanying these people

who walk in faith through these

latitudes.”

Walking Lightly, Living Simply

Jécua is a place where daily life

depends on the rhythm of the land

— and on faith. Most families live

from subsistence farming, growing

maize as their main source of food.

“The people here live from the work

of the earth,” Father Bender says.

“They face droughts, poor harvests,

and yet they remain joyful. They

walk lightly, carrying little, and they

teach me that happiness doesn’t

depend on having much. We are

called to be happy along the way,

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while walking.”

That joy is all the more remarkable

in a country where daily challenges

are enormous. Mozambique

remains one of the world’s poorest

nations, with around 63 percent of

the population struggling to get one

meal a day and with very limited

access to healthcare and education.

“People walk two, five, even seven

miles to get water,” Father Bender

explains. “They carry 20-liter jugs

on their heads, just to have water to

drink and wash. When it comes to

health care, you can die very easily

here. There’s a small first-aid post

with just the basics — cotton, alcohol,

sometimes malaria medication. And

in Manica, the hospital is very basic

too. Education is another challenge:

many areas lack primary schools,

and only a few children ever reach

secondary or higher education.”

Yet amid these hardships, he finds

signs of grace everywhere. “What

moves me most are the faces of

children and the eyes of the elderly.

In the young, I see the future — the

infinite possibilities to transform

their lives and their families. And

in the elderly, I see wisdom. Their

wrinkles are the marks of time and

history. Listening to them teaches

patience and reverence.”

“The Joy That Dignifies”

Over time, the Argentine

missionary has witnessed countless

gestures of gratitude from the people

he serves. But none moves him more

than when families receive a simple

new home.

“So far we have built forty-seven

houses for widows, the elderly, and

single mothers,” he says. “When

we hand over the keys, the tears

of those mothers touch me deeply.

They ask for a blessing. It’s beautiful

to be a witness to a profound joy

that dignifies.”

To him, this “joy that dignifies” is

a sign of the Gospel at work. It’s the

joy that springs from faith — a faith

that knows suffering, yet refuses to

despair.

The Heart of Evangelization

For Father Bender, being a

missionary means much more than

working on social projects, even

though those projects are essential.

“If you wanted to kill me, you

could lock me in a parish office,” he

laughs. “I feel pushed to go out — to

find new paths, new ways.”

“In these contexts, you cannot

separate the proclamation of the

Gospel from the work of building

a more fraternal and supportive

world. The announcement of the

Word of God goes hand in hand

with the bread earned by honest

work — the bread that dignifies.”

The missionary vocation, he says,

is about closeness. “The ‘style’ of

God has three features: closeness,

compassion, and tenderness. That’s

how God draws near to each of us

— and that’s how we must draw

near to others.”

Five Verbs for Mission

At Jécua’s mission, this spirit is

expressed through five verbs: to

sow, to gather, to share, to involve,

and to restore.

“With patience and vision, we

sow seeds — ideas, affections,

opportunities — in this lost but

wonderful corner of Africa,” he

explains. “We gather fruits and scars

that teach us. We share what we

have, because what is not shared

fades away. We involve everyone,

so that no one is left out. And we

restore — we give back to the land,

to the community, to God, what we

have received.”

These actions, he adds, form “an

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MISSION Magazine



incarnate spirituality — a pedagogy

of commitment and a constant

learning on the road.”

Two areas of special focus are

education and local economic

development. “Ninety percent of

families here depend on subsistence

farming,” he says. “If we can help

them improve their crops by even

thirty percent, that means better

nutrition for their children and a

small surplus for the market.”

To achieve that, he has launched

the construction of the St. Francis

Agricultural Institute, a training

center where young people will

learn to become “protagonists,

entrepreneurs, and transformers of

their families’ lives.”

“We dream of creating a highquality

center that could transform

this region — and perhaps all

of southern Africa,” he says. “A

permanent subsidy is an offense to

human dignity. It’s better to create

opportunities — to teach people to

fish, not just give them fish.”

“Africa Doesn’t Need Me — I

Need Africa”

Father Bender’s time in

Mozambique has also reshaped

his own heart. “In my first mission

experience, from 2006 to 2011, I

wrote a small book called Africa

Doesn’t Need Me — I Need Africa,”

he says. “I think God brought me

here to convert me, to change my

heart.”

Here, he says, time itself takes on

another dimension. “That’s why

Mass can last three or four hours

— people celebrate life. They sing

and dance. They digest life, not just

swallow it.”

In Mozambique, he adds, “people

celebrate life with very little —

but with great joy. The value of

encounter, of looking into another’s

eyes, of walking together — this is a

treasure.”

Dreaming Forward

As the mission looks to the future,

the friars are pursuing several

projects: building 100 homes for the

poorest families, expanding access

to clean water, and bringing digital

connectivity to rural schools.

But above all, their dream is to

form a Church that listens and

walks together. “We want to be a

Church that goes out to evangelize

families through the sacraments,

communion, and participation.”

When asked what drives him to

keep going, Father Bender smiles:

“The day I stop dreaming, it will be

because I’m dead. It’s no longer the

alarm clock that wakes me — it’s

passion.”

“When God Comes, He Will

Look at Our Hands”

As for his legacy, he hopes it will

simply be faithfulness. “We are links

in a great chain,” he says. “Others

came before us; we only add our

small grain of sand. The land of

Africa is full of the tombs of brave

heralds of the Gospel. We plant,

others water — but it is God who

gives the growth.”

He dreams of being buried one day

beneath a leafy tree in Jécua. “Let the

epitaph read,” he says, “‘Franciscan

missionary who spent his life trying

to do good — a missionary full of

hope.’”

And his message to those in the

United States who support the

missions through The Pontifical

Mission Societies is simple: “Join the

miracle of love. Accompany us with

your prayer and your generosity. If

many small people, in many small

places, do many small things — they

can change the face of the earth.”

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MISSION Magazine


Once Upon a Time


Once Upon a Time

By Daria Braithwaite*

I stood up from my desk and

found myself eye to eye with a

golden peacock — a gift from a

mission priest from India who had

once visited our office. It was now

my turn to visit the missions for the

first time, and I knew I would return

to that chair with a greater sense of

responsibility.

Why did You pick me, God? I

wondered.

I was about to fly alone to Malawi

— to a continent I had never visited.

I had read in books that it was dusty,

and that people carried their own

water. But I needed to see it with my

own eyes.

After twenty-one hours on the

plane, I landed in Lilongwe, the

capital of Malawi. The airport was

tiny, and there were no tall buildings

in sight. As we left the airport, our

car stopped at the first traffic light.

Along the roadside stood small

markets — crates with upside-down

chickens, piles of sandals and crocs,

stacks of watermelons, and colorful

assortments of vegetables. People

crowded the curbs, each one moving

with quiet purpose.

Tap, tap.

I turned to see a boy at my

window, pursing his lips and

touching his fingers to his mouth.

Naively assuming that everyone in

the missions was Catholic, I thought

he was asking me to pray for him. I

nodded, but he kept gesturing. Then

I heard the click of Father Peter, our

driver, locking the doors. The boy

wasn’t asking for prayer — he was

begging for money.

I hoped I hadn’t just lied to him. I

said a quick prayer anyway, and we

drove on.

My first visit was to Dedza

Primary School, funded by the

Missionary Childhood Association.

I stepped into the classroom and

immediately noticed the bare walls,

the tin roof, and the absence of

desks. Yet the children rushed to

greet me, smiles a mile wide, eager

to share their grades and favorite

subjects.

They took me inside the

neighboring church, still under

construction. I reached out my hand

and traced the rough edges of a few

bricks. I pictured myself back home

at the count table, reading the names

of schools and parishioners who

made donations. I am touching what

their prayers and sacrifices are building,

I thought. Donation by donation. Brick

by brick. Soul by soul.

After a week visiting schools,

hospitals, and seminaries, it was

time for the first-ever Missionary

Childhood Congress in Malawi.

Children from the country’s eight

dioceses gathered to celebrate the

faith that missionaries had brought

to them — and to embrace their

duty to continue that mission from

their villages.

I arrived in my Missionary

Childhood dress made from local

chitenge cloth, just like the other

boys and girls. You couldn’t even

tell I was a transplant!

At Mass, Malawian girls danced

down the aisle — their hands

outstretched to Christ, their feet

keeping rhythm with the melodic

voices of the children’s choir. Each

day, clergy and children met to

discuss Catholic social teaching,

child trafficking and labor, mental

health, care for the environment,

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MISSION Magazine


Once Upon a Time

and how to be a missionary of

hope. They prayed the World

Mission Rosary and met with Sister

Inês Paulo, Secretary General of

Missionary Childhood in Rome.

It turns out children in the

missions take great selfies. As a

crowd of them fought to fit into my

camera roll, I noticed a pair of eyes

watching me. A young girl named

Martyu asked if she could touch

my hair. It was French-braided and

folded into a jaw clip.

“How is it so smooth?” she asked.

Soon, a group of her friends joined

us. They asked what houses and cars

looked like in America. They took

turns posing with my sunglasses.

“Are you married?”

“What is it like to ride a plane?”

“We are scared to be bitten by rats

at night.”

I slowly realized how different

their lives were from mine. Many

marry young. Some will never leave

Malawi — yet they already know

something about the outside world.

As the group dispersed, Martyu

grasped my arm and led me to a

nearby curb so we could continue

talking. But before long, a priest

from Zimbabwe approached to ask

for a meeting. I didn’t want to leave

her alone, but I couldn’t ignore a

priest. As I looked over my shoulder,

Martyu lowered her eyes and

disappeared into the sea of children.

I never saw her again.

That day, it felt like I caught a

boulder. God, why did You give me

such a sensitive heart?

Now I know — it’s because I

saw myself in them. We all have a

childhood. We all ask questions, seek

attention, and make spontaneous

comments. As a witness, my job is

to take that boulder and lay down

a path to Christ by sharing these

children’s stories.

That’s the thing about childhood

— we all love a good story, don’t

we?

* The author is the Mission Education

Coordinator of the Pontifical Mission Societies for

the Archdiocese of Boston.

Subscribe your

parish or school

to MISSION

Magazine

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MISSION Magazine


Under the Patronage of St. Kizito in Uganda


Under the Patronage

of St. Kizito in Uganda

By Atuhaire Dorothy Ssonko*

St. Kizito, the youngest of the

Uganda Martyrs, died for his

faith at the age of fourteen. He

was a remarkably good boy in

every sense — smart, witty, and

intelligent; committed to his work;

always joyful, friendly, and kind.

He was quick to carry out tasks

and was gifted in sports, especially

swimming and wrestling. Kizito

also had a great talent for music,

particularly playing the xylophone.

Calm, prayerful, and full of joy, he

showed extraordinary resilience,

encouraging and strengthening his

fellow martyrs even in the face of

death. Today, he is honored as the

patron of children, especially those

under the age of fifteen.

In Uganda, the Missionary

Childhood Association (MCA) is

placed under the patronage of St.

Kizito, who serves as a role model

of faith for young Catholics. His

example has fostered a deep sense

of Catholic identity and missionary

zeal among the children of Uganda.

Inspired by his courage, they are

unafraid to profess their faith and to

live it joyfully in their daily lives.

Across dioceses, schools, parishes,

and communities, children in the


engage in a variety of activities that

reflect their threefold mission: to

pray for, help, and evangelize other

children.

These activities include

participating in parish life —

leading the liturgy through singing

in the choir, serving at Mass,

reading Scripture, and welcoming

parishioners. They also organize acts

of charity, visiting children in more

needy schools and communities.

In the spirit of Laudato Si’, they

promote environmental care and

create safe spaces that support the

well-being of all children. Through

interschool and parish sports and

games, they foster friendship, unity,

and collaboration.

The goal of all these activities

is to encourage children to share

both their faith and their material

means, especially with those who

have less. The three guiding pillars

of Missionary Childhood are loving,

caring, and sharing.

The participation of children in

MCA programs has strengthened

collaboration among parents,

teachers, and caregivers, helping

them fulfill their responsibilities as

pastoral guides and witnesses of

faith. The children, in turn, have

become true apostles — bright lights

shining in their communities.

Their greatest inspiration remains

St. Kizito, the youthful saint whose

faith and courage continue to guide

Uganda’s young missionaries today.

* The author is Director of the Missionary

Childhood Association in Uganda.

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The Uganda Martyrs: Seeds of Faith in Africa

The Uganda Martyrs:

Seeds of Faith in Africa

Between 1885 and 1887, a group of

young men — pages and attendants

at the court of King Mwanga II of

Buganda — were executed for their

Christian faith. Among them were

22 Catholics and 23 Anglicans,

whose steadfast witness became

a cornerstone of Christianity in

Africa.

The Catholic martyrs, led by Saints

Charles Lwanga and Kizito, refused

to renounce their faith or submit to

the king’s immoral demands. They

were burned alive at Namugongo

on June 3, 1886, offering their lives

in love and fidelity to Christ.

Pope Paul VI canonized the

Catholic martyrs in 1964, calling

them “the first fruits of the African

continent,” and declaring their

witness a sign of the Church’s

vitality in Africa.

Today, Catholics and Anglicans

alike venerate them together at

the Uganda Martyrs Shrine in

Namugongo — a living testimony

to what Pope Francis has called the

“ecumenism of blood” that unites all

who die for Christ.

DID YOU KNOW?

• June 3 is celebrated each year as Uganda Martyrs’ Day, a national

holiday that draws more than two million pilgrims to the shrine

at Namugongo.

• The Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs, built near the site of

their execution, is one of Africa’s most important pilgrimage

destinations.

• St. Kizito, the youngest of the martyrs, was just 14 years old

when he was martyred. He is now the patron saint of children

and youth across Africa.

• The shrine includes a Catholic basilica and an Anglican

memorial, symbolizing unity in witness to Christ — what Pope

Francis calls “the ecumenism of blood.”

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MISSION Magazine


$100 and a Yes

Society of St. Peter Apostle

$100 and a Yes: How

One Gift Helped Form

a Ugandan Priest—and

Hundreds After Him


In the Archdiocese of Kampala,

priestly vocations are plentiful.

Funding is not.

“We cherish the fact that young

people are willing to give themselves

to the service of the Lord,” said

Father Joseph Mary Sehwinyah, who

teaches at the archdiocesan major

seminary and serves as dean of the

faculty of theology. “The reality is

that most of our best vocations come

from poor, large families. Parents

can hardly afford to sponsor their

sons’ education.”

Father Joseph Mary teaches in

one of two theological institutions

located side by side in the Ugandan

capital: the Archdiocesan Major

Seminary of St. Mbagga and the

National Major Seminary of St.

Mary’s, which serves dioceses

across the country. Formation lasts

eight years, including studies in

philosophy and theology, and

pastoral work each year.

“We are grateful that our country

has many vocations,” he said.

“When I was a seminarian about

20 years ago, we were around 80

students. Today, we are approaching

300 seminarians, preparing to

become priests for the Archdiocese

of Kampala and for about 20 other

dioceses.”

Candidates also come from

neighboring countries, including

Congo, Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania,

and Kenya.

A Vocation Almost Lost

For Father Joseph Mary, the road

to priesthood was anything but easy.

“I am the last-born in a family

of thirteen,” he said. “Two of my

brothers and two of my sisters are

religious. No one expected that I

would become a priest.”

During his fourth year of theology,

a sudden change in financial aid

nearly ended his formation. “The

bishop told us that Rome would

contribute $100 per seminarian,” he

recalled. “That meant we needed to

find the rest ourselves.”

For most families in rural

Uganda, $100 was a small fortune.

“If someone earns $20 in a month,

that’s already a lot,” he said. “When

I told my parents I needed $100 for

my formation, it was impossible for

them to find.”

Walking away discouraged,

he encountered an American

missionary sister who was visiting

Uganda with friends. “She asked

why we looked so downcast,” he

said. “We told her we wanted to

become priests but couldn’t afford

the $100.”

When the sister returned to the

United States — to St. Thomas

Parish in Fortville, Indiana — she

told her parishioners about the eight

Ugandan seminarians who risked

losing their vocations. “She asked

them to pray, and they said, ‘We will

pray — and act, too.’ They raised

enough money to cover all eight of

us for the rest of our formation.”

“Five of us finally became priests,”

he said. “I share this story because

today I am a professor of Sacred

Scripture, director of the Children

and Youth Apostolate, a member of

the Diocesan Curia, and formerly

the chancellor of the archdiocese —

all because someone raised $100 to

help me stay in seminary.”

‘Little Pennies’ that Form Priests

Father Joseph Mary never forgot

that act of generosity. “Those little

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MISSION Magazine


$100 and a Yes

Daily life for a priest begins early.

“Most of our churches have Mass

at 6:00 or 6:30 a.m.,” he said. “After

Mass comes prayer, administration,

visiting the sick — and being ready

for anything. People can come at

any hour saying, ‘Father, someone

is dying.’ The more flexible you are,

the more useful you are.”

income-generating projects such as

farms, sports fields, or community

halls for rent. Volunteers carry much

of parish life, especially in choirs

and youth ministries. “Many of

our churches have several choirs —

sometimes seven,” he said. “Young

people learn to serve God through

music and liturgy.”

pennies, that contribution first

inspired by Blessed Pauline Jaricot

in nineteenth-century France, that

check so many people write — it

adds up to so much in the service

of the Church,” he said. “I want

to thank The Pontifical Mission

Societies, and all the individual

people whose gifts, however small,

make the mission of the Church

possible.”

That support remains vital as

vocations continue to grow. The

seminary has recently opened a new

dormitory for its expanding student

body, built thanks to international

mission support. “Our next project

is a chapel,” he said. “The current

one was built for 100 people —

now we are 300. We wake up every

morning for prayers, meditation,

Mass, and liturgy, counting on the

generosity of those who support the

mission office.”

The Life of a Ugandan Priest

The fruit of this generosity can

be seen in the many ordinations

celebrated each year. “This Sunday

we are having ordinations in our

diocese,” he said. “Twenty deacons

will become priests, and seven

seminarians will be ordained

deacons.”

Parishes in Uganda are often

large, with many outstations —

small mission communities spread

across rural areas. “One parish I

know has 26 outstations and only

three priests,” he said. “Each priest

celebrates several Masses every

Sunday so that each station can have

the Eucharist at least once a month.”

In city parishes, priests also

manage the finances and facilities

themselves, since most cannot

afford paid staff. In rural parishes,

the priest is “the ambulance, the

doctor, the counselor, the lawyer, the

undertaker — everything,” he said

with a gentle laugh. “If you don’t

show up at a funeral, people won’t

begin until you arrive.”

To sustain themselves, parishes

often use Church land for small

Two Eggs and a Miracle

Father Joseph Mary remembers

one encounter that shaped his

ministry.

“One day after Mass at an

outstation, parishioners told me

about a choir member who was

very sick,” he said. “When I visited

her, I found she was lying on an

animal skin under a tin roof with no

door. She had nothing — not even

a blanket. I gave her the Anointing

of the Sick and realized she was

burning with fever. It was malaria.”

He gave the community leader

$5 — all he had — to take her to

the hospital. As he turned to leave,

the woman insisted on offering him

a gift. “She took two eggs from a

chicken nesting in the corner,” he

recalled. “I thought, ‘She needs these

eggs more than I do,’ but I accepted

them for her faith.”

“When I returned later, she was

in church again. It had been malaria

42 43

$100 and a Yes

— $5 saved her life. That’s why I

never have change in my pocket,

it’s always used. And every time I

give, something comes back. Once,

a missionary friend saw my old car

with no air conditioning. Later, he

raised money and sent me a new

one. That’s how we survive —

through God’s love.”

Sustaining the Mission

Father Joseph Mary also helps

manage mission subsidies that

sustain the Church’s presence in

Uganda and neighboring countries.

• Ordinary Subsidies help bishops

open new parishes, build rectories

and chapels, and respond to

emergencies such as storm damage

or illness among priests. “We have

no insurance,” he said. “The bishop

must care for everyone.” These

ordinary subsidies, yearly grants

given to missionary dioceses through

the Society for the Propagation of

the Faith, help offset the everyday

expenses of the local Church, from

buying gas so priests can reach the

outer stations to buying the wine

and hosts for the liturgies.

• Catechist Subsidies support the

Church’s frontline evangelizers —

men and women who lead prayer

and teach the faith where priests

cannot be present every week. “Our

catechists are the nearest to the

people,” he explained. “We provide

them with formation, transportation

— often a bicycle or motorbike

— and liturgical materials. They

receive annual retreats to stay strong

in their mission.”

“These catechists trained most of us,”

he said. “The priest comes at the end —

but they are the first witnesses of faith.”

Abundance of Vocations, Scarcity

of Funds

The contrast is striking: so many

vocations, so few resources. “Parents

feel they have done enough when

their children finish high school,” he

said. “Most of our vocations depend

on kind people who support us. But

they are never enough.”

That is where The Pontifical

Mission Societies bridge the gap.

“When we risk losing a vocation,

someone steps in,” Father Joseph

Mary said. “The work done by

the mission offices throughout the

world — especially in the United

States — adds so much to the

mission of the Church, especially in

countries like ours, where we have a

scarcity of funds and an abundance

of vocations.”

For Father Joseph Mary, the

lesson of his life is simple: one act of

generosity multiplies.

“One hundred dollars helped me

stay in seminary,” he said. “Now I

help prepare nearly 300 seminarians

for priesthood — men who will

preach, teach, anoint, and serve

the People of God in Uganda and

beyond.”

“I cannot stop serving the Lord

until my last breath,” he said with a

smile. “It is a beautiful life. May God

bless you.”

The Pontifical Mission Societies

provides scholarships to 423

seminarians in Kampala, split between

St. Mbaaga’s Major Seminary and St.

Mary’s National Major Seminary.

Support Missionary Priests Through Mass Intentions

When you request a Mass through The Pontifical Mission

Societies USA, you are not only remembering your loved ones—

you are strengthening the Church where it is most in need.

Request a Mass

44 45


The Fulton Sheen

Legacy Society Part 7:

Archbishop Sheen and

Vatican II

Fr. Anthony D. Andreassi, C.O.

been waning, quietly but steadily,

even as most of the nation still

called itself Catholic. (At the time,

some twenty million people lived

in the country, served by only 4,700

priests; by contrast, France with

more than twice that population

had nearly 50,000 clergy.)

Archbishop Sheen threw himself

into the mission with characteristic

zeal. Over the course of his stay, he

appeared on Argentine television

more than a dozen times, delivered

a stirring lecture at the University

of Buenos Aires Law School, and

celebrated Mass both in the grand

cathedral and in humble parish

churches in some of the city’s poorest

neighborhoods. When the campaign

drew to a close, it was judged an

extraordinary success. More than

three million people had taken

part in its events, and thousands of

baptisms and marriages had been

celebrated, demonstrating a genuine

revival of faith and hope in a nation

eager to believe again.

Not long after returning to New

York from his demanding visit to

Latin America, Archbishop Sheen

was once again on the move. Before

the year’s end, he embarked on a

two-week journey to Africa. He

spent a week in Kenya, visiting

remote mission chapels and

presiding at the consecration of a

local priest as bishop—an event still

rare at the time, when, as recently as

1950, there had been only two native

bishops in all of sub-Saharan Africa.

At one of the outstations,

Archbishop Sheen offered Mass in a

modest church whose floor, made of

In Part 6 of this series on the life

and legacy of Archbishop Fulton J.

Sheen which appeared in the Fall

2025 issue of MISSION, we looked

at Archbishop Sheen’s series, “Life

Is Worth Living,” and the impact

his presences on television had on

both evangelization as well as his

promotion of the missions. Now

we turn our attention to the next

major event in the life of Sheen—his

participation in the Second Vatican

Council (1962-65).

In 1960, as Sheen marked his

sixty-fifth birthday, his enduring

vitality kept him moving—writing,

speaking, and traveling with the

same vigor that had long defined his

ministry. For example, in October

of that year, Sheen journeyed to

Argentina to take part in a bold,

nationwide effort to rekindle the

Catholic faith—an undertaking that

brought together missionaries from

across the globe. For decades, the

practice of the faith in Argentina had

46

47


packed clay and manure, caused his

eyes to water throughout the liturgy.

He also visited a small hospital

supported by the Society for the

Propagation of the Faith, staffed

by just two workers with only the

most basic medical training, yet

responsible for treating everything

from tuberculosis to injuries caused

by lions. For his final visit in Africa,

he went to South Africa. Against the

wishes of the apartheid government,

he stopped at the home of a black

woman who served faithfully

(and bravely) as a catechist in her

segregated community. Experiences

like these moved Sheen profoundly,

deepening his conviction that

the mission of the Society for the

Propagation of the Faith reached

not only souls but bodies as well—

bringing the healing presence of the

Gospel to some of the world’s most

forgotten corners.

In the fall of the following year,

1961, Archbishop Sheen traveled to

Rome, having been appointed by

Pope John XXIII to the pre-conciliar

Catholic Action Commission. During

the course of the commission’s

discussions, Archbishop Sheen

made an intriguing proposal: he

suggested changing the name of

the Propagation of the Faith, noting

that its Latin title (“propaganda”)

had come to carry unfortunate

connotations in the modern world.

His proposal, though thoughtful,

failed to win over the other members

of the committee.

Soon after the opening of the

Council in October 1962, the pope

named Archbishop Sheen to the

Committee on the Missions, making

him one of twenty-six American

bishops elected or appointed to

the ten conciliar commissions.

This responsibility demanded that

Archbishop Sheen travel to Rome

three or four times each year over the

next three years for the commission’s

meetings, adding to an already full

slate of preaching, writing, and

administrative responsibilities.

When the pope sought input from

bishops around the world on topics

to be discussed at the Council,

Archbishop Sheen submitted

several recommendations, among

them a proposal for a chapter on

women. In later years, he often

observed that what he called the

“feminine principle” had been

largely overlooked in theological

reflection and regretted that the

Council had not given the subject

more serious attention.

From the moment in 1959 when

Pope John XXIII announced his

intention to convene an ecumenical

council, Archbishop Sheen was

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MISSION Magazine



an enthusiastic supporter. He was

convinced that such a gathering

was exactly what both the Church

and the world needed. In his view,

the Church was called to open

herself more fully to the needs and

questions of the modern world,

while never compromising her

central mission to bring Christ and

the salvation he alone could offer

to every corner of the earth. The

Second Vatican Council met in four

sessions between October 11, 1962,

and December 8, 1965. Archbishop

Sheen attended all these gatherings

and was the only American to

remain on the Committee on the

Missions for the full length of the

Council.

In November 1964, the Council

promulgated Lumen Gentium

(Dogmatic Constitution on the

Church), the second of its four

major documents. Among its many

significant teachings, including

its appeal for toleration and

friendship with Protestant and

Orthodox Christians, it also called

for the restoration of the permanent

diaconate, including the possibility

of ordaining married men. While

Archbishop Sheen was a strong

supporter of this, his archbishop,

Cardinal Francis Spellman, was

implacably opposed. Just five years

later, in 1969, while serving as bishop

of Rochester (New York), Sheen

would ordain the first permanent

deacon in the United States.

During the fourth and final

session of the Council in the fall

of 1965, Pope Paul VI, who had

succeeded John XXIII after his death

in June 1963, made history as the

first pope to visit the United States.

Archbishop Sheen accompanied

him on the whirlwind one-day trip

to New York, whose highlight was

the Holy Father’s address before

the United Nations. The day was

electric with excitement. Crowds

lined the streets, church bells rang,

and the city seemed to pause as

the papal motorcade passed by.

For millions watching at home, it

was Archbishop Sheen’s familiar

voice that guided them through

the broadcast, as he served as

special commentator for CBS News,

helping viewers grasp the spiritual

and historical significance of this

remarkable day.

Back in Rome, the bishops turned

their attention to priestly vocations

and the training of seminarians. At

that time, approximately 228,000

priests were serving 418 million

Catholics worldwide. To achieve a

ratio of one priest for every thousand

Catholics, the Church would need to

ordain nearly 200,000 more.

As part of these discussions,

Archbishop Sheen submitted

a written intervention urging

a modernization of seminary

formation. He argued that the

long summer vacations should be

shortened and the academic year

extended to a full ten months,

allowing seminarians time “to visit

and aid the sick, the poor, non-

Catholics, fallen-away Catholics,

young people, [and] those in jail.”

Beyond intellectual training, he

insisted, seminarians needed real

pastoral experience and to bear, as

he put it, “the burden of the day and

the heat.”

When the Council’s “Decree

on Priestly Formation” (Optatam

Totius) was promulgated, it reflected

several of Archbishop Sheen’s

recommendations. The document

encouraged seminarians to take part

in “opportune practical projects”

during the summer months and

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51

MISSION Magazine



called for pastoral preparation that

would give future priests experience

ministering to “children, the sick,

and sinners and unbelievers.”

In 1964, Archbishop Sheen

arguably made his most significant

contribution to the Council

during the debates that led to Ad

Gentes, the Decree on the Church’s

Missionary Activity. When the

draft document was first circulated

among the Council fathers, it

received a mixed response: some

praised it, while others were

sharply critical. Archbishop Sheen,

who had been closely involved in

drafting the text, was the last to

speak. In a forceful intervention, he

argued for the creation of a central

missionary commission under the

Congregation for the Propagation

of the Faith (today the Dicastery

for Evangelization). In the end, the

Council voted by a wide margin to

return the document to committee

for substantial revision.

As part of that revision,

Archbishop Sheen submitted a

written intervention of sixty-one

typed pages—the longest by any

American bishop on any topic at the

Council. In it, he again urged the

establishment of a permanent body

to coordinate a worldwide strategy

of evangelization. Although this

proposal was not incorporated into

the final version of Ad Gentes, several

of Sheen’s other recommendations

were adopted, including a

strong emphasis on the Church’s

identification with the poor, a

renewed role for the Propagation of

the Faith in coordinating missionary

efforts, and the affirmation that

all bishops “are consecrated not

just for some one [sic] diocese,

but for the salvation of the entire

world.” Taken together, these ideas

reflected Sheen’s expansive vision

of the Church’s mission and his

lifelong conviction that the Gospel

must be proclaimed boldly and

imaginatively to every corner of the

world.

In the end, Archbishop Sheen’s

contributions to the Second Vatican

Council revealed both his originality

and his limits. He was never a major

architect of the Council’s documents,

but his interventions—whether on

seminary formation, missionary

activity, or the renewal of priestly

life—showed a restless imagination

shaped by years of preaching,

broadcasting, and engagement

with the modern world. His ideas

often pushed beyond the cautious

boundaries of the episcopal

establishment, expressing his

belief that evangelization required

creativity, courage, and personal

holiness. Although not all of his

proposals were adopted, the spirit

that animated them—his conviction

that the Church must always reach

outward and speak to the age in

which it lives—anticipated much

of the pastoral vision that would

define the post-conciliar era.

Vatican II gave formal shape to

what Archbishop Sheen had long

embodied: a Catholicism that was

intellectually confident, missionary

in spirit, and unafraid to engage the

world.

Many of the episodes of the

original series of “Life is Worth

Living” can be viewed for free

here:

For excellent analyses of the

significance and impact of Sheen

and “Life is Worth Living,” see:

● Kathleen L. Riley. Fulton

Sheen: An American Response

to the Twentieth Century.

(New York: Alba House, 2004).

Chapter 6.

● Thomas C. Reeves. The Life

and Times of Fulton J. Sheen.

(San Francisco: Encounter

Books, 2001). Chapter 8.

52

53

Editor’s Note

Editor’s Note

A new year always brings the

promise of beginnings — of setting

goals, making plans, and opening

our hearts a little wider to God’s

invitations. As I sat to write this

note, I found myself thinking about

what a missionary New Year’s

resolution might look like. Not one

measured in pounds lost or tasks

accomplished, but in hearts opened

and seeds of faith sown.

Our goal with the stories in this

edition of MISSION Magazine was

to introduce you to how each of the

four Pontifical Mission Societies

continues to make that resolution

Ines San

Martin

come alive — every single day,

all over the world. Whether it’s a

seminarian in Ghana forming his

heart to serve, a missionary priest

in Mozambique walking alongside

his people, or a community in

Uganda giving thanks for the hope

that faith brings — these are living

reminders that the Gospel is still

being proclaimed “to the ends of

the earth.”

This issue also gives us a moment

to pause in gratitude. As we look

back on World Mission Sunday

2025, celebrated under the theme

“Missionaries of Hope among the

Peoples,” I want to thank you — the

faithful Catholics across the United

States — for your extraordinary

generosity and prayerful support.

Because of your sacrifices, hope

truly reaches the ends of the earth:

more than 844,000 catechists,

258,540 religious sisters, and 82,498

seminarians around the world are

supported each year through the

Pontifical Mission Societies. Behind

every vocation, every classroom,

every chapel raised in a remote

corner of the world, there is someone

like you — a missionary of hope

who gives, prays, and believes.

This Winter issue reaches your

homes and parishes as the Jubilee

Year of Hope draws to a close — a

year that has invited us to rediscover

the power of Christian hope, not as

optimism or comfort, but as a living

force rooted in the Resurrection.

Hope is what moves the Church

outward. It is what inspires

missionaries to cross borders,

parents to teach their children the

faith, and priests and religious to

persevere with joy even in the most

difficult places.

And hope, too, is what unites

us. In 2026, we will celebrate a

remarkable milestone: the 100th

anniversary of World Mission

Sunday, first established by Pope

Pius XI in 1926. I often wonder what

his missionary resolutions might

have been at the start of that year.

Perhaps the same ones we still need

today — to introduce Christ to all

peoples, to strengthen the faith

where it is young, and to rekindle

missionary zeal in the hearts of the

faithful everywhere.

A century later, under the guidance

of Pope Leo XIV, we continue to

walk that same path — together,

united by the theme he has chosen

for World Mission Sunday 2026:

“One in Christ, United in Mission.”

What a fitting motto for our time,

reminding us that while the world

may feel divided, the mission of

love remains the Church’s great act

of unity.

As we begin this new year, may

we all seek a more missionary heart

— one that listens, accompanies,

and gives generously; one that finds

new ways to bring the love of Christ

to others, near and far. Because

while the faces and places of mission

may change, the invitation remains

the same: to go, to love, and to share

the Good News.

And so my own resolution is

simple: to keep my eyes open for

signs of hope — the kind that arises

quietly when faith meets generosity,

and when one heart touches another.

Thank you for being part of this

great mission. May this year bring

you peace, purpose, and a renewed

joy in being, always, One in Christ,

United in Mission.

54

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MISSION Magazine

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In support of

those spreading

the Gospel…

The money needed to support those serving

in the Pope’s missions comes from loving

Catholics like you.

Won’t you send whatever contribution you

can in the enclosed envelope today so that the

priests, religious and lay pastoral leaders in the

missions may not only survive, but thrive, in

their ministry?

Thank you for supporting our missionaries.

Please be assured of my prayers for you and

your family.

Send your gift in this

MISSION envelope to:

Monsignor Roger J. Landry

Society for the Propagation

of the Faith

70 West 36th Street, 8th Floor,

New York, NY 10018

Dear Monsignor Roger J. Landry

Your diocese will be credited

with your gift.

Your gift is tax deductible.

Enclosed is my gift of:

$25 $50 $75 $100 $250 Other $_____

$700 (one year’s help, mission seminarian)

$300 (one year’s help, Religious novice)

I want to be a monthly donor to the Missions!

I would like information on a gift that will provide income for life.

Give now!

Please contact me about remembering The Society for the Propagation of the Faith in my

will.

Name

Email

Address

City State Zip Phone

56 57

Back Cover of MISSION Magazine, December 1960.

Poem by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

2026 Winter MISSION Magazine

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