World Mission Sunday - is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church's missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice. It is celebrated on the next-to-the last Sunday in October each year around the Catholic Church World.
The offerings collected of World Mission Sunday are destined for a common fund of solidarity distributed, in Pope's name, by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith among the missions and missionaries of the entire world.
Mission dioceses, about 1,100 at this time, receive regular annual assistance from the funds collected. In addition, these mission dioceses submit requests to the Congregation for the Evangelization of People (in Rome) for assistance for catechetical programs, seminaries, work of Religious Communities, for communication and transportation needs and for building chapels, churches, orphanages and schools. These needs are matched with the funds gathered in each year. The world's national directors of the SPOF vote on these requests, matching the funds available with the greatest needs. These funds are then distributed, in their entirety, to the mission dioceses throughout the world.
The Society of St. Peter, the Apostle or Summer Appeal - aims to support the education of seminarians in the third world countries. Every year the needs of the Catholic Church in the missions grow - as new dioceses are formed, as new seminaries are opened because of the growing number of young men hearing Christ's call to follow Him as priest, as areas devastated by war or natural disaster are built and as other areas, long suppressed are opening up to hear the message of Christ and His Church. That is why involvement and commitment of Catholics from around the world is urgently needed. Offering from Catholics in the United States on World Mission Sunday and throughout the year are combined with the offerings to the Propagation of the Faith worldwide.