In June of 1996, I was assigned to serve as pastor of St. Frances Cabrini Parish in West Bend. I ended up serving that faith community for 14 years, and it was an experience I will forever cherish.

One of the things that made St. Frances Cabrini Parish so vibrant was its missionary spirit. The congregation had established a twinning relationship in 1989, and its first missionary site was the Kobonal Haiti Mission, located in the Diocese of Hinche in a rural region of the Central Plateau.

The Kobonal Haiti Mission featured a very large parish with a school that had an enrollment of over 1,200. Every year, St. Frances Cabrini would send a group of parishioners on a mission trip, and while the Cabrini missionaries would serve the residents of Kobonal and bring items to help the needy, they always would return from their journey proclaiming that they received so much more from the gift of faith of the Haitian people than they ever gave.

A story I once heard from one of our missionaries truly captures the beauty of the bond of faith between the members of the Kobonal and Cabrini communities.

The story begins when the Cabrini missionaries were walking toward the school, and they encountered a large number of the students from Kobonal and the surrounding area. Now, over time, the missionaries and the students had developed a special kind of “word game” that reflected their endearing relationship. Even though the students primarily spoke Haitian Creole, they had learned some English from the missionaries.

The game began with the children smiling and bursting forth with the phrase, “We love you!” Then the Cabrini missionaries beamed radiantly and responded, “We love you more!”

This went on and on, the phrase being repeated with even more enthusiasm: “No, WE love you more!”

But then, all of a sudden, after the missionaries had spoken and before the group of students could reply, a small girl spoke up and proclaimed with a voice mighty with joy, “No, no, no … JESUS loves ALL OF US more! JESUS loves ALL OF US the MOST!”

That says it all about the goodness and sacredness of mission. Its very essence is the sharing of the love of Jesus Christ and the promise of his gift of salvation. And, as such, it can be said that it is the central priority of the Church.

The importance of the work of mission can be illustrated in many ways:

  • For example, the last words of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew are the admonition of the Great Commission, “Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
  • There also is a sense that we are “never more Catholic” than when we are living out mission and handing out the treasure of our faith. For example, the four marks of the Church are manifested in mission. “We are One, united with our brothers and sisters throughout the world; Holy, seeking to bring Christ and the means of holiness to everyone; Catholic, meaning universal and interested in everyone everywhere; and Apostolic, not just built on the apostles but missionary by nature.”
  • The priority of mission in the life of the Church has been emphasized in the teaching of our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, who served many years as an Augustinian missionary in Peru. In some of his first remarks after becoming pontiff, Pope Leo said, “We must seek together to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges and dialogue, always open to receive people … with open arms — everyone, all those who need our charity, our presence, dialogue and love.”
  • The importance of mission also can be recognized by the fact that the Church has designated October as World Mission Month and that the second-to-last Sunday of this month always is devoted to a worldwide commemoration of World Mission Sunday — a day of prayer, reflection and financial support for the Church’s missionary work. For World Mission Day 2026, Oct. 18, Pope Leo has chosen the theme “One in Christ, united in mission.” It is his wish “to encourage the whole Church to continue its missionary journey with joy and zeal in the Holy Spirit. This requires hearts united in Christ, reconciled communities and, in everyone, a willingness to cooperate with generosity and trust.”

In fact, the invitation of the Holy Father for everyone to cooperate in mission means that we cannot assume that the only missionaries in the Church are members of religious orders and those who minister in foreign lands. In today’s world, every place and space is mission territory — even the very neighborhoods in which we live.

There is an enormous need for the Word of God to be proclaimed in a society becoming more and more secular and bereft of faith. Nor does one have to become a theologian to be a missionary. As Pope St. Paul VI wrote in his Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Nuntiandi,” “We are reminded that modern [men and women] listen more willingly to witnesses than to teachers.”

In other words, one does not have to become a biblical scholar, it is more important to LIVE the Word of God.

Another way for us to emphasize our oneness in Christ and unity in mission is to provide prayer and support on behalf of the world missions. Of special note is the need for generosity and charity in providing financial support to the Pontifical Mission Societies — the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, the Missionary Childhood Association and the Missionary Union — the four societies that help Pope Leo support missionary work in 1,130 mission territories throughout the world.

Many of these missions are located in regions where the Church is still young, growing, and often facing poverty, conflict or persecution. Kindly keep in mind that these Pontifical Mission Societies once were very, very helpful to our own nation. The United States of America was considered mission territory up until the year 1908. Between 1822 and then, the dioceses of the USA received the equivalent of more than 250 million in today’s dollars to build parishes, schools and seminaries in our nation.

In the spirit of our call to mission, Pope Leo offers his blessing with a simple prayer.

“Holy Father, make us one in Christ, rooted in His love that unites and renews. May all members of the Church be united in mission, docile to the Holy Spirit, courageous in bearing witness to the Gospel, proclaiming and daily embodying your faithful love for all creatures. Bless all missionary men and women, support them in their efforts, and watch over them in hope! Mary, Queen of Missions, accompany our work of evangelization in every corner of the earth: make us instruments of peace, and grant that the whole world may recognize in Christ the Light that saves. Amen.”