Mission Sunday envelopes will be distributed in all Catholic churches Sunday as the Church observes the 83rd World Mission Sunday, a day set aside for the Church throughout the world to publicly renew its commitment to the missionary movement.

Collections will also be made in all Catholic schools all over the country as Church officials urge the Catholic faithful to participate in the Church’s fundamental mission: To spread the faith through prayer, sharing, and sacrifices.

In his message for World Mission Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI encourages the faithful “to have a deeper awareness of Christ’s missionary mandate to make disciples of all peoples so that the Gospel be preached to all and nations will come to its light.”

“The Church’s mission is to infect all people with hope,” the Pontiff said. He called on “all Catholics to pray that the Holy Spirit will intensify the Church’s passion for the mission to spread the kingdom of God and to support missionaries and Christian communities involved in mission.”

Rev. Fr. Socrates Mesiona, national director of Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) Philippines said Mission Sunday “reminds us of our responsibility as missionaries. We should be sensitive to the needs of others especially today when one sees so much pain and anguish in the world.” The Vatican, he said, has granted the use of an emergency fund to aid calamity victims in the country.

The Mission Sunday collection, conducted in the Pope’s name by the PMS in mission territories, provides economic assistance to the Churches, and are used for evangelization, ecclesial and social developments, education, and help in the rebuilding of areas devastated by war or natural disaster.