These four societies each received the title "pontifical" in 1922[1] to indicate their status as official instruments of the pope and of the universal Catholic Church. In most countries, the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies heads the four societies, as is the case in the United States, and oversees the World Missions Sunday Collection, which is taken up on the third Sunday of October each year in every Catholic parish around the globe.[1][2]
The Pope specifically asks the Pontifical Mission Societies to help bring the messages of Christ to the world, especially in countries where Christianity is new, young or poor. The societies care for and support the younger churches until they are able to be self-sufficient.[3] The Pontifical Mission Societies have, as their primary purpose, the promotion of a universal missionary spirit - a spirit of prayer and sacrifice - among all baptized Catholics. The first three Societies, in carrying out that goal, invite baptized Catholics to express their missionary commitment by offering their prayers, personal sacrifices and financial support for the work of the Church in the Missions. The Missionary Union of Priests and Religious works to deepen mission awareness among priests, men and women Religious, catechists and educators so that they are fully prepared to take on the mission formation of the faithful.[4]
"The Pontifical Mission Societies" raise awareness and foster prayer and cooperation in the whole Catholic Church, with 120 offices worldwide. It is the only organization which supports every one of the 1,200 mission dioceses of the world. "The Pontifical Mission Societies" exist through the generosity of Catholics and plays a crucial role in combating poverty, disease, injustice and exploitation.[5][6][7][8]
On December 2, 2022, Pope Francis appointed Italian Archbishop Emilio Nappa as adjunct secretary of the new Dicastery for Evangelization with the office of president of the Pontifical Mission Societies. Until then, the Naples' born priest had been an official of the Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy.[12]
Since Acp. Charles Asa Schleck's concurrent appointment as Undersecretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and President of the Pontifical Mission Societies, the two appointments have been concurrent (though with the title Adjunct Secretary):
The Pontifical Mission Societies (TPMS) in the United States work through local Bishops, churches, and missionary congregations to ensure that resources are distributed equitably and justly, based on the needs of individual Churches.
The money goes directly from the United States to the Bishops in the mission territories, allowing for a direct link between the two local Churches.[13]
TPMS-USA is guided by a National Director and a highly respected, accomplished, and faithful Board of episcopal and lay Catholic leaders. The Board advises on strategy, vision and direction, provides oversight on the governance of the organization, and ensures our financial sustainability. Each member of the Board is an ambassador of The Pontifical Mission Societies in their dioceses and spheres of influence.[14]
Archbishop Fulton Sheen, now “Venerable” was director of the Pontifical Mission Societies from 1950 – 1966.[15] In the Fall of 1951, he began his famous television series, Life is Worth Living.[16] The rich content and dramatic presentation of his one-man television program soon attracted 30 million viewers. As SPF director, Bishop Sheen worked tirelessly to promote mission awareness and raise funds for the poor churches in mission lands. He started a pocket-sized Mission magazine and wrote his own crisp text, illustrated with graphic photos from the mission world. He also devised a mission Rosary with each of the five decades a different color to represent the missions in Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific Islands.[17]
Father Andrew Small (OMI - Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate) was appointed in 2011 as the National Director for the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States.[18] In August 2013, Father Small travelled to Lisieux to collect the writing desk (the écritoire) of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, on which she wrote the spiritual classic Story of a Soul. The Pontifical Mission Societies sponsored a tour of the desk in the United States from August to October 2013.[19]
In April 2021, Monsignor Kieran E. Harrington of the Diocese of Brooklyn, was named the new national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the U.S. The appointment was made by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Monsignor Harrington succeeded Father Andrew Small, OMI, who had completed his second five-year term.[20]
In February 2024, Harrington stepped down from his position and Rev. Anthony D. Andreassi was appointed as ad interim National Director of The Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States.[21][22] In his capacity of National Director, he oversees the U.S. efforts to raise awareness of and gather a Universal Solidarity Fund of support for the Holy Father’s missions throughout Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands, as well as parts of Latin America and Europe.
He previously served as the provost of the Brooklyn Oratory and the principal of Regis High School in New York City. He holds a doctorate in history from Georgetown University with a concentration on American Catholicism.[23] He is the author of Teach Me to Be Generous: A History of Regis High School in New York City (2014).[24]
On September 5, The Pontifical Mission Societies in the U.S.A. announced the appointment of Father Roger J. Landry as the new national director, effective in January 2025.[25]
Father Landry, a priest from the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, is currently the chaplain at Columbia University in New York. He served for seven years as a representative of the Holy See at the United Nations, and was designated by Pope Francis in 2016 as a permanent Missionary of Mercy.[26]
^Ave, The Catholic University of America 620 Michigan; Washington, N. E.; Us, DC 20064 Contact. "Biography of Fulton J. Sheen". The Catholic University of America. Retrieved 1 August 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Affairs, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World. "Anthony D. Andreassi". berkleycenter.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 16 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
