Welcome from the Director
Thank you for your interest in the Office of the Pontifical Mission Societies of the Diocese of Trenton. We enthusiastically embrace the challenge of our baptismal commitment to Jesus Christ, and are privileged to participate in his mission, embodied in the Church, to build unity among all peoples in the world. We hope you will join us in our work through the many activities and programs we offer. We invite you to contact us if you need additional information.
Rev. Msgr. Richard Tofani, Director
Diocesan Pontifical Mission Societies
Phone: (609)267-7729
Fax: (609) 267-7388
rtofan@dioceseoftrenton.org
Our Goal
The Pontifical Mission Societies consist of The Society for The Propagation of the Faith, the Missionary Childhood Association, The Society of Saint Peter Apostle, and the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious. The Pontifical Mission Societies have, as their primary purpose, the promotion of the universal mission 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. These four Societies each received the title "pontifical" in 1922 to indicate their status as official instruments of the pope and the Church worldwide.
With Gratitude
We are grateful to God for the ten natives of our diocese serving the Church as foreign missionaries:
- Sister Margaret Annina Confoy, CS (Virgin Islands)
- Sister Eileen M. Egan, IHM (Peru)
- Reverend Joseph Ehrhardt, OFM (Kenya)
- Sister Martha Getchell, MM (Peru)
- Reverend Francis T. McGourn, MM (Bolivia)
- Sister M. Perpetua Meyer, CSC (Bangladesh)
- Sister Constance Pospisil, MM (Bolivia)
- Sister Anna Martina Kupin (Bolivia)
- Reverend Michael Heine, OFM (Jamaica)
- Reverend Robert Hindley, OSFS (South Africa)
How We Serve
The Office of the Pontifical Mission Societies supports 1,150 struggling mission dioceses around the world. Programs are offered to parishes and schools to promote mission awareness, as well as the spiritual and financial support of the Church's home and foreign missions.
Called Together as "Missionaries of Faith"
WORLD MISSION SUNDAY, October 21, 2012
World Mission Sunday, organized by the Propagation of the Faith, is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church's missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice. In 2012, World Mission Sunday is celebrated on October 21.
Annually, World Mission Sunday is celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday in October. As described by Pope John Paul II, World Mission Sunday is "an important day in the life of the Church because it teaches how to give: as an offering made to God, in the Eucharistic celebration and for all the missions of the world" (see Redemptoris Missio 81).
Around the world, especially in the rapidly growing Church in Africa and Asia, the young churches urgently need support. The World Mission Sunday collection, through the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, helps support schools, hospitals, health clinics, leprosy centers and social and pastoral projects.
Holy Father Pope Benedict XIV World Mission Sunday Message
www.onefamilyinmission.org/society-propfaith/world-mission-sunday.html
Mission Reach Out
Mission Reach Out, sponsored by the Office of the Pontifical Mission Societies, offers grammar schools, religious education programs, and high school students of the diocese the opportunity to hear personal witness from missionaries who have served in various countries. Students are challenged to fulfill their baptismal call to mission by invigorating their mission identity, learning about global trends in mission, and offering prayerful and sacrificial support.
Each Reach Out is highlighted by the celebration of a mission liturgy at which the bishop serves as principal celebrant. For more information contact the Diocesan Pontifical Mission Societies at 609-267-7729.