Photo courtesy of the National Pontifical Mission Societies. 

We at the Pontifical Mission Societies of the Diocese of Ogdensburg would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Know that we are praying for your health and happiness during this time of the year and always.  

Many this time of year do not have the ability to share a meal with loved ones in the comfort of a warm home.  As you sit around the Christmas tree this coming holiday, we hope you will remember those less fortunate than yourselves, both abroad and in our own communities.  Help spread the gift of love and kindness this holiday season by helping your neighbors in need, whether by providing some food to the hungry, visiting the lonely, or simply giving a kind word to those having a bad day.  


Together we can spread His light to the world and keep the spirit of giving alive in this Christmas season and the next.  Please remember “The Society for the Propagation of the Faith” when writing or changing your Will.

“The worst is over, but the emergency continues. Floods and landslides have swept away entire villages. Many people are homeless. Rescue teams are now trying to reach the displaced: for some it is possible, for others it is not, because the areas remain isolated,” Friar Yoseph Norbert Sinaga, Provincial Superior of the Capuchin Friars Province in Sibolga, in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, told Fides. 

In the region, Tropical Cyclone Senyar brought torrential rains, floods, and landslides, leaving numerous dead and missing, 1.5 million people affected, and more than 570,000 displaced. 

The Capuchin Friars of Sibolga have mobilized, helping to evacuate people, providing aid, and accompanying the displaced throughout the territory of the Diocese of Sibolga.  The Capuchins are an important presence in the area: the Franciscan fraternity established itself there more than 100 years ago. Today, with some 65 professed friars and more than 30 novices, nearly a hundred Franciscan friars bear witness to and carry on the charism of St. Francis of Assisi in a territory where, out of 3 million inhabitants, mostly Muslim, there are 200,000 Catholics. 

Friar Sinaga explains: “Now we are suffering from the lack of water and electricity, but above all, the lack of drinking water is a serious problem. Even we, in the monasteries, don't have water and must collect it from springs in the forest.” “There are thousands of people in the Sibolga territory who have lost everything; they are homeless. Soon we will have to help them resume a normal life, starting with rebuilding their homes,” the friar points out. 

In this spirit, the friars have opened the doors of the monastery and are welcoming more than 200 displaced people to the Novitiate: “They are families, children, and the elderly; they live with us, and the friars try to offer not only food for their bodies, but also moral and spiritual comfort. The young friars, for example, play with the children, creating an atmosphere of fraternity and joy even in this situation of hardship and suffering. We don't know how long they will stay with us, but we trust in Providence,” he explains. 

“Now our brothers and sisters need immediate help. Later, we will also try to help rebuild their homes,” he concludes. The friars of Sibolga have launched an appeal for solidarity to all Franciscan communities in Indonesia—religious men and women and lay people—who are responding with compassion and promptness.  

Article from FIDES missionary news service of the Pontifical Mission Societies. Please remember the Pontifical Mission Societies of the Diocese of Ogdensburg INC. when writing or changing your will.  

May we all remember those that are struggling to put food on the table in this difficult time. Like our brothers and sisters in Korea, let us provide the support of our money, time, and prayers to those in our community not just this holiday season, but also year round.

The Italian missionary of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Father Vincenzo Bordo, describes his extraordinary story and experience of proximity among the poor in Korea. In Seongnam, a suburb of Seoul, the missionary founded and runs Anna's House, a reception center for homeless people and young people without families, as well as a food bank that has been caring for 800 homeless people every day for 30 years.

"There he not only distributes food, but also hugs and prayers", the volunteers who work with him told Fides. The meal of the guests at the table takes place in a friendly and bright atmosphere, in which "it is above all the loving care that nourishes every person", says Father Bordo, who wrote his book…

The special sensitivity of the Korean Church for the poor was clearly expressed on the "World Day of the Poor" proclaimed by Pope Francis..  Archdiocese of Seoul has planned a series of events to celebrate Poor's Day and has announced that these will not be isolated gestures or a single day of the year. "I hope that this will be an opportunity for all of us to realize that we are all poor and vulnerable before God. As a human family we are called to show solidarity with the poor, to share and to shake hands with those in need", said the Archbishop-elect of Seoul, Msgr. Peter Chung, engaged during the special day, alongside Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung and other Bishops of Seoul, in serving meals to the homeless at the "Myeongdong Babjib" soup kitchen in the Seoul Cathedral complex.

The bishops expressed their gratitude to the volunteers who prepared the meals since the early hours of the morning. 874 volunteers signed up for the initiative, including 72 non-Catholics who took turns working in the soup kitchen. Cardinal Yeom said: "On this day we are all invited by the Holy Spirit to come together as sisters and brothers. This special occasion reminds us that we are truly all brothers and sisters who are called to live together as one family". Article from FIDES missionary news service of the Pontifical Mission Societies.

Until the Feast of Christ the King on November 23, Filipino Catholics will attend Mass every Sunday dressed in white, following the invitation from the Philippine Episcopal Conference to wear white clothes and display white ribbons in their homes, churches, and public spaces, as a symbol of the renewal of the nation, which suffers from the phenomenon of corruption and has been struck by recent disasters. 

"It is a symbolic gesture intended to make the faithful aware that each of us is called to do our part in the fight against corruption, starting from the moral and spiritual levels, and to contribute to good governance in society. It is also a sign of heart, conversion, and prayer to the Lord," explains Father Estaban Lo, Rector of the Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz in Manila and National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the Philippines, in an interview with Fides. 

"We extend the invitation to the faithful and have placed white ribbons in front of the church. White reminds us of the baptismal garment, the responsibility of all baptized people," he notes. The circular, which was distributed in all churches and signed by the president of the Episcopal Conference, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, states that wearing white clothing and ribbons "symbolizes the people's appeal for transparency, responsibility, and good governance." 

The gesture, the text continues, also expresses "a humble prayer that our country, in the mercy of God, may be purified and renewed and spared from further disasters." "May our white garments be the symbol of the purity we seek for our country and our hearts. May this time of prayer and penance lead us to hope, healing, and the restoration of our common life in truth and justice," the Philippine bishops write in their appeal. 

The letter calls on all Catholics to unite "in a common act of penance and prayer" after the country was recently struck by natural disasters such as typhoons, volcanic eruptions, fires, and earthquakes, which have plunged numerous communities into absolute distress. 

The letter also recalls the national call to prayer and public repentance, signed on October 6, which exhorts the faithful to pray daily, recite the Rosary, perform acts of penance, and participate in the Eucharist, imploring God's mercy and the healing of the country. 

Article from FIDES missionary news service of the Pontifical Mission Societies.  Please remember the Pontifical Mission Societies of the Diocese of Ogdensburg INC. when writing or changing your will.   

We at the Pontifical Mission Societies of the Diocese of Ogdensburg would like to thank everyone who donated and prayed for the success of the World Mission Sunday collection. It is thanks to your generosity with both your money and your time that The Pontifical Mission Societies can provide support to mission territories in Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands, the Middle East, and parts of Latin America and Europe. 

Your donations and prayers allow us to provide food, water, medicine, and general and religious education to those in need. Access to these things can be live changing, as men and women learn skills to support their families, children receive medicine for treatable illnesses from which they may otherwise die, and families find support during persecution. You will never truly know the extent to which your generosity changed the life of another. 

While the Missionary COOP appeal allows us to support the mission organizations able to send a spokesperson into our parishes, the World Mission Sunday appeal allows us to support those that cannot.  If you were unable to make a donation this weekend but still feel called to donate, please contact us at the email below. 

To be added to our mailing list or to learn more please feel free to contact us at amichael@rcdony.org.  As always, please remember “The Society for the Propagation of the Faith” when writing or changing your Will. 

This year, we have received an extraordinary gift: a personal video message from Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born Pope and a missionary himself, which he recorded to invite the faithful to join him in supporting the Church’s missionary work. 

In this message, the Holy Father reminds us of what he witnessed during his years serving in Peru: that the faith, prayer, and generosity shown on World Mission Sunday can transform entire communities. He calls upon every parish to participate fully — through prayer, preaching, and generosity — and asks us to help him “help the missions.” 

Many of our parishes, including some of our oldest cathedrals, were built thanks to the generosity of European Catholics in the 19th century, through collections like the one we are about to take up.  Now, close to 40 percent of the help missionary territories receive on World Mission Sunday comes from the United States.  

We invite you to watch Pope Leo XIV’s personal World Mission Sunday message using the link below!  https://youtu.be/cVXsMAua5wU 

We ask you to support the missions this World Mission Sunday with your prayers and donations.  If you missed the appeal and would still feel called to donate, find us at the link below.  https://www.rcdony.org/mission/spof

Please remember the Pontifical Mission Societies of the Diocese of Ogdensburg INC. when writing or changing your will.  

Join The Pontifical Societies of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, INC. this month and year-round in saying the World Mission Sunday Rosary in support of the Pope’s missions around the world!  

The World Mission Sunday Rosary is a special rosary created by Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in 1951.  Each decade represents a different part of the world and allows you to pray for the entire world at once.  

The GREEN decade symbolizes the forests and grasslands of AFRICA
The BLUE decade is for the ocean surrounding the ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC 
The WHITE decade symbolizes EUROPE, home of the Holy Father, shepherd of the world 
The RED decade shows the fire of faith that brought the first missionaries to the AMERICAS 
The YELLOW decade is for the morning light of the East, symbolizing ASIA.  

World Mission Sunday takes place on Sunday, October 19.  If you feel called to donate, please use the qr code above or use the link on our website at www.rdcony.com/mission under “Society for the Propagation of the Faith”.  Your prayers and support are what keep the Pope’s missions going and provide physical and spiritual support to struggling Catholics worldwide!  

Please remember the Pontifical Mission Societies of the Diocese of Ogdensburg INC. when writing or changing your will.  

October marks the beginning of Mission Month in the Catholic Church.  All this month, leading up to World Mission Sunday on October 19, the Pontifical Mission Societies invites you to join us in revitalizing our baptismal call to be missionaries.  

This month leading up to the appeal, join us in praying the World Mission Sunday Rosary each day in support of the Pope’s Missions!  

Beginning on Friday October 10th, Cardinal Luis Tagle will be leading a novena to Saint Terese of Lisieux, the patroness of the missions, on the Hallow app for the success of the World Mission Sunday Appeal.    

World Mission Sunday, promoted by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of four Pontifical Mission Societies, was established by Pope Pius XI in 1926 as the day of prayer and giving for missions. From the moment it began, this day has been rooted in the work of our foundress, Blessed Pauline Jaricot, who established prayer circles through which she sent thousands of pennies to the Church in the United States throughout the 19th century. 

The World Mission Sunday collection supports 1,124 mission territories, places where the Church is young, growing, poor, persecuted, and in need of support. This collection funds the formation of seminarians, catechists, and religious sisters, builds churches and schools, and sustains healthcare and social outreach programs. 

In his message for this World Mission Sunday, Pope Francis urges the community of the baptized to “participate actively in the common evangelizing mission of the Church by your witness of life and prayer, by your sacrifices and your generosity.” Pope Leo XIV, echoing that call, reminds us that The Pontifical Mission Societies are “the primary means for awakening missionary responsibility among all the baptized [and for] supporting ecclesial communities in areas where the Church is young.” 

Find more information on our website, www.rcdony.com/mission under “Society for the Propagation of the Faith.  Your prayers and support are what keep the Pope’s missions going and provide physical and spiritual support to struggling Catholics worldwide!