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!  

Since the end of June, when very intense monsoon rains began [in Pakistan], more than six million people have been affected by the resulting floods, killing nearly 1,000 people, including 250 children. Some 2.5 million people have been displaced; many have found refuge in government-run camps or with host families. The internally displaced have not yet returned to their homes, and when the water levels recede, they will find their homes and livelihoods destroyed. The floods have inundated large parts of Punjab province, the "breadbasket of Pakistan," and experts fear a significant impact on the food security of more than 5 million people. 

"The extent of the destruction is indescribable. In some areas, the water level is now gradually receding, but thousands of people are stranded and do not know where to go. Their crops have been destroyed, their homes and livestock swept away. Their hardship is enormous, and this is just the beginning. We must think about the future. We must help millions of people get back on their feet after they have lost everything," Michelle Chaudhry, President of the Cecil & Iris Chaudhry Foundation, told Fides. 

The foundation launched an assistance program for displaced people after Pakistan was hit by heavy rains and floods in the past three months. "We want to contribute to helping the suffering people. Millions of people have been affected by the torrential monsoon rains and floods. Villages and towns have been swept away, and millions of citizens have lost all their belongings. The floods have destroyed crops, homes, roads, the electricity grid, and the water supply. As Christians, we feel called to roll up our sleeves and show our solidarity," Chaudrhry continued. 

"We have reached out to approximately 75 affected families in the villages around Kartarpur in the Narowal district of Punjab. These families live in extremely difficult conditions and are destitute. We have provided them with packages containing dry food, basic medicines, drinking water, clothing, and hygiene items. This is just a drop in the ocean, but it is something," she emphasized. "We thank all donors who are making it possible for us to reach the most affected families and show them that we care. At this time, humanitarian aid is a source of comfort for them and a way to demonstrate our care," concluded Michelle Chaudhry. 

Article from FIDES missionary news service of the Pontifical Mission Societies.