One of my first goals was to establish an advisory committee. The committee is represented by the diocesan directors of the offices of catechesis and family life; youth, young adult, and campus ministries; and multicultural diversity. We also have a delegate to the religious, a permanent deacon, and an MCA representative. Both the Office of Development and Catholic schools are consultants.

I am fairly new to the work of TPMS but not to the missions. In addition to my role with TPMS, I also coordinate our diocesan medical, catechetical, and youth missions to Bonito Oriental, Honduras, and San Isidro, Costa Rica. In the past, I participated in missions by taking Catholic high schools’ students to Nazareth Farm in Salem, West Virginia. I also did a mission in Cerocahui, Chihuahua, Mexico with the Society of Jesus. 

Our first step for promoting the work of TPMS in the diocese will focus on sending out a personal invitation to all the priests to participate in the World Mission Sunday 2024 day of reflection and generous giving. We will personalize all the information we send to them for the SPOF collection and October events. Also, we will host a day of reflection at the beginning of the month to reflect on this year’s message “Go and Invite Everyone to the Banquet” to kick off World Mission Month. Furthermore, we have a very talented Communications Office that will help us feature the work of TPMS through social media.

This is the first year that as a diocese we will have organized events to foster the importance of the missions. My hope is that the groundwork we do this year will set the foundation for the years to come. The Diocese of Dallas is a very generous diocese and the people of God always respond to the mission of the Church. I hope to instill in the people of our diocese a sense of recommitment to be an integral part of the very fabric of the Church, evangelization, and mission, and to see themselves as engaged in the missions as the missionaries themselves who travel to remote areas of the world to proclaim the Kerygma. 

* The author is the Dallas’ Diocesan Director of TPMS, and this is his first year coordinating the local efforts for World Mission Sunday.