Stories

When the first issue of MISSION Magazine was published in early 1951 by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, the then national director of The Pontifical Mission Societies, it offered readers a glimpse into the life of the Church in what were at the time called “mission territories.” The numbers were striking: more than 41,000 schools educating 3.2 million students, over 1,100 hospitals caring for tens of thousands of the sick, and 174 leper colonies serving some of the most vulnerable in the world.

Those figures told a story—of a Church present where human need was greatest, sustained by missionaries and by the generosity of Catholics who might never see the places they were helping to build.

Seventy-five years later, the story continues.

In this issue, we have chosen to look at the missions through a simple lens: then and now. The comparison is not exact. The Church measures her presence differently today, and the language of mission has developed over time. But the footprint is unmistakable. And so is the mission itself: evangelization.

Where once the focus was on building schools and hospitals, today the Church also invests in forming those who will sustain her life from within. More than 90,000 seminarians are currently preparing for the priesthood in mission territories, alongside 2,400 novices entering religious life. The Church supports hundreds of thousands of catechists—843,785 in total—who carry the faith into communities where priests are few. As foreign missionaries laid the foundations, the number of native vocations multiplied.

At the same time, the work of charity continues. In 2025 alone, support from The Pontifical Mission Societies reached thousands of institutions: 11,199 hospitals, 8,749 orphanages and homes for the elderly, and 751 newly built churches. Across continents, the Church remains present in the same essential places—where the Gospel is needed, and where human dignity is most at risk.

The mission itself has not changed, but the Church carrying it forward has.

In 1951, many of these communities depended almost entirely on foreign missionaries. Today, they are increasingly led by local priests, religious, and lay leaders—men and women formed within their own cultures, serving their own people, and contributing to the life of the universal Church.

This issue comes at a moment that invites us to reflect on that continuity.

In 2026, the Church marks the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday, first established by Pope Pius XI as a day of prayer and solidarity with the missions. We also celebrate 75 years of this magazine, founded by Archbishop Sheen to form American Catholics in a missionary spirit. And in September, the Church will beatify Archbishop Sheen, recognizing a life dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel and strengthening the bonds between the Church at home and the Church in mission.

This issue also reaches readers as the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding on July 4th. For Catholics, such a moment is not only an occasion for gratitude but also for reflection. The Church in the United States has been blessed with extraordinary resources, freedom, and opportunities to grow. Those blessings carry with them a missionary responsibility: to look beyond our own borders and remain attentive to the needs of the universal Church. It is fitting that, in this same year, the Church celebrates the missionary legacy of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

These anniversaries are not simply milestones. They are reminders.

The mission of the Church has always been the same: to proclaim Christ, to bring the sacraments, and to invite every person into communion with God. The circumstances change. The needs evolve. But the call remains the same.

The pages that follow offer a glimpse of that reality—of a Church that has grown, adapted, and endured. A Church that is still building, still forming, still reaching those on the margins.

A Church that is, as it has always been, one in Christ, united in mission.