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Pope Leo XIV has chosen “The love of Christ sends us forth” (cf. 2 Cor 5:14) as the theme for the 101st World Mission Sunday, to be celebrated Oct. 24, 2027, the Vatican announced Oct. 31.

The theme points to the source of the Church’s missionary vocation: the love of Christ, received and lived out, which moves Christians to proclaim the Gospel and draw close to others, especially those who are lonely, poor or suffering.

As Pope Leo wrote in his message for World Mission Sunday 2026, “if unity is the condition of mission, love is its essence.”

The announcement builds on that teaching, explaining that the Church’s mission springs from God’s love revealed in Jesus Christ, is nourished by an encounter with him, and finds expression in fraternity, closeness and service.

The announcement comes just two weeks after Catholics around the world celebrated the centennial of World Mission Sunday, established by Pope Pius XI in 1926 to encourage prayer, missionary vocations and financial support for the Church's evangelizing work.

Over the past century, the growth of the Church in mission territories has been extraordinary. In 1925, these territories counted approximately 9.6 million Catholics, 627 parishes and fewer than 10,000 priests. By 2025, they were home to more than 346 million Catholics, over 41,000 parishes and more than 100,000 priests. That represents a thirty-sixfold increase in the Catholic population and a more than sixtyfold increase in the number of parishes.

Today, the Church's 1,131 mission territories are also home to more than 124,000 Catholic schools and 26,000 social institutions, including hospitals, orphanages and facilities caring for the elderly. Approximately four in ten Catholic baptisms worldwide take place in mission territories, which are also home to nearly half of the Church's seminarians.

While this remarkable growth reflects the work of generations of local Catholics, priests, religious, catechists and missionaries, it has also been accompanied by the prayers and generosity of Catholics worldwide, particularly through the annual World Mission Sunday collection.

The Holy Father's full message for World Mission Sunday 2027 will be published at the beginning of next year, offering guidance for prayer, outreach and missionary formation in Catholic communities worldwide.

The Vatican's announcement also highlights the role of the four Pontifical Mission Societies in helping Catholics of every age recognize and live their missionary calling: the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Missionary Childhood Association, the Society of St. Peter the Apostle and the Pontifical Missionary Union.

Together, the societies foster a worldwide network of prayer, formation and charitable support for evangelization and young Churches, particularly in regions of Africa, Asia, Oceania and Latin America where local communities often lack the resources to sustain their pastoral work.

For Catholics in the United States, the theme offers an invitation to reflect on how an encounter with Christ leads to participation in his mission — through prayer, generosity and a willingness to share the Gospel.

As the Church enters the second century of World Mission Sunday, Pope Leo's chosen theme serves as a reminder that missionary work is not simply a matter of programs or financial assistance, but a response to Christ's love, which sends every baptized Catholic to share that love with the world.