This Cameroonian community celebrates World Mission Sunday with their "Hearts on Fire!"



Why? Because The Society for the Propagation of the Faith has trained 844,000 Catechists, one of whom taught them the faith in the absence of a priest. They dance for joy because, with scholarships from our Society, one of their own has been ordained to the priesthood. Following in his footsteps are many of the 38,140 seminarians the Society supports as they study.



Women in Cameroon are healthier thanks to the clean water we brought to their rural area -- they no longer walk great distances for what may be non-potable water. Their children attend our schools, like two million other mission children, giving them a chance to develop their God-given talents.



Now, on World Mission Sunday they will give to The Society for the Propagation of the Faith so Missionaries may continue to set 'Hearts on Fire.'



On World Mission Sunday 2022, Bishop Martin Mtumbuka of Malawi drove 60 miles to a parish and then, with his 'Feet on the Move,' walked to one of the parish outstations. These small chapels serve pockets of Catholics who live too far from an established parish to worship there regularly.



In his white cassock, Bishop Martin led the way as his group walked a steep dirt path, carved into a hill by other travelers. When they arrived, hundreds of people waited. Imagine the cry of joy that greeted the Bishop -- the first one to visit since 1990!



And yes, because it was World Mission Sunday, these parishioners took up a collection, from what little they

had, for The Society for the Propagation of the Faith, so that the Gospel, which is so very precious to us all, will be spread to the ends of the earth.



Join them -- honor them -- give to the Missions today!



- Maureen Crowley Heil is Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies, Boston.