A forum of Catholic Thought

Children Helping Children, Worldwide

Maureen Crowley Heil
January 2, 2026

Following in the footsteps of generations of children over hundreds of years, members of the Missionary Childhood Association (MCA) across Central Europe will don robes and crowns and take to the streets ...

The Gift of Clean Water Comes with the Water of Life

Maureen Crowley Heil
December 19, 2025

To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life. (Rev 21:6) In 2021, Father Joe McMenamin, a Missionary of Africa from Northern Ireland, received a subsidy from The Society for ...

Telling the Stories, Enriching the Soul

Maureen Crowley Heil
December 12, 2025

As I write this, the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica is looming large! Daria Braithwaite, our Mission Education Coordinator, and I are attending a mission course at the International Mission Animation ...

Share God's Hope in the Missions

Maureen Crowley Heil
December 5, 2025

As we approach the closing of the Jubilee Year of Hope called by the late Pope Francis, we are reminded that missionaries are the face of hope to countless people around the world every day. By their ...

Serving 'The Least' Among Us

Maureen Crowley Heil
November 28, 2025

Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, the National Director of our Pontifical Mission Societies from 1950-1966, once said, "Never measure your generosity by what you give, but rather by what you have ...

We need YOU on Giving Tuesday!

Maureen Crowley Heil
November 21, 2025

The year was 1943. French Bishop Charles Forbin Janson had just returned from a trip to what was then one of the largest mission lands -- the United States. Bishop Charles was eager to do something to ...

The Many Ways to Support the Missions

Maureen Crowley Heil
November 14, 2025

There are so many ways to give to the missions: the first and most important way, of course, is to pray. Your daily prayers for the success of the spread of the Gospel to the ends of the earth are critical ...

November Masses in the Missions

Maureen Crowley Heil
November 7, 2025

November is a time of change and a time of reflection. The trees begin their show, then the air cools. Summer "toys" are packed away; we set the clocks back. These are the practicalities of the season. ...