What are The Pontifical Mission Societies?

The Pontifical Mission Societies (TPMS) are a worldwide network at the service of the Pope to support the missions and the young Churches with prayer and charity. These include the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, the Missionary Childhood Association (MCA), and the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious.

The four societies have been “pontifical” since 1922, which indicates their status as official instruments of the Pope and the Universal Catholic Church. In most countries, the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies heads the four societies and oversees the World Missions Sunday Collection, which is taken up on the third Sunday of October each year in every Catholic parish around the globe.