The Center for Mission represents two international institutions for the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis.
Pontifical Mission Societies
The Center for Mission is the Archdiocesan representative for the Pontifical Mission Societies in America – the official international network for the universal Catholic mission activity under the patronage of the Holy Father. The Pontifical Mission Societies include: The Society of St Peter Apostle, Missionary Childhood Association, Missionary Union and the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. The Center for Mission manages and oversees several activities and appeals that support the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
– The Society for the Propagation of Faith: seeks prayer, service and financial support for the Church’s missionary work and provides ongoing help for the pastoral and evangelizing programs of the Church of Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands and Latin America.
The World Mission Sunday parish collection and the Spring Lenten Appeal solely support the activities of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
Catholic Relief Service
The Center for Mission also serves as the archdiocesan contact for Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the international and local relief and development arm of the Catholic Church in the United States. Established in 1943 to help refugees fleeing the devastation of World War II, CRS has expanded to serving in over 100 countries providing relief during times of catastrophe and ongoing development toward building self-sustaining and peaceful communities.
CRS is rooted in the Catholic social principle of global solidarity and strives to offer bridges for U.S. Catholics to reach beyond their own national borders and to engage the global concerns of our time through actions of mutuality, compassion and justice. Many of these actions of solidarity include disaster relief, prayer, advocacy and political responsibility, outreach, economic development and more.
Examples of CRS activity in the archdiocese include disaster relief appeals, Lenten Rice Bowl, immigration and DACA, Fair Trade, human trafficking, and other very important global concerns. Occasionally, the Center for Mission will host speakers from CRS in the archdiocese. In 2016, Lane Bunkers, from Kenya and Somalia, and Kevin Hartigan, from the Middle East, spoke at the archdiocese to share their CRS inspiring stories.
For more information regarding CRS, Click Here>>
Fair Trade and Ethical Trade information, Click Here
More on Solidarity and Mutuality, Click Here>>