National offices exist in more than 120 countries around the world including the United States. Each society seeks to promote prayer and sacrifice for the world-wide mission of Jesus. Central administrative offices are located in Rome, Italy, under the direction of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The national office of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States is located in New York City. The national director is Reverend Andrew Small, OMI In addition, every diocese in the United States has a diocesan director who is appointed by the local ordinary (bishop) of that diocese. Over 1,150 dioceses in Asia, Africa, Oceania and remote areas of Latin and South America receive assistance from the general funds distributed globally on the basis of need.

According to the teaching of Vatican Council II, the Pontifical Mission Societies are institutions of the Universal Church and of each local church. Therefore, unlike any other mission organization, the Pontifical Mission Societies are both Pontifical and Episcopal in nature. And, as such, the Pontifical Mission Societies are recognized as the principal instrument for educating the faithful to an awareness of the Church’s universal mission and for encouraging their support, in prayer and sacrifice, for the evangelizing mission of the Church among two-thirds of the human family.

All baptized Catholics have the opportunity to participate in the worldwide mission of the Church by offering their prayers, personal sacrifices or financial contributions to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Missionary Childhood Association or the Society for St. Peter Apostle. The Missionary Union of Priests and Religious is a spiritual apostolate for Priests, Religious men and women, catechists and lay people. Each year, the celebration of World Mission Sunday provides an opportunity, within the context of the Eucharist, for Catholics to express their prayerful and financial support of the Church’s worldwide missionary work and the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in particular.

World Mission Sunday is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice. Annually, World Mission Sunday is celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday in October. Offerings from Catholics in the United States, on World Mission Sunday and throughout the year, are combined with offerings from Catholics around the globe and distributed to mission dioceses — about 1,100 at this time.