The Pontifical Mission Societies include the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Holy Childhood Association, the Society of St. Peter Apostle, and the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious. These Societies promote a prayerful missionary spirit among baptized Catholics and to gather a fund of support for the evangelizing and pastoral programs of more than 1,150 local churches of the Developing World.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

35th Anniversary of the Death of Archbishop Fulton Sheen

December 9, 2014
Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent
35th Anniversary of the Death of the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

We remember today the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen on the 35th anniversary of his death. He was the national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith from 1950 until 1966. However, his desire to communicate his faith and his concern for the Missions was a vital part of his entire priestly life. Archbishop Sheen was widely recognized for his radio and television series through which he shared his love for Christ and His Church. He was also a prolific writer. It seems only fitting that Saint Pope John Paul II told him, “You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are a loyal son of the Church.” He was 84 at his death in 1979.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks us to understand the need to reach out to those in greatest need of His mercy. “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not…go in search of the stray? And if he finds it … he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine” (Matthew 18:12-13). We must follow Christ and His saints by spreading the word of God – and always responding, in love and charity, to the lost sheep.

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