The Society for the Propagation of the Faith
of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester

 

“Take action! Live life to the full! And when others see the witness you give, they may ask: 'why do you live this way?'”  Pope Francis

We Welcome You
Thank you for your interest in the Society of the Propagation of the Faith of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. We enthusiastically embrace the challenge of our baptismal commitment to Jesus Christ, and are privileged to participate in his mission, embodied in the Church, to build unity among all peoples in the world. We hope you will join us in our work through the many activities and programs we offer. We invite you to contact us if you need additional information.

Who We Are
The Society for the Propagation of the Faith is an international association coordinating assistance for Catholic missionary priests, brothers, and nuns in mission areas.  It is the largest and oldest of the four Pontifical Mission Societies and was founded in 1822 by the Venerable Pauline Jaricot.  Its purpose is to seek prayer and sacrifice for the world's missions.

Pontifical status was granted to the Society on May 3, 1922 and its central administration was transferred to Rome.  It thus became the Church’s official organization for mission aid.  The Propagation of the Faith raises funds to help the 1,100 dioceses throughout the world which are not able to be self-supporting, primarily in Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands and regions of Latin America.  It also challenges young people to go to these dioceses as lay missionaries, sisters, priests and brothers.  This society is supported by all walks of life.

Making a Difference
The financial contributions for the Society of the Propagation of the Faith in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester largely come from:

World Mission Sunday
A day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice and is a worldwide celebration and collection each October.

Missionary Cooperation Plan (MCP)
Every year, all parishes in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester participate in the Missionary Cooperative Plan Weekend Appeal which is held during the summer months. Each parish is assigned one visiting missionary from a mission society, religious congregation, mission diocese, or a lay missionary organization so they can share stories with the parish community of their mission activities and invite us to participate with our prayers and our financial support. Donations directly assist missionaries in efforts to share the faith in various countries around the world.

Special Collections
Special collections are conducted each year in all the parishes of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.  These include (in order of collection date):

• Latin America
• Catholic Communications
• Church in Central and Eastern Europe
• Lenten Rice Bowl
• Catholic Relief Services
• Holy Land
• Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota
• Peter’s Pence
• Catholic Home Missions
• Native American and Black Missions
• Campaign for Human Development
• Retirement Fund for Religious
• Catholic University of America
• Collection for the Archdiocese for Military Services

Funds are received from wills, bequests, and legacies

Outright gifts made by the faithful of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester

For more information please contact: