Paul often shared messages of gratitude in his writings for those who accepted the Good News of Jesus and supported his missionary work, which allowed the Gospel to be shared, even in the remotest areas of the world.

Like the people of Philippi, we also have the privilege of partnering with missionaries who spread the Good News in the far reaches of the planet and even close to home. 

Every year in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, Catholics are invited to pray for and support numerous missionary organizations. The following are just three examples.

Missionary Cooperation Plan

Missionary Cooperation Plan (aka “Mission Co-op” or “MCP”) The MCP was established in the United States in the 1930s to introduce American parishioners to missions in other areas of the world; to support the work of missionaries in building churches, schools, health care facilities, and seminaries; to provide tuition for children to attend Catholic schools; and to provide for the financial support of seminarians, religious sisters and brothers, and lay catechists, who are often the “boots on the ground” when it comes to sharing the faith and serving the local population.

In our diocese and throughout the U.S. each year, parishes are typically paired with mission dioceses, religious orders, or other mission organizations in Asia, Africa, South America, and even in some areas of our own country, where resources are lacking. Each mission entity is paired with two parishes, where appeal talks are given and funds are collected.

Every year, more than 35 foreign and local mission entities are assisted by parishes of our diocese through the MCP. One recipient of our generosity is the Congregation of Our Lady of Kilimanjaro, a community of religious sisters from Moshi, Tanzania. The monies provided by generous parishioners through the MCP are sent to the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, which in turn sends 100% of those funds to the Congregation in Tanzania. 

Sister Rosamunda Massawe, C.D.N.K., the local superior for the Congregation, also oversees the Outreach Ministry at St. Catherine of Siena Parish, in Clearwater. Sister Massawe said that all monies contributed through the MCP appeals are used to support the schools situated in orphanages run by the Congregation in Tanzania, including tuition and medical treatment for the orphans and financial support for the lay teachers and sisters staffing the school. 

Parish Twinning Relationships

Approximately three to five parishes of our diocese are given exemptions from the MCP annually because they regularly support a “sister parish” in a mission territory. One of our parishes with a long-standing twinning relationship is Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, in Dunedin. For years, parishioners have worked with Sacred Heart Parish and School, in Acul de Pins, Haiti, in the Diocese of Fort Liberté. Our Lady of Lourdes also sends financial support to Maison St. Vincent de Paul, which has an association with Sacred Heart Parish. In 2023-2024, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish sent $20,000 to the parish and school, primarily for the support of teachers at the school. An additional $8,000 was given to St. Vincent de Paul, to provide for the summer camps and vocational training for the people living there. 

According to Father John Tapp, Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, “Due to the current state of affairs in Haiti, our parish has not sent any mission groups to the parish and school, nor have the priests from Sacred Heart Parish and the Maison been able to travel here for appeals.” Still, Father Tapp maintains contact with both priests through email and WhatsApp.

Other parishes with long-standing twinning relationships include Holy Family, St. Petersburg; Christ the King, Tampa; Nativity, Brandon; and St. Paul, St. Petersburg. 

World Mission Sunday

The collection for World Mission Sunday is held in all parishes on the next-to-last Sunday of October each year. The Pontifical Mission Societies (TPMS), the official mission organization overseen by the Holy Father, promotes this collection and provides educational materials for children, youth, and adults, to give them a more vivid picture of how our generosity makes a difference in feeding the poor, educating children, promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and building churches and schools in missionary territories.

According to the TPMS website, “World Mission Sunday was established in 1926 by Pope Pius XI and remains the only annual global collection that directly supports 1,124 mission territories where the Church is young, struggling, or persecuted.” This year’s World Mission Sunday was held on October 19, 2025.

In the U.S., many of the TPMS offices have relocated from New York to St. Petersburg, where staff members provide resources to dioceses, parishes, and schools, allowing the faithful to take an active part in the Church’s missionary work through the World Mission Sunday collection and other initiatives.

 It is truly a gift and a privilege to share the treasures entrusted to us by God with our sisters and brothers in areas where the Church is in dire need. As we approach our annual Thanksgiving holiday this November, let’s remember that where there is thanks, there is giving. How can you share your God-given gifts with those living and working in the missions?

Questions about the Missionary Cooperation Plan in our Diocese?

Contact Deacon Rick Wells: mcp@dosp.org.

Details on parish twinning programs

Visit the websites of the parishes listed in this article.

Information about World Mission Sunday and initiatives of the Pontifical Mission Society 

• Go to www.pontificalmissions.org.

• Catholic charitable and humanitarian organizations

• Catholic Charities, Diocese of Saint Petersburg: www.ccdosp.org 

• Catholic Relief Services: www.crs.org

• Catholic Near East Welfare Association: cnewa.org