Happy Friday, friends! 🎉

We love a week where the Church hands us a big, bright theme that even a three-year-old can grab onto. This coming week, that theme is going out. Out the front door, out into the world, out to people who haven't heard the Good News yet, carrying a lot of love and (let's be honest) probably a snack.

This Sunday the whole Church celebrates the 100th World Mission Sunday, and on Thursday we remember a pope who seemed to have a hard time staying inside the Vatican: St. John Paul II.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" - Matthew 28:19-20

Saturday, October 17 - Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch: A bishop and martyr from the earliest days of the Church, remembered for the letters he wrote to the first Christian communities. A nice one to mention at dinner as "one of the Church's very first letter writers."

Sunday, October 18 - World Mission Sunday (100th anniversary!): Every year on the second-to-last Sunday of October, Catholics around the world pray for missionaries and support the Church's work in places where the faith is young. This year marks 100 years since Pope Pius XI established the day, and Pope Leo XIV chose the theme "One in Christ, united in mission."

A note for your calendar: the feast of St. Luke (normally October 18) falls on this Sunday, so the Sunday liturgy takes precedence at Mass. World Mission Sunday is the focus in many parishes, and many have a special collection, so it's worth a peek at your bulletin.

Monday, October 19 - Memorial of Sts. Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions (the North American Martyrs): French Jesuit missionaries and their companions who brought the Gospel to Native peoples in what is now the northeastern U.S. and Canada, and gave their lives for it. Their stories are intense, so for little ones we'd keep it simple: "These men traveled very far from home because they loved Jesus and wanted everyone to know Him."

Thursday, October 22 - Memorial of St. John Paul II: Elected pope in 1978, John Paul II traveled to countless countries, loved young people and families, and kept reminding the world not to be afraid. His memorial is October 22 because that's the day in 1978 he began his papacy.

What to tell a preschooler: "A missionary is someone who goes places to tell people about Jesus, and we can be missionaries too, right in our own home, by being kind and sharing God's love. St. John Paul II was a pope who loved to visit people everywhere, and he always said, 'Do not be afraid!'"

Virtue to Notice: Courage

"Do not be afraid" is a pretty good motto for a week that includes the first day at a new activity, the dentist, and the dark hallway to the bathroom at 2 a.m. This week, notice small acts of courage: a shy child saying hello, a sibling trying something new, a parent making the hard phone call. Praise it out loud.

A Simple Faith Practice for Preschoolers: Pray for a missionary (and fill a "mission jar").

At dinner this week, set out a jar or cup. Each night, drop in a few coins together and pray for missionaries around the world. Let your kids decide how much goes in; the point is the habit of giving. At the end of the week, bring the coins to Mass or your parish's mission collection.

"Jesus, bless the missionaries who tell people about you. Help us share your love too."

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