Press Room

NEW YORK, NY — Pope Leo XIV has appointed Msgr. Roger J. Landry, National Director of The Pontifical Mission Societies USA, as a member of the Dicastery for Evangelization, in the Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches, the Holy See announced June 30.

The appointment places Msgr. Landry among the members called to assist the Holy Father and the dicastery in the Church’s missionary work, particularly in support of new and growing local Churches in mission territories around the world.

The Dicastery for Evangelization, one of the principal offices of the Roman Curia, serves the Church’s mission of proclaiming Christ and supporting the growth of the Church throughout the world. Its Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches is especially connected to the territories where the Church is young, often poor, and still developing the structures necessary for sustained pastoral life.

For The Pontifical Mission Societies USA, the appointment is a meaningful recognition of the bond between Catholics in the United States and the universal missionary work of the Church.

As National Director, Msgr. Landry already helps animate and coordinate the missionary generosity of Catholics across the United States. Through this appointment, he will also bring that experience of prayer, formation, and support for the missions to the service of the wider Church.

The Pontifical Mission Societies are four: the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, the Missionary Childhood Association, and the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious. Together, the societies support the pastoral and evangelizing work of the Church in more than 1,100 mission territories, helping sustain seminarians, catechists, religious sisters and brothers, schools, churches, health clinics, and pastoral programs in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and parts of Latin America.

The appointment comes during a milestone year for The Pontifical Mission Societies, as the Church prepares to mark the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday on Oct. 18, 2026. The theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for this year’s celebration is “One in Christ, united in mission.”

For nearly a century, World Mission Sunday has invited Catholics in every parish around the world to pray and give in support of the Church’s missionary work. The annual collection, coordinated globally through the Pontifical Mission Societies, is a concrete expression of communion with the Holy Father and solidarity with young Churches, especially in places where Catholics are a small minority or where communities face poverty, persecution, or limited resources.