WHAT IS MISSION TOGETHER?

Mission Together is a project of the Holy Childhood, one of the Pontifical Mission Societies, with a tradition of more than 160 years.

Mission Together is the Catholic Church's only official mission charity for children. This status is rooted in Vatican II documents, for example:

Ad Gentes (Chapter IV, 38): "In Missionary Cooperation it is right that the Pontifical Mission Societies should be given the first place, as they give Catholics a truly universal and missionary outlook and a means for an effective collection of funds."

Now known as Mission Together, the Holy Childhood Society in England and Wales used to be known as ‘Black Babies', ‘Mission Club' or 'Missionary Childhood'.

THE UNIQUE CHARACTER OF MISSION TOGETHER

Mission Together encourages children throughout the world to pray and share, and become missionaries themselves through this two-fold action.

The unique motto of Mission Together is children helping children.

Mission Together does a great deal of humanitarian work but its purpose is more than humanitarian aid or development. It is missionary, supporting the spiritual as well as physical wellbeing of children Through prayer and education it encourages children to collect money for pastoral, educational, medical and humanitarian projects in poor areas in 159 countries.

Mission Together paves the way for the Church where other agencies cannot or do not want to do so. It uses the Church's network; therefore, it is effective as well as far reaching. Over the generations it has helped to build the family of God and it continues to do so.

Mission Together is universal, attending to the needs of all children without favouritism. This is a healthy and necessary balance to the recent growth of one-to-one fundraising projects which may sometimes neglect those children who have no 'special friends'.

The unique spiritual and pastoral gift of Mission Together for the whole Church has been recognised by successive popes since 1843.

STATISTICS

Mission Together worldwide collected over £11million last year and helped more than 4 million children in 3,000 children-related projects throughout the whole world.

Mission Togetherworldwide collected over £11million last year and helped more than 4 million children in 3,000 children-related projects throughout the whole world.

Last year, Mission Together in England and Wales supported dozens of life-changing children's projects in:

• Ecuador
• Uganda
  
• Sri Lanka
  
• Ghana
  
• Zimbabwe

Mission Together in England and Wales directly helped more than 7,000 children.

To find out more about Mission Together, please view the articles below: