Missionary Childhood Association
“Dear young people, aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less. Then you will see the light of the Gospel grow every day, within you and around you.” Pope Leo XIV
The Missionary Childhood Association (MCA) promotes the development of a missionary spirit in children worldwide.
In the mid-19th century, Bishop Charles de Forbin-Janson of France was deeply moved by reports from French missionaries ministering to children in China. Although he longed to become a missionary himself, circumstances prevented him from traveling. Seeking guidance, he turned to Pauline Jaricot, founder of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Their conversation led to an inspired idea: if he could not go himself, why not engage the children of France to help their peers in mission territories through prayer and material support?
Today, the Missionary Childhood Association is present in 130 countries, helping to make Jesus known to children all over the world. Under the motto “children helping children,” children around the world cultivate missionary zeal and leadership. They raise donations that fund programs in mission areas like building schools, providing health and nutrition programs, offsetting school tuition and fees, and supplying teaching resources.
World Mission Rosary
In 1951, while serving as the National Director for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Bishop Fulton Sheen designed the World Mission Rosary. “We must pray, and not for ourselves, but for the world,” the Bishop said, “To this end, I have designed the World Mission Rosary. Each of the five decades is of a different color to represent each of the five continents.”
Each color on the Rosary represents a different area where the Church continues its mission of evangelization:
- Green: for the forests and grasslands of Africa.
- Blue: for the ocean surrounding the Islands of the Pacific.
- White: symbolizing Europe, the seat of the Holy Father, shepherd of the world.
- Red: calling to mind the fire of faith that brought missionaries to the Americas.
- Yellow: the morning light of the East, for Asia.
World Mission Rosary Resources and Activities
- Learn to Pray the World Mission Rosary (English and Spanish) (link to attachment: WMR Brochure EN & ES Full)
- The Rosary and You Worksheet from the Missionary Childhood Association of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (English and Spanish) (link to attachment: The Rosary and You ENG and SPA LA)
- World Mission Rosary Coloring Worksheet from the Missionary Childhood Association of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (English and Spanish) (link to attachment: Coloring WMR with explanation-LA)
- World Mission Rosary Lesson Plan (English
Mission Moderator
Are you an educator or parent interested in helping children experience the joy of being part of a global family by promoting the Missionary Childhood Association in your school? Ask your school’s principal about becoming a mission moderator! Mission Moderators can:
- Share MCA mission education materials and updates with staff and students.
- Host engaging programs such as the World Mission Rosary, the Little Way Giving Day, or other mission presentations.
- Organize a Mission Mass or prayer service in celebration of World Mission Month every October.
- Distribute mite boxes during Advent and help collect donations that support children in mission dioceses.
- Collaborate with religion and theology teachers to include the missions in class prayers, Masses, and lessons.
- Schedule a visit from a missionary religious order.
Christmas Art Contest
Applications for the 2026 Christmas Art Contest are closed.
All children within the Archdiocese are encouraged to enter the annual MCA Christmas Art Contest. Winners’ artwork will be selected to be displayed at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. during the following Advent and Christmas seasons.
Read an article from the Catholic Standard about last year’s winner!
Lesson Plans and Activities for Educators and Catechists
We are happy to provide MCA monthly resources courtesy of our friends from The Pontifical Mission Societies of Boston. Click the button below to access monthly lessons which include a saint of the month, a monthly calendar, a prayer service, and activities for Catholic school students and children at parishes to help foster their missionary spirit.
Missionary Childhood Association in Action
Francisco Samir Padilla Zapata, an eight-year-old from St. Peter Parish, Prelature of Aiquile, Bolivia shares, “As a missionary child, I feel closer to God because I like being a missionary like Jesus. Just like Him, I enjoy helping people and sharing with the other children in the Missionary Childhood and Adolescence (MCA) group. In my parish group, I like to share the gift that God has given me, which is music. I play the saxophone and the charango, like every good “Aiquileño” (person from Aiquile). I am a missionary who plays the charango. I really enjoy animating the Sunday Mass with music. I wish all the children in the world had a burning and firm fire in their hearts and were happy following Jesus’ example in helping others.”
For more information, contact Maeve Gilheney-Gallagher, Global Solidarity Coordinator.