Pope Leo’s Call to Digital Missionaries
Pope Leo XIV delivers speech at Jubilee about the need for digital missionaries.
“Science and technology influence the way we live in the world, even affecting how we understand ourselves and how we relate to God, how we relate to one another. But nothing that comes from man and his creativity should be used to undermine the dignity of others. Our mission – your mission – is to nurture a culture of Christian humanism, and to do so together. This is the beauty of the “network” for all of us.”
Digital Missionaries and the Future of Communion: Pope Leo’s Vision and Sunday to Sunday’s Leadership
In his recent reflections on the Church’s presence in the modern world, and in the face of a war divided by politics and war, Pope Leo emphasized that Catholic “digital missionaries” hold a vital role as agents of communion. Far from being mere users of technology, these missionaries are called to embody the Gospel by fostering authentic human connection in a fragmented online culture.
Pope Leo noted that the internet, with all its noise and division, can also become a space of grace when used with discernment. Digital missionaries, he said, are not only content creators but bridge-builders who bring people together across cultures, languages, and distances. By promoting dialogue, kindness, and truth, they help weave a network of communion where faith is not only shared but lived.
Sunday to Sunday Productions has embodied this call from its founding in 2017. Created by the late Fr Mike Russo to highlight the power of Catholic preaching, the organization quickly became a leader in digital evangelization, producing award-winning films and series that spotlighted pastors and communities living the Gospel in action. Its signature program, On the Journey Sunday to Sunday, offered Catholics worldwide access to inspired homilies and storytelling that prompt action from the pulpit to the pews. Be sure to check out one or all of these episodes on our newly updated and refurbished website www.sundaytosundayproductions.org
Today Sunday to Sunday expands its mission in digital media mission, and seeks to find and amplify the voices that are empowering laity (online and offline) to explore their faith through ministry and encounters between hearts - for that is where Christ can be found in our daily lives. The first of these initiatives is CALLED , an initiative that has extended an invitation to lay ministers to form an ‘attentive heart’ through fellowship, retreats, podcasts, and on-demand courses. (Be sure to read this month’s newsletter article about our first CALLED one day retreat for music ministers in collaboration with Loyola Marymount University Center for Religion & Spirituality. It’s a great example of how Sunday to Sunday is meeting the world as digital missionaries with real world impact and fellowship.) Subscribe below to receive.
As CALLED grows and flourishes as a community, also look forward to future news of our partnerships with fellow Lilly grant recipients, dioceses and universities, and collaborations with leading theologians and fellow digital missionary/media professionals.
Just ahead, Sunday to Sunday will be using its near decade of expertise to support, grow and prepare the next generation of digital missionaries, equipping them to grow and raise their voice, their programs -and their communities- with tools to evangelize through film, podcasts, and social platforms. This network is our answer to the Pope’s call - our mission - and an antidote to a secular world that seeks only to produce content to gain influence or worse weaponized influence. We will do what the Pope’s asks of us to “mend nets” and “nourish Christian hope in social networks and online spaces.”
For Pope Leo, the digital continent is not simply a tool but a frontier of mission. Truly the front lines of the battle for souls. Sunday to Sunday’s history and future vision show how Catholic media can embody that call—creating authentic communion, shaping culture, and leading the Church boldly into the digital age.
To read the Pope’s full speech click here.
““It is not simply a matter of generating content, but of creating an encounter between hearts...this will entail seeking out those who suffer and need to know the Lord, so that they may heal their wounds, get back on their feet and find meaning in their lives.””
