Leading with Faith
- CWM
- Jul 10
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 1
Reflections from the Executive Director of Catholic World Mission
In this space, James Flanagan shares personal insights, stories from the field, and reflections on living the Catholic faith boldly in today’s world. From family and fatherhood to faith and service, each post is a call to live with purpose—and on mission.
OCTOBER 2025
Your Prayers & Action Uplifts Families!
The days are getting cooler and college football is back on Saturdays - all signs that we are entering my favorite season of the year!
October is the month of the Rosary - the perfect time to dedicate, meditate, and pray the blessed Rosary. The Catholic Church reminds us of the power of prayer and action united to create impact.
At Catholic World Mission, we are blessed to see daily how your generosity becomes an answer to prayer for families, seminarians, and parishes in need around the globe.
As the year moves quickly toward its close, this is a powerful moment to renew your commitment to living the Catholic Faith.
Every gift given now has a chance to change lives—whether through Catholic education for a child, formation for a future priest, or dignity for a struggling family. YOU have the ability to create change and save souls.
Your support is not simply a donation - it is a witness of faith and hope. Thank you for being the hands and heart of Christ for those in need. Thank you for having the courage to act on our Catholic values!
Together, we can ensure that before this year ends, even more lives are uplifted, and more souls are reached.
Our team prays for our supporters each week. Please send me your intentions to info@catholicworldmission.org and dedicate a decade of the Rosary to those who are in spiritual and material poverty.
God bless!
SEPTEMBER 2025
Being a Part of a Great Mission
When I served in the U.S. Army, I felt humbled to be a part of a mission greater than myself each day. After I left the military, it took me a while to find that feeling again. I found it at Catholic World Mission.
And I know that our amazing supporters feel the same way when they donate their time, talent, and treasure to support this work of spreading the Catholic Faith.
Through Catholic World Mission, you become part of something far bigger than yourself: bringing the hope of Christ to families who might otherwise feel forgotten or neglected by the secular world.
Every project you make possible—whether it’s a clean water well, a chapel, or supporting a seminarian’s education—becomes a living sign that your life has touched others in a lasting way.
You’re not just supporting a charity; you’re part of a Catholic mission that connects your faith, your blessings, and your legacy to the needs of the world.
AUGUST 2025
Why Catholic World Mission?
One of the blessings of my job is meeting with devout Catholics who are eager to live the Faith by supporting Catholic World Mission.
These men and women are leaders in this parishes, members of groups like the Knights of Columbus, Lumen, and Legatus.
They are the ones who are in charge of ministries, sending their kids to Catholic school, and the first to volunteer for an Adoration hour (or two)!
I love hearing their motivations for supporting Catholic World Mission with their time, talent, and treasure.
One of their biggest reasons is that we work hard to partner with priests and nuns in the communities in need to serve the poor.
That means that our projects will always be aligned with the teachings of the Catholic Church and will always have an element of evangelization.
Our supporters want to help provide clean water and build schools, but they also recognize the calling we all have to spread the Catholic Faith.
Our supporters can feel confident that is happening because we partner with holy priests and nuns in our work.
Because we are not just a nonprofit, we are a Catholic nonprofit. And that matters.
JULY 2025
Faith, Without Works, is Dead
As the Executive Director of Catholic World Mission, I am blessed witness miracles every day. Chapels constructed in Africa, children educated in Latin America, missionaries spreading the Gospel in Asia.
These miracles happen because our Catholic World Mission supporters, driven by the Holy Spirit, take action to partner with our holy priests and nuns in communities in need.
As Catholics, we are not called to passive and weak belief, but to a living faith that drives us to live the Gospel each day. In a secular world that sometimes values words over deeds, it’s important to remember that our Catholic identity is deeply rooted in what we do, not just what we say.
One of my favorite Bible verses comes from St. James. Faith without works, as St. James reminds us, is dead (James 2:17). Christ is calling us to have a Faith that bears fruit in our everyday lives—in our families, our parishes, and our communities.
Our role models – the saints – did not become holy simply by simply talking about the Gospel. They lived it every day, often heroically and sacrificially.
St. Teresa of Ávila warns us against empty piety when she said, “Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul.” Her spirituality was practical, rooted in love expressed through action.
St. Ignatius of Loyola challenges us to embrace a faith that leads to movement: “Go forth and set the world on fire.”
No matter where we are in our journey, we are called to step up to serve. Whether it’s volunteering, mentoring young people, or serving in parish ministry, the Church needs men and women who are not content to just believe quietly, but who are bold enough to act.
Catholic World Mission is blessed to have supporters who pray for our communities in need, support these families financially, or promote our projects within their parishes. We also have a few supporters who visit our projects through mission trips. All of these incredible men and women take action to live the Faith with courage.
St. Catherine of Siena famously said, “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” God did not design us for mediocrity or indifference. He created us to transform the world, starting in our own backyards.
So let us be Catholics of action—men and women who reflect Christ not only in prayer but in purpose. Let us not leave the work of the Church to others or to the next generation. Instead, may we respond to the call of St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.”
JUNE 2025
One of the biggest evils in the world today is broken families caused by absentee fathers.
Our Catholic World Mission supporters are amazing individuals who are not afraid to live the Faith each day. That often means that they address difficult issues head on - like fatherless families - that secular society wants us to ignore.
As the father of three beautiful children, I am very proud of our supporters' impact in Cuatro Cienegas, Mexico through the St Joseph Fatherhood Initiative.
Having been to the town, I saw first-hand the result of fatherless homes - spiritual and material poverty.
Our innovative program is bringing fathers back into the family through mentorship, community, training, and a strong partnership with the local parish. It uses the powerful example of St Joseph to teach the importance of being a strong father and husband.
The St Joseph Fatherhood Initiative is a call to action for fathers to man up and fulfill their duties.
If you want to make a difference and build stronger families, I encourage you to support this program.
Get Involved with the Catholic World Mission Family
MAKE A DIFFERENCE TODAY
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