Can you tell us about your role at Catholic Mission and your work with the International Commission?
My name is Simone Medri, and I serve as Director of Communications and Digital at Catholic Mission, the Australian agency of the Pontifical Mission Societies. My role supports our brand, communications, digital, and the wonderful teams who bring our mission stories to life for supporters across Australia and provide ways to connect.
Alongside this, I have the privilege of being part of the coordination group of the International Commission on Communication, Faith-Fundraising and Digital Transformation for the Pontifical Mission Societies. The Commission brings colleagues from all around the world to explore how we communicate mission, invite generosity and embrace digital tools in a way that remains deeply faithful to who we are as a missionary Church. It is a genuinely global conversation, and one that constantly reminds me that mission is not something we do for others, but something we live together.
Earlier this year you had the opportunity to visit the Vatican and present the work of the Commission and Catholic Mission. Can you describe that experience?
Presenting at the General Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Rome was a real highlight of my journey in mission. Standing before national directors and colleagues from every continent, I shared the work of the Commission and the direction we believe communication and fundraising can take as we approach a new missionary century.
What struck me most was not the presentation itself, but the conversations around it. Whether a colleague came from Malawi, the Philippines, Colombia or France, the questions were remarkably similar: how do we reach people's hearts in a noisy world; and how do we invite them into the joy of mission rather than simply asking for support? It was humbling to realise that Australia's experience has something genuine to offer that global conversation, and that we have just as much to learn from it.
From your experience in Australia and internationally, how do you see mission being lived out today?
Mission today is lived out far less in grand gestures and far more in faithful, everyday encounters.
In Australia, I see it in parishes and schools that embrace Socktober, in supporters who give quietly and generously, and in communities that pray for the Church in places they may never visit.
Internationally, I have been blessed to witness mission in places like Mongolia, Zambia and Papua New Guinea, where the Church is often young, small in numbers, but extraordinary in vitality. What unites all of these expressions is relationship. Mission is not primarily a program or a project; it is the encounter between people who recognise Christ in one another. The digital world has become part of that too. A story shared online, a message of solidarity, a donation made in seconds can now connect a family in Sydney with a catechist in Ulaanbaatar. The means change but the heart of mission remains the same: love that goes out.
During your visit to the Vatican you also had the opportunity to meet the Holy Father. Can you share a little about that interaction and what has stayed with you from the experience?
Meeting Pope Leo XIV was a moment I will carry with me for the rest of my life. What stayed with me was his warmth and attentiveness. In a room full of people, he was completely present to the person in front of him.
I had the joy of presenting him with a cap from our centenary campaign for World Mission Sunday. It was a simple gift, but it felt like a small symbol of the Church in Australia placed into the hands of the Successor of Peter. He received it with a smile that made the moment feel personal rather than ceremonial. I came away reminded that behind every strategy, campaign and communication plan, mission is ultimately about people, and about a Church that walks together with its shepherd. That encounter renewed my own sense of why we do this work.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday. As we celebrate this significant milestone, what does the centenary mean to you, and how do you see it shaping or inspiring mission today and into the future?
The centenary is both a celebration and an invitation. For 100 years, World Mission Sunday has united Catholics across the globe in prayer and solidarity, an unbroken chain of generosity that has sustained the Church in its youngest and most fragile communities. Our theme this year, ‘One in Christ, united in mission’, captures that beautifully.
For me personally, the centenary is a reminder that we are stewards of something much bigger than ourselves. We inherited this movement from generations of missionaries and supporters, and we are called to hand it on renewed. Looking ahead, I believe the next missionary century will be shaped by how well we combine timeless faith with new means: digital storytelling, new forms of giving, and a genuinely global exchange of gifts between churches. If the first 100 years taught us that mission unites us, the next 100 invite us to live that unity more fully. That is a future worth giving our hearts to.
