Caring for our Church family and sending missionaries (Red Box)

The Association for the Propagation of the Faith (APF) assists every one of the Catholic Church’s 1,069 mission dioceses in providing pastoral care and preaching the Gospel effectively.

It was founded in 1822 by Pauline-Marie Jaricot (right), a young woman in Lyons, France. She persuaded local working people to give a farthing a week in support of overseas mission. A century later, the organisation was established in almost every country in the world. Pope Pius XI made it the official mission-funding society for the Catholic Church.

Red Box

In England and Wales, we collect funds for overseas mission through the famous Red Boxes.

You can give directly to the Red Box online, or set up a Direct Debit.

There are Red Boxes in over 200,000 homes. They have helped raise millions of pounds for the missionary Church.

Watch the videos below to find out more about what your Red Box achieves.

Mission Today

The APF in England and Wales works with the Mill Hill Missionary Society – the only major missionary society formed in England. Mill Hill missionaries go to the most remote places in the world to show the love of Christ to those in need, both spiritually and materially.

As part of this partnership, APF-Mill Hill publishes Mission Today, a quarterly magazine that keeps supporters up to date with mission news from throughout the world.

Red Box film – Cambodia

Red Box film – Kenya