Thursday, October 1, 2026
Bishop John O. Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre has been appointed to the Board of Directors of The Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States and elected chairman of the board.
The appointment and election were announced following the organization's June 10 board meeting.
The Pontifical Mission Societies support Catholic missionary work around the world through prayer, education, advocacy and financial assistance.
Barres said he was honored to take on the leadership role.
"I am deeply honored to serve The Pontifical Mission Societies in this new capacity," Barres said in a statement. "The call to holiness is inseparable from the call to mission. As we prepare for the September 24th Beatification of Archbishop Sheen, I look forward to supporting the Church's missionaries throughout the world and helping Catholics embrace more fully their baptismal responsibility to proclaim the Gospel."
The appointment also carries personal significance for Barres. His father, Oliver Barres, worked for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in New York City under Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen after converting to Catholicism with his wife, Marjorie. Oliver Barres later wrote about their conversion in the book "One Shepherd, One Flock."
According to the diocese, Barres was baptized by Sheen at St. Augustine Church in Larchmont in 1960.
Church officials said Barres' appointment reflects his longstanding emphasis on missionary work and evangelization. His episcopal motto, "Holiness and Mission," is drawn from Pope St. John Paul II's encyclical "Redemptoris Missio," which focuses on the Church's missionary mission.
As chairman, Barres will help guide the organization's efforts to promote missionary awareness and participation among Catholics in the United States.
