Pope Leo XIV names Sister Mary Teresa Barron to lead Pontifical Mission Societies

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Sister Mary Teresa Barron as adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization and president of the Pontifical Mission Societies. She is the first woman to hold the post. The appointment was announced on October 8, 2026, and she takes up the role on January 4, 2027.

Barron is from Donegal, Ireland, and was born on November 7, 1968. She holds a master's degree in public health administration from the Institute for Public Administration in Dublin and a master's in international development from the Kimmage Institute, also in Dublin. She has been superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles since 2018 and has held several posts in international Church organizations.

A record of international leadership

Barron was president of the Service of Documentation and Study on Global Mission (SEDOS) from 2022 to 2025 and president of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) from 2023 to 2025. She took part in the Synod on Synodality and was one of the few women to speak during the novendiales, the nine days of mourning Masses after the death of Pope Francis. She has also worked on development projects in Tanzania.

In her new role, Barron will work in the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches alongside the pro-prefect, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, and the secretary, Fortunatus Nwachukwu.

Women in the Roman Curia

Other women hold senior Curia posts, among them Sister Simona Brambilla, prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life, and Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

The Pontifical Mission Societies support young Churches and promote missionary activity worldwide.