The supreme governing body in the Society of African Missions is the General Assembly. It is made up of ex-officio members and elected members representative of the various units of the SMA. The Assembly meets every six years.
Following the 2019 SMA General Assembly, the Society of African Missions was restructured into Provinces, Districts or Delegations. Members of each unit come from several countries, seconded from their unit of origin (e.g. an Irish SMA on mission in South Africa is a seconded member of the South African Delegation as long as he is working there).
The SMA General Council, based in Rome, is made up of the Superior General, the Vicar General and General Councillors. It is elected by the General Assembly every 6 years to guide the overall administration of the Society. To access our international website, please click here.
Provinces (in order of creation)
Originally, the SMA was one unit, governed from the motherhouse in Lyon, France. In 1912, the first separate unit in the SMA was created from Lyon: Ireland.
Ireland (created 1912) – https://sma.ie/Â
Netherlands (1923) – https://www.sma-nederland.nl/
Lyons, France (1927) – http://www.missions-africaines.net/
Strasbourg, France (1927) – http://missionsafricaines-strasbourg.org/
American (1941) – https://smafathers.org/
Britain (1968) – https://www.sma-gb.org/
Italy (1982) – https://www.missioniafricane.it/
The following Provinces were created in 2019:
Benin / Niger – http://www.smabbenin.org
Ghana – http://smaghanaprovince.org/Â Â
India – http://www.smaindia.org
Ivory Coast – http://www.sma-dfgg.org/2019/index.php/nous1/regions/rci-bf
Nigeria – https://www.smafathersnigeria.org/Â Â under construction
Poland – https://www.sma.pl/
Spain – http://www.misionesafricanas.orgÂ
Togo – http://www.sma-dfgg.org/2019/index.php/nous1/regions/togo
Each Province is under the authority of the Provincial Superior. He is assisted by a Council made up of a Vice-Provincial and a specific number of Councillors. The Provincial Superior and the Provincial Council are elected at the Provincial Assembly after consultation with all the members of the Province.Â
Provincial Assembly
In each Province a Provincial Assembly is held held every six years to review the work of the Province and determine its policy for the coming six years. Periodically during the intervening years the Provincial Superior convokes an Extraordinary Provincial Council made up of the Provincial Council and other authorities in the Province.
Districts
Canada (created 1968) –Â
The following Districts were created in 2019:Â
Central Africa
D R Congo
Kenya
Liberia
Philippines
Tanzania
Zambia
Each District is under the authority of the District Superior. He is assisted by a Council made up of a Vice-Superior and a Councillor all of who are appointed by the Superior General after consultation with the members of the District.
Delegations
The following Delegations were created in 2019:
Angola
Egypt
South Africa
Sierra Leone
Each Delegation is under the authority the Superior General who appoints a Delegation Superior and a Council after consultation with the members of the Delegation.
There are also SMA priests working in Morocco.