Masses previously booked will be celebrated in the SMA House private Oratory.  No public Masses will be said in the Parish Church until further notice.

Funerals, Baptisms and Weddings will be transferred to St Michael’s Church, Blackrock.  Bookings for these liturgies may still be made via the SMA Parish Office. They will be led by an SMA Priest but take place in St Michael’s Church.

We continue to await for the Engineers Report regarding repairs.

Fr John Denvir SMA, Co-PP

Due to interior structural damage, our Church in Blackrock Road will remain closed until further notice. 

We are awaiting the Engineer’s and Builder’s Report to assess the work and time that will be needed to repair the damage .  

An update regarding Masses will soon follow.  

Readings: Ruth 2:1-3, 8-11, 4:13-17; Ps. 127:1-5; Matt 23:1-12

Matthew’s preferred image for Jesus is found in today’s reading, that of Teacher. Much of the Gospel is given over to the teaching of Jesus, and three chapters (5-7)– the so-called Sermon on the Mount – are central to this compendium. At the end, after the commission to the church of evangelizing ‘all nations’, the evangelist adds the task of ‘teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you’ (27:20).

This characterization of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew has been described in terms of the ‘teacher of true righteousness in the Kingdom of heaven’. ‘Kingdom of heaven’ is Matthew’s title for the Reign/Kingdom of God, which is not all about an afterlife but already announced by Jesus. Jesus is asking his disciples to adapt themselves to the saving justice of God’s mercy and not rely on a righteousness made from their own merit. The Psalmist proclaims this in the Beatitude, ‘O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways’. Such a ‘fear’ flows from following the word and ways of God; this is the sure path to spiritual freedom and moral fruitfulness founded on faith.

The teachings of Jesus today appear more apt to an examination of conscience than a sermon, treating the attitudes and actions of the Gospel. The audience of this teaching -‘the people and his disciples’ – are admonished not to act like the Pharisees who are not spared the invective of the Incarnate Word of God. In his magisterial commentary on the Gospel John P. Meier expresses the evangelist’s concern and caution: ‘It is important to remember that all of [Matthew’s] fierce invectives against Pharisaical Judaism reflect a personal concern for his own church. The church is in danger of imitating the mistakes of the Pharisees and so falling under the same judgement. Completely contrary to all this haughty “leadership” is the true style of Christian leadership and greatness’.[1]

Kevin O’Gorman SMA

^{[1] Matthew, (Dublin: Veritas, 1980), pp. 265-266.}

 (Agenzia Fides) – According to the International Red Cross, more than 3.3 million people in northeast Nigeria are affected by food insecurity. Most of these people are farmers who suffer from the insecurity in the region, which forces them to abandon their land and thus deprives them of access to their only source of income. The problem also affects fishermen in other parts of the country, as reported by the Nigerian newspaper Daily Trust. Security concerns also prevent pastoralists from using grazing land for their livestock and deny fishermen access to the waters of Lake Chad and major rivers such as the Niger and Taraba. Both sectors are affected by the actions of armed groups and bandits operating in the northern regions of Nigeria.

The situation in the northeastern regions, the Red Cross emphasizes, has triggered processes and phenomena affecting vulnerable populations: homelessness, child labor, high school dropout rates, and child marriage. The northwestern regions are also affected by the same problems. And according to the Red Cross, children under five and breastfeeding women are among the most affected population groups.

However, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), food insecurity affects people not only in the northern regions, but in all 26 states of the Federation. According to FAO, more than 30 million people are at risk of food insecurity this year during the summer, the pre-harvest period when the country’s agricultural population is most exposed to this risk.

Meanwhile, the International Red Cross has taken measures to reduce the consequences of this situation. Since the beginning of 2025, a total of 21,000 families have received seeds that they can grow in both the dry and rainy seasons, as well as agricultural equipment to facilitate agricultural production. The international organization’s support also aims to diversify diets with corn, rice, tomatoes, and okra, as well as repairing water supply systems for cultivation.

However, the measures taken by the International Red Cross may not be sufficient to solve the problem of food insecurity. This is the result of fundamental problems, starting with the presence of violent groups. Added to this are the effects of climate change, which also leads to internal migration.

In Nigeria, climate change is causing droughts in the northwest and floods in the east. These two regions provide the main agricultural products for the entire country. When production declines, the southern regions, with their high population density, are particularly affected.

Nigeria has a growing population and is one of the most populous countries in the world. The civil unrest caused by food insecurity could have far-reaching and unforeseeable consequences. (CG) (Agenzia Fides, 11/8/2025)

This article was first published by Agenzia Fides and is written by Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu OFM Conv, the Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan.  In it he gives an interesting, informative and Christian perspective. It was written one month after the ceasefire between Iran and Israel came into effect.  He reflects not only on this conflict but also on the worldwide shifts in power and politics as well as on the role of the Church in this context.

Tehran (Agenzia Fides) – More than a month has passed since the ceasefire came into effect, and we are still far from a peace agreement. Everything suggests that, instead of considering negotiations, the parties involved have turned to their own arms suppliers to stock up and prepare for new hostilities.

Upon leaving Castel Gandolfo on July 22, Pope Leo addressed journalists and said: “We must encourage everyone to abandon their weapons, as well as the money hidden behind every war.”

Analysts who until recently spoke globally of a new Cold War climate are now evoking a Third World War. Unlike the Second World War, this is no longer about territorial conquests based on ideology, but rather about interference in foreign territories with the aim of destabilizing existing regimes.

We have moved from a bipolar world—West/Soviet Union—to a monopolized world, dominated by the hegemony of the so-called “free world” in the face of a malignant threat. Today, we are evolving toward a multipolar world, with emerging powers such as those of the BRICS. The world order is, therefore, undergoing a transformation.

Israel and Iran accuse each other of being at risk of annihilation. One attacks Jewish Zionism, which oppresses Muslim Palestinians; the other attacks the mullahs’ regime, which threatens Israel’s very existence with its nuclear program. The main source of conflict lies in the ideology that demonizes the other and its supposed ambitions.

It is the populations, criminalized by hostile propaganda, who pay the price. Not a day goes by without reports of the deaths of so-called collateral victims.

To minimize the impact of this violence, some invoke statistics showing that, unlike in previous wars, the percentage of civilian casualties is lower than in the past, in order to affirm the supposed morality of their armies. Others emphasize the right to reciprocity. These discourses fuel questions about the right to defense and the proportionality of the response.

Differentiated deterrence—the supposed monopoly of nuclear weapons on the one hand and the right to defense on the other—does not aim to bring the two sides closer together. Likewise, a premeditated preventive war, justified by a supposedly imminent threat, which could unilaterally impose peace through capitulation or the overthrow of the regime, is not a solution. State terrorism, with its infiltration, violence, or support for certain countries, parties, or ethnic groups, does not lead to peace.

In reality, peoples desire to live in peace. But their leaders are mired in enmities that only know the language of weapons. Since 1979, Iran and Israel have no longer had diplomatic relations and remain in a state of tension. For 46 years, there have been no attempts at rapprochement, reconciliation, or peace processes.

At the international level, a notable agreement was the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which provided for concessions on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, limited exclusively to civilian use, in exchange for sanctions relief. Iranian officials have not ruled out resuming this agreement, but only if it is fair, in a win-win context.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) not only prohibits new nations from acquiring nuclear weapons, but also dismantles those that already possess them. States that still possess nuclear arsenals, while maintaining and modernizing them, now avoid referring to them as arsenals, preferring the term “deterrents.”

Dag Hammarskjöld’s quote, “The UN was not created to take us to heaven, but to save us from hell,” reminds us that when universal charters are codified, the goal is to prevent conflicts and catastrophes to avoid the worst for humanity.

As Immanuel Kant wrote after the Napoleonic Wars in his essay “Toward Perpetual Peace” (Zum ewigen Frieden, 1795): “The state of peace between men living side by side is not a state of nature […]; therefore, the state of peace must be established.” To address the emergencies of the 21st century, Jeffrey Sachs asserts that “the path to peace lies in shared solutions to common problems—climate change, pandemics, poverty—and not in military domination” (Address at the Global Solutions Summit, Berlin, 2021).

Just as conflicts affect the world order, peace must be a common interest, not subject to the veto of a few.

In “The City of God,” Saint Augustine defines peace as the “tranquility of order” (tranquillitas ordinis). He distinguishes two levels: earthly peace (relative, which Saint Thomas Aquinas defines as “temporary”), as a necessary means for social life to avoid chaos – especially through treaties – and divine peace (absolute and, according to Aquinas, “spiritual”), which constitutes the ultimate goal of humanity and requires spiritual conversion.

Jesus, shortly before his passion, reminds us that peace is a gift from God in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” Even in suffering and persecution, this peace endures, because it is interior. It comes from union with God. Earthly peace is a reflection and fruit of Christ’s peace.

As members of the Church, which, following in Christ’s footsteps, promotes human dignity, justice, and peace, we must be impartial, giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.

We must work for peace between the parties, not for the victory of one of them (cf. 2 Cor 5:18), loving the oppressor and the oppressed, without justifying injustice (Jn 3:16). Christians are called to “hate evil” (Rom 12:9) but to “bless its enemies” (Mt 5:44).

As peoples of the world, we are all children of God, created in his image. Jews, Christians, Muslims, children of Abraham, have a moral duty to respect one another as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. Why would we want to fight against the uniqueness of others? Since we turned our weapons against our fellow human beings, these brothers and sisters have lost their value, becoming annihilated enemies. And the consequences affect not only the enemy, but the entire world.

The Holy See, in its diplomatic work for peace and reconciliation, explores every possibility to offer a framework for fair negotiations. The universal Church and the local Churches are, as far as possible, instruments of peace and charity, close to all, especially the most vulnerable, without discrimination, and always at their side in prayer. This is an expression of Christian charity and a response to the Gospel call to love one’s neighbour.

Pray for the victims: This means asking God to inspire leaders to seek peaceful solutions and avoid war, which can no longer be considered a solution, as its ever-increasing risks outweigh its supposed benefits.

The 2025 document Antiqua et Nova reiterates that peace cannot be achieved by force alone, but must be built through patient diplomacy, the active promotion of justice, solidarity, integral human development, and respect for human dignity.

Pope Benedict XVI also emphasized in 2006, on the occasion of the 39th World Day of Peace, that peace is a divine gift that demands the responsibility to conform human history to divine order, and that failure to comply with the universal moral law and fundamental human rights prevents the realization of peace. The wounds of Christ are open in today’s world. The risen Jesus, emerging from the tomb, burst into the Upper Room and showed them to the frightened disciples who had locked themselves inside. Now they invite us to open our doors to testify to the world that darkness does not have the last word. (Agenzia Fides, 30/7/2025)

*Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan

Wars that annihilate peoples and the “Tranquillitas Ordinis” of Saint Augustine

Readings: Lev 25:1, 8-17;  Ps 66: 2-3, 5, 7-8;  Matt 14:1-12

‘Let none of you wrong his neighbour’. The line from the book of Leviticus looks to the land, dealings between people over the produce and provision for the Jubilee every fifty years which is to be declared ‘sacred’ with its inhabitants set free. The sounding of the trumpet ‘on the Day of Atonement throughout the land’ is not an air raid siren but a call to joy and thanksgiving for use of the land which is underpinned by so much more than its agricultural and actuarial value. The vision here is communal and caring, covering the earth also, an early version of the ecological ethic that Pope Francis expounded in his encyclical Laudato Siʹ, stating that ‘human life is grounded in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbour and with the earth itself’. (Par. 66)

In the Gospel reading it is not land but human life that is at stake. Earlier the evangelist expressed how King Herod had ‘sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under’. (2:16). Contrasting him with Christ’s ‘quite different way of reigning’, Pope Leo XIV stated ‘Herod, for fear of being deposed, murdered children, who even today continue to be torn apart by bombs’.[1] Being born and reared in the hill country had spared John’s life from that massacre; now he has become the target of a tyrant who, while he ‘regarded John as a prophet’, takes the line of least resistance in succumbing to the moral calculus of shame and saving face.

On the contrary the Psalmist prays, ‘O God, be gracious and bless us and let your face shed its light upon us. So will your ways be known upon earth’. God’s ways are written in the Word we hear and read today, ‘for you rule the world with justice’.  

Kevin O’Gorman SMA

[^{1] Address of Pope Leo XIV to Participants of the “Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO), 26th June 2025 (available at Vatican.co.za).}

In the heart of Africa, among the Bayaka Pygmies, Father Davide, a member of the Italian SMA Province, tells us about his daily life, full of joys and challenges. And every day he discovers that the mission is God’s work.

“When I was preparing to go to Africa, I was warned of the difficulties I would encounter… Not only due to the problems of adaptation: climate, food, or other minor issues, but also due to the culture shock that can lead to serious misunderstandings and disappointments,” said Father Davide Camorani, ordained a priest of the Society of African Missions in July 2021 and began his ministry at the Monasao mission in the Diocese of Berberati in Central Africa on September 21 of the same year (see Fides, 17/10/2021).

Since then, Father Davide, who, together with his confrere Michele Farina, has lived in the heart of Africa, among the Bayaka Pygmies. And every day he understands that the mission is the work of God. 

“Bishop de Brésillac, our founder,” the missionary continues, “said in one of his famous phrases that if one seeks praise or satisfaction, it is better to stay at home; those who seek these things are not made to go on missions. Sometimes, however, life can confront one with unexpected situations that one is tempted to perceive as too great, as beyond one’s capabilities. In these difficult moments, one might lose hope, give up, and say, ‘It’s not worth it!’ I, too, have experienced these thoughts… So where is hope? What is hope? Hope in what? Hope is God and his promises, from Adam to the present day. God is always there and he never abandons us: we only have to seek him!” 

“Being guided by the Word of God is fundamental; for me, it was and is,” emphasizes Father Davide. “Reading the Bible and carefully meditating on it is the way to discover that God’s promises are eternally valid. This is hope: knowing that God will act, even when it is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Knowing that this mission is His, not mine, and that He is in charge!!! So I don’t pray for the cross to be taken from me, but I pray that the Lord Jesus will give me broad shoulders to carry it.”   

^{This article was published by Agenzia Fides, (15/7/2025) and the SMA Italy website https://www.missioniafricane.it/p-davide-camorani-dal-centrafrica-la-speranza-e-dio/}    

While Pope Leo VXI’s message to Catechists is specifically addressed to those in Vietnam.  It reflects the key role they play in the life of the Church and in passing on the faith.  This certainly is the experience of SMA Missionaries in African and it is something that is likely to become more and more important here in Ireland as catechesis moves from school to parish settings.  

MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER LEO XIV
TO VIETNAMESE CATECHISTS ON THE OCCASION OF THE
                                                              400th ANNIVERSARYOF BLESSED ANDREW PHÚ YÊN’S BIRTH

My dear friends,
It is with immense joy that I greet you today, catechists of Vietnam, gathered with His Excellency Archbishop Joseph Nguyễn Năng, the Metropolitan of Saigon and President of the Bishops’ Conference. I thank each of you who have logged in from every province of Vietnam—and beyond—just days before the Jubilee of Youth in Rome. I am especially grateful that we are united in prayer in the presence of the holy relic of Blessed Andrew Phú Yên. On this solemn occasion, the 400th anniversary of his birth, we celebrate a great son of Vietnam – a catechist and martyr whose witness still inspires us. May the Lord bless this moment of encounter and grace.

On such an occasion it is important to reflect on Andrew Phú Yên’s life. Born in 1625, he became an invaluable assistant to the Jesuit missionaries who brought the Gospel to Vietnam after his baptism. Pope Francis reminded us in Christus Vivit that Andrew “was imprisoned for his faith, and since he refused to renounce it, he was killed. Andrew died uttering the name of Jesus.” [1] In giving his life at only 19 years of age, Andrew answered Christ’s call to return “love for love” [2] to our Lord. His heroic witness earned him the title of Protomartyr of Vietnam, and he was beatified by Saint John Paul II in 2000. Today, we ask the Patron of Catechists to intercede for us, so that like him we may, with unshaken faith, invoke the name of Jesus, even when we find ourselves in difficulty.

In Vietnam, the Church is brimming with dedicated catechists—lay men and women, most of you young—who teach the faith to children and adolescents every week. Indeed, there are over 64,000 catechists in and outside your country. This vast group of faith-educators is a fundamental part of parish life. I am thankful for your generosity, each and every one of you. Never underestimate the gift you are: by your teaching and example, you draw children and youth into friendship with Jesus. You are sent by the Church to be living signs of God’s love: humble servants like Blessed Andrew, full of missionary zeal. The Church rejoices in you and encourages you to walk with joy in this noble mission.

It is said that while in prison, Andrew encouraged his fellow Christians to remain steadfast in their faith and asked them to pray that he might remain faithful to the end. Indeed, that profound moment reminds us that the Christian life, especially catechetical service, is never a solitary endeavour: we teach, and our community prays; we witness, and the Body of Christ sustains us in trial. This unity of prayer and service underscores the Church’s unity and the peace Christ gives us.

Furthermore, your ministry is deeply rooted in a strong family and cultural heritage. Pope Francis once spoke to you about the word “home” and all that it means. [3] Keep alive your love for your family and your native land. These treasures of culture and faith were passed on to you—especially the heroic faith of your parents and grandparents, who, like Blessed Andrew, bore witness in suffering and taught you to trust in God. Your roots and traditions are gifts from God; may they fill you with confidence and joy as you share the faith with others.

In a few days, the Church will celebrate the Jubilee of Youth in Rome as part of this year’s Jubilee of Hope. “In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come.” [4]  Let this hope encourage you in your service. I invite you to be united in spirit with the young pilgrims in Rome and with all your brothers and sisters in Vietnam. Share with them the joyful confidence that “Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!” [5]

My dear catechists, you are beloved by God and treasured by his Church. May Blessed Andrew Phú Yên guide you by his example. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church and “Mother of Hope” [6] accompany you. And may the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit come down on all of you and remain with you for ever. Amen.   [26 July 2025] 

_______________________________________________

[1] Francis, Christus Vivit, 3 March 2019, 54.

[2] John Paul II, Homily at the Beatification of 44 Servants of God, 5 March 2000, 6.

[3] Cf. Francis, Video Message of the Holy Father to young Vietnamese, 20 November 2019.

[4] Spes Non Confundit, 9 May 2024, 1.

[5] Francis, Christus Vivit, 3 March 2019, 1.

[6] Spes Non Confundit, 9 May 2024, 24.

^{This article was first published in the African Missionary Magazine – Spring/Summer 2025}

Since November 2023, Fr Fachtna O’Driscoll has been the Vice-Rector in the SMA House of Formation in Kabwe, Zambia. In this article, he begins with an overview of the very positive and thriving situation regarding the SMA’s education of missionaries worldwide.

SMA Worldwide
Currently, according to the latest statistics presented in preparation for General Assembly 2025, the SMA has 69 students in an initial orientation year, 162 seminarians taking philosophical studies, 46 in the Spiritual Year programme, 40 on Stage (year of pastoral training in parishes outside one’s own country or culture), 117 in the four years of theology. That gives a total of 434 seminarians. This compares favourably with the period of the 1950s and 60s, when there were high numbers of seminarians in Europe and the Americas.

Almost 400 of the above figure come from Africa itself. This is a remarkable fact, given that up until 1983, when the Society of African Missions made the momentous decision to invite African candidates to become SMA missionaries, the SMA did not have a single indigenous African candidate for SMA priesthood. The previous policy of not recruiting indigenous candidates was built on the inspired vision of our Founder, Venerable Melchior de Marion Bresillac, whose dream and aim was to build up a local church with its own clergy and leadership. For 120+ years, this vision served the African Church very well. In those countries where the SMA was the pioneering missionary agent, the local church is well established with its own leadership. The same cannot be said of all those countries evangelised by other Congregations, who began to recruit for their own community from an early stage.

Twenty-six of the 434 candidates come from India, 8 from Philippines, one from Spain and one from Italy.

SMA Seminarians and their lives in Zambia
Zambia has in the range of 20 students in the different stages of formation. The house for philosophical studies is located in the pleasant city of Kabwe in Zambia’s Central Province. A feature of the town is the high number of religious communities, male and female, and, indeed, the multiplicity of Christian denominations scattered throughout. Presently, we have eight seminarians, five in 1st philosophy and three in their 2nd philosophy year of studies. Staff and seminarians reside at Fr Bernard Weiggers Formation House, Dallas, Kabwe. The house is roughly five kilometres from the town centre, situated off what is known as the ‘Great North Road’, which heads to the Copperbelt, Democratic Republic of Congo and places further afield. The compound is pretty and very well maintained. Over the past year, the electricity supply from the national grid has been very erratic. Fortunately, through the generosity of some Irish benefactors, we have been able to install solar panels. This has resulted in a regular electricity supply and is a tremendous saving on diesel for the generator.

The seminarians cycle eight kilometers to Mpima Major Seminary for the academic courses in philosophy. Once students complete the two year philosophy programme, they move on to the next phase which is the Spiritual Year, followed by the year of Stage, and then they begin theology studies. SMA Zambian theology students study at one of our three centres: Ibadan (Nigeria), Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire) or Nairobi (Kenya).

At Dallas the seminarians follow a regular programme of spiritual formation, community activities such as sport and manual work, SMA studies and classes in the French language, to prepare them for the Spiritual Year programme which is conducted in francophone West Africa. The spiritual dimension at Dallas consists of daily Mass, communal Morning and Evening Prayer, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a once weekly period of ‘creative prayer’ when the seminarians use their initiative and imagination to present creative prayerful liturgies, and a once-monthly Day of Recollection. Staff join the students for lunch and supper in the dining hall. Regular interviews with staff are conducted through the course of the year. A once monthly community meeting and once monthly social night are excellent opportunities for interaction between staff and seminarians. Presently, we are two members of staff, the Rector, Fr Benoit Mondji SMA and myself. Benoit is from Togo. He also teaches some courses in the philosophy programme at Mpima seminary.

Apart from reciting the Jubilee Prayer during Evening Prayer the Jubilee Year 2025 has not yet been noted in any formal way in the house. Nevertheless, the theme for the community year invites us all to be pilgrims of hope to other community members and to those who visit us from outside, for example during a once monthly community Mass that is open to visitors.

The very positive situation regarding the formation of SMA Seminarians described by Fr Fachtna in his article is greatly contributed to by donors and Family Vocations Community (FVC) members in Ireland, without whom the SMA could not provide our seminarians with the training they need. We are most grateful for this support.

If you would like to make a donation towards the education of SMA Priests or learn more about the FVC contact the SMA House in your area or donate online via www.sma.ie

Let us pray that we might again learn how to discern, to know how to choose paths of life and reject everything that leads us away from Christ and the Gospel.

Holy Spirit, you, light of our understanding,
gentle breath that guides our decisions,
grant me the grace to listen attentively to your voice
and to discern the hidden paths of my heart,
so that I may grasp what truly matters to you,
and free my heart from its troubles.

I ask you for the grace to learn how to pause,
to become aware of the way I act,
of the feelings that dwell within me,
and of the thoughts that overwhelm me
which, so often, I fail to notice.

I long for my choices
to lead me to the joy of the Gospel.
Even if I must go through moments of doubt and fatigue,
even if I must struggle, reflect, search, and begin again…
Because, at the end of the journey,
your consolation is the fruit of the right decision.

Grant me a deeper understanding of what moves me,
so that I may reject what draws me away from Christ,
and love him and serve him more fully.

Amen.

The formation of SMA students for the priesthood has spiritual academic and practical aspects.  Students undertake academic studies to develop their minds so that they have the theological knowledge and understanding that will allow them to proclaim the Gospel as Missionaries. Spiritual training and Prayer deepen faith and give a solid foundation that will sustain them in their priestly lives. Practical instruction and experience are also needed to develop abilities that will allow them to be effective spiritual leaders in the communities and places where they work and live and also to manage and organize their lives and work.

To this end SMA Students receive practical pastoral and life skills training throughout their formation.  They do this through involvement in parish pastoral work, by being responsible for activities, liturgies and the smooth day-to-day running of the communities where they live.  They participate in courses such as cooking, carpentry and mechanics. They also participate and are given responsibility for SMA Community projects aimed at producing food or raising funds that contribute to the costs of running the SMA House where the live.  

Below we have a report about one such project, written by an SMA Student in the House of Formation in Kabwe, Zambia. Clearly, he enjoyed his work and has learned much from it.

My experience with Poultry
My name is Chama Raphael. I am the third born in a family of five, one of whom is deceased. I come from the ecclesiastical province of Ndola Archdiocese and I am a seminarian with the Society of African Missions (SMA) doing my philosophical studies at Mpima Seminary in Kabwe.

I joined the SMA on the 1^st September 2021, and my journey ever since has been a good one.  I have had different learning experiences each year. Here, I would like to talk about the experience I have had with our poultry this year.  We raise chickens in our House as a way of supplementing our diet and also to reduce our running costs.

Involvement with laying chickens, broilers and village chickens is not just something that has become my daily routine, it has become part of me. It has made me appreciate and realize how important nature is in my life. Watching each batch of poultry grow in a healthy environment is always a joyous experience: even the way they peck my hand when feeding them each day is an extraordinary feeling. It always saddens me to see them in stress due to any disease that they may suffer during the process of growth and, worst of all is losing them because of sickness.  This makes me feel like I am not fulfilling my responsibilities well.

I recall the very first batch I cared for. I kept checking on them repeatedly to make sure they were well and to see and gather the fresh eggs they laid.  I came to appreciate that I was producing fresh and healthy eggs, free from the chemicals present in the those produced by commercial, industrial scale poultry companies.

Caring for chickens has been a valuable experience.  It has given me skills which helped me to develop time management in my daily schedule.  I have learned how to organize and plan the different aspects of the project in order to achieve the best results. The most joyous part in caring for a batch of chickens is when no life is lost during the process.  This gives me a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment and the knowledge that my job has been well done.             

Chalma Raphael

From September, when students return after the summer break, another student will be given responsibility for this project. Hopefully he too will, in addition to making a practical contribution to the SMA Community, also feel fulfilled and learn life skills that will help him to be a better, more organized and self-sustaining missionary. 

Today, 7th of July, in the SMA Calendar, the name of Blessed Peter To Rot of Papua New Guinea is remembered. Below is an edited version of the article published recently by Agenzia Fides that explains who he was and why this martyr is soon to be canonized.  

Blessed Martyr Peter To Rot will be canonized on October 19, 2025. His sainthood is the fruit of close cooperation between priests and laity in the evangelising task of mission, specifically that of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC).

‘He, the ‘mission boy’, was very ill and has died’. This was the ironic way the policeman To Metapa spoke when he went to see with his own eyes that Peter To Rot was dead. Shortly before, the doctor at the prison where he was being held had injected him with a so-called medicine, deliberately killing him.  Such was the martyrdom of this ‘mission boy’. The martyrdom of a person tremendously committed to missionary work.

Peter To Rot was born in Rakanui, a village on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea, in 1912. But the story of his sainthood began 14 years earlier, with the baptism of his parents. This was tremendously important for the evangelisation of this part of the Pacific. His father, Angelo To Puia, was chief of his community. He was among the first to be baptised at the mission, along with his wife, Maria Ia Tumul.  This was the beginning of the acceptance of the teachings of Jesus and the renunciation of the practices such as of witchcraft as well as others that were contrary to the Gospel.

Peter to Rot’s parents had a very close relationship with the missionaries. They helped build the mission, donated the land for the church, the school and the missionary house. They were a very kind and committed family, always ready to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.  With this family background, Peter To Rot showed a very special interest in the Eucharist from a very young age, volunteering to serve at daily Mass. The Eucharist was for him a fundamental pillar in his life of faith.

At the age of 18, Peter To Rot entered a catechists’ school run by Fr. Joseph Lakaff, MSC who defined the role of the Catechist as follows: ‘The catechist is a true missionary. He is an explorer, a teacher in the most remote places, a watchman. He softens the soil in the unploughed fields where the seed of faith will be planted.  Because catechists are familiar with the mentality of their own people, their lifestyles, traditions, ideas about various aspects of life and their language, they give the priest working among a native people, with their help, a clear advantage over the unaided foreign missionary’.

In 1942, in the middle of World War II, the Japanese army invaded Papua New Guinea. In a first phase, they arrested all the priests, but allowed the pastoral activity of the missions. This is where catechists in general and Peter To Rot in particular played a key role in maintaining the faith in their communities. Gradually, religious freedom was curtailed and certain religious manifestations were banned, until in 1944 the ban was total.

The authorities gathered the catechists in the police stations and forced them to stop their pastoral activities.  Peter To Rot clandestinely, went out in the evenings to meet with small groups of the faithful. He gave them catechesis, presided at prayers and, when necessary, administered baptisms or blessed marriages. He consciously assumed his responsibility as a catechist in the absence of the missionaries, determined not to abandon the Christian communities.

In addition to this prohibition of any religious manifestation, the Japanese army, in order to curry favour with the most sympathetic leaders, restored practices that had almost disappeared, such as polygamy. From then on, Peter To Rot became a staunch defender of marriage. He openly opposed the practice, which led him to oppose influential members such as policemen and judges who wanted to take married women as wives. For this reason, the policeman To Metapa, who had sufficient power to order his arrest, denounced him. During his time in prison, Peter To Rot showed great composure and conviction. He firmly defended his decisions and his fidelity to the Christian faith, without any regrets. He remained steadfast as a catechist and witness to the Gospel to the very end. Hours before his martyrdom he said: ‘I am in prison for those who break their marriage vows and for those who do not want to see God’s work go forward. That is all. I must die. I have already been condemned to death.’ (Agenzia Fides, 15/6/2025)

^{This article was first published in the Spring/Summer 2025 edition of the African Missionary Magazine.}
Fr Michael Waters lived and worked with the Maguzawa, (A term used by the Muslims for Hausa people who rejected Islam. It literally translates as “the ones who ran away,” i.e. from Islam) for many years, committing himself to their cause in an extraordinary manner. I knew him personally because he was my Parish Priest, having baptised me in 1999. His example inspired me to become an SMA priest. So who is this man so loved by all? He was born in Cork City on 12 July 1941, and was ordained as an SMA priest in 1966. He arrived in Nigeria in 1968 and spent the next 50 years as a missionary there – originally in the Archdiocese of Kaduna, then Kano Missio sui iuris, and finally Kontagora Diocese.

He ministered in Kaduna from 1968 until in 1991. He was working in St Anthony’s Parish, Refawa, when it became part of what would become Kano Diocese. From 1991 to 2000, his work and that of his predecessor, Fr Seán Hayes SMA, began to bear fruit and the parish went through a period of amazing growth. New churches were opened, and eventually new Parishes were founded in Gamashina and then Bakin Nana.

This phenomenal growth followed a typical mission development: very slow growth for many years and then a sudden flourishing. Fr Waters had a very significant part in this flourishing, particularly due to his fluency in Hausa, his ability to engage with the old and the young, and the setting up of dry season courses to train lay people to become church leaders. He also worked at developing formal primary and secondary education of secondary education for young people. This has had great success.

Fr Waters was an energetic and enthusiastic missionary who worked for the growth of the Church and for social justice. He set up a legal process that returned misappropriated land to the people of Refawa, and, in addition to nurturing faith, he promoted social development and education in the ways mentioned here.

Fr Waters made a deliberate choice to minister to the most abandoned by choosing to minister to people who lived on the peripheries of Nigerian society. He moved from an established Diocese to a new one and from established parishes he moved on to set up new ones. His actions echo the words of the SMA Founder, Bishop de Brésillac: “happy the missionary who, when he founds a church and sees that it is growing, moves quickly to another place in order to found a new one”.

Government authorities were unwilling to give Hausa Christians any meaningful education unless they were ready to change their religion to Islam. Fr Waters, like Fr Hayes, realised this and saw how crucial it was to address this problem. Therefore, he decided to establish primary schools in the villages, setting them up as branches or extensions of the existing St. Louis Primary School in Kano City.

I am a beneficiary of this system. Thanks to this initiative, today, among the beneficiaries, there are many priests ordained for the diocese of Kano and beyond. Others are doctors, nurses, lawyers, journalists, teachers, accountants, etc. Apart from the promotion of formal education, Fr Waters also introduced a dry season literacy course for our parents who did not have the chance to go to school. Centres, opened at strategic locations, allowed people learn to read and write in the Hausa language. From among these, the “early” church found lay readers, catechism teachers, service leaders and choir members. Fr Waters also organised programmes on leadership, health education and other skills. As a result, we now have trained individuals who help, lead and empower their own people.

Attentive to the needs of the sick (the Good Samaritan; Lk 10:25-37), he built clinics that contributed greatly to the health sector in Kano State. They were recognised as the best health centres in the rural areas – better run and equipped than many state facilities. These are now run by Kano diocese and staffed by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. On a personal level, Fr Waters also provided medical assistance, treating some ailments and binding up wounds when people were injured. He did some training in dentistry, and was able to do basic extractions, so ending the pain of aching teeth.

To improve the socio-economic wellbeing of people Fr Waters introduced irrigation systems that benefitted the farming communities of Refawa and Nasarawan Kuki parishes. Through the provision of water-pumps and training, local people were able to improve their farms and incomes. In addition to the above, he dug or repaired wells in almost all the places where he worked, in order to provide people with clean drinking water without having to go a long distance. This was something he was to be involved in later in Kontagora Diocese which has a very well developed ‘well-digging’ programme under the guidance of Fr Donall O’Catháin SMA (from Cork City).

Conclusion
Fr Waters was truly a Father to the Maguzawa people. He risked his life in order to live and work in an environment hostile to the Gospel. I see him as the St Paul of our time, a great apostle to the Maguzawa people. While we recognize the great intellectual, moral and financial support that the SMA, especially the Irish Province, must have given to Fr Waters, we cannot fail to give him credit for his courage, hard work and dedication to the mission. He is an inspiration to today’s missionaries. We pray that these gracious words of the Master Jesus may be heard by him: “Well done good and faithful servant…enter into your master’s joy” (Matthew 25:21).

Fr Michael Waters died in SMA House, Blackrock Road, Cork on the 5th of November 2024 aged 83 years. May God grant him eternal rest. Amen

Today, 25th of June members of the Society of African Missions all around the world mark the 166th Anniversary of the death of the SMA founder, Melchior de Marion Brésillac. He died with the words “Faith, Hope and Charity“ on his lips, only six weeks after he arrived in Freetown Sierra Leone. 

Without his vision, determination and commitment to Mission, the many achievements made by generations of SMA Missionaries would not have happened.  His witness and example inspired others to continue the work he began. 

Today over 800 SMA Missionaries live and work in 17 African countries as well as Europe, the Americas and Asia.  

Today there are sixteen SMA Provinces and also ten other SMA Districts and Delegations (i.e. smaller organizational structures and groups). Together these comprise of over 800 missionaries who live and work in 17 African countries as well as Europe, the Americas and Asia. 

The work of SMAs, since it’s foundation by Melchior de Marion Brésillac in 1856 has made a great contribution to;

• the spreading of the Gospel message and the establishment the Church in Africa,
• to education – through the establishment and running of schools,
• to social development,
• to healthcare and
• to the training of Missionaries in Africa.  Today there are over 400 seminarians in SMA Houses of Formation in African countries. 

For more information about the Founder click on this link  https://sma.ie/founder-melchior-de-marion-bresillac/ 

Pope Leo XIV: From the heart of Jesus, let us learn to have compassion on the world

During the month of June, traditionally dedicated to devotion to the Heart of Jesus, the Pope invites us to pray “that each one of us might find consolation in a personal relationship with Jesus, and from his Heart, learn to have compassion on the world.”

For the first time, we hear Pope Leo XIV’s voice presenting The Pope Video prayer intention.

Lord, I come to Your tender Heart today,
to You who have words that set my heart ablaze,
to You who pour out compassion on the little ones and the poor,
on those who suffer, and on all human miseries.

I desire to know You more, to contemplate You in the Gospel,
to be with You and learn from You
and from the charity with which You allowed Yourself
to be touched by all forms of poverty.

You showed us the Father’s love by loving us without measure
with Your divine and human Heart.

Grant all Your children the grace of encountering You.
Change, shape, and transform our plans,
so that we seek only You in every circumstance:
in prayer, in work, in encounters, and in our daily routine.

From this encounter, send us out on mission,
a mission of compassion for the world
in which You are the source from which all consolation flows.

Amen.

Around this time last year an article on this website reported that twenty-nine young men completed their Spiritual Year in Calavi, Benin and officially became members of the Society of African Missions. (See https://sma.ie/twenty-nine-new-sma-members/) Since then they have continued their training and preparation for priesthood.  Some began their theology studies while others have undergone a year of pastoral experience/training, in a culture and country other than their own. This meant living and working with local people, in parish situations, under the guidance of experienced SMA missionaries. Among these was an Italian student, Anselmo Fabiano who was appointed to Egypt.  Below is an edited version of a short article he wrote as he came to the end of his pastoral year.

“I feel privileged to have experienced such a different side of the Church, also sharing some steps with my Muslim brothers. A precious opportunity to live a missionary experience with the Coptic Church of Egypt.”

“A pilgrim in the silence of the desert, among ancient monasteries, minarets that reach the sky, and such a different and fascinating culture. There have certainly been difficulties. The mission is also made up of unexpected events, challenges, and unimaginable experiences,” he notes. “And precisely for this reason, I thank God even more for having protected and accompanied me even in difficult times, allowing me to feel and touch His living presence in my life.”

“I cherish in my heart the people I have met, the many moments of shared life during family visits, in liturgical celebrations, in faith and in the friendship received and given. My daily life has been imbued with humanity and relationships that have granted me the grace to touch with my own hands the faith and love for the Lord of this people.”

“In these days I have renewed my “yes” to the Lord in the Society of African Missions, promising to dedicate my life to proclaiming the Gospel to the nations, and especially to Africa. An intense moment of prayer and celebration, in the simplicity and joy of the faith of these people. With this “yes” another step on my journey towards the priesthood begins.”

“It is a time for farewells, memories, smiles, and hugs before returning to Italy,” Anselmo concludes. “My heart is full of gratitude for these years of missionary life  (i.e. in Benin and Egypt), for the many encounters and experiences lived in this land.” 

Anselmo Fabiano has now returned to Italy for theology studies in Padua beginning another step on his journey toward the priesthood.

^{First published on the Italian SMA website https://www.missioniafricane.it/anselmo-fabiano-tempo-di-saluti/ and also by Agenzia Fides, 4/6/2025    The photos are from https://www.missioniafricane.it/}

In this month’s SMA Journal we hear about the SMA General Assembly in Rome and of the election of a new Superior General and his Council.   

Then we move to the recent annual SMA Pilgrimage to Knock.  SMA’s, Family Vocations Community (FVC) members and friends speak about what the pilgrimage means to them. 

We hear also from Fr Ignatius Malwa, Superior of the Zambian District  of the SMA who, for a number of years in the past, worked with the FVC here in Ireland. His report shows his very much hands-on involvement in a project that aims to help the District become financially self -sustaining.  

Moving back to Ireland we learn of a new book written and published by Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA that explores the richness of Luke’s Gospel. 

We end with congratulations bishop emeritus Michael Olatunji Fagun of Ekiti Diocese, Nigeria with whom many Irish SMA’s have worked down the years. On the occasion of his 90^th birthday and the 60^th anniversary of his Ordination to the Priesthood we wish him well and pray that God’s blessings be with him. 

The Opening Prayer of the Feast of Saint Colmán of Dromore[1] (7th June) offers important, indeed indispensable insights into the lessons of his legacy to the church :

‘Grant to your Church, we pray, this threefold gift: to love learning, to live simply, and to seek your reign above all things’.

‘Love of learning’ is often linked to the life of the monastic church with the leisure of both time and resources for reading, research and reflection. Yet this cannot be left to the monasteries as it is also valid and valuable, indeed vital, for the whole church including missionaries who must learn to live interculturally, taking onboard customs and concepts that are challenging in terms of communicating and living the Gospel. Moreover, such learning is not confined to the cloisters and classrooms but is contained in the wisdom and experience of the whole People of God in their synodal journey. The sharing and receiving of the first two stages of the synodal way – participation and communion – involves a mutual listening both within the church and with cultures which serves the third stage, which is mission. Searching for understanding from sources both sacred and secular, scripture and science, is a sign that ‘every scribe instructed for the kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom new things as well as old’ (Matthew 13:52).

In his encyclical on the environment Laudato Si’ Pope Francis expresses and exhorts a lifestyle that is rooted in Christian spirituality, proceeding from ‘the conviction that “less is more”, [which] proposes a growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little’. This stance involves ‘a return to that simplicity which allows us to stop and appreciate the small things, to be grateful for the opportunities which life affords us, to be spiritually detached from what we possess, and not to succumb to sadness for what we lack’.[2] This existential stance is at the heart of the ‘ecological conversion’ calls for. The sobriety, moderation and humility mentioned by Pope Francis are the hallmark of authentic monastic and missionary life in the church.

In his Encyclical The Mission of the Redeemer  Pope Saint John Paul II devoted Chapter Two to the ‘The Reign of God’. He writes that ‘Jesus of Nazareth brings God’s plan to fulfilment’ and ‘Since the “Good News” is Christ, there is an identity between the message and the messenger, between saying, doing and being. His power, the secret of the effectiveness of his actions, lies in his total identification with the message he announces; he proclaims the “Good News” not just by what he says or does, but by what he is’.[3]  Dedication to the Reign of God is therefore what Pope Francis calls ‘missionary discipleship’ which seeks to follow Christ and his teaching to ‘Strive first for [God’s] Reign and righteousness’ (Matthew 7:33).

We pray, Lord, that through the intercession of Saint Colmán of Dromore the church may be devoted to study and search for what is authentically ‘old and new’ in its vision, be drawn to a simple lifestyle in its mission and desire the ‘Reign of God’ which is ‘justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit’ (Romans 14:17) above all other realities.

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA

[1] There is an altar dedicated to Saint Colmán in the SMA Chapel, Dromantine, which is located in the Diocese of Dromore.

[2] Dublin, Veritas, 2015, par. 222.

[3] London, Catholic Truth Society, 1991, par. 13.

At the end of the second week of the 2025 SMA General Assembly (GA25) delegates elected three Councillors who will assist the newly elected Superior General, Rev. Fr. François Marie Hervé du Penhoat over the next six years . The new Councillors are: 

Fr. Damian Andrew Bresnahan was elected as the new Vicar General of the SMA.  He was ordained to the priesthood on June 26, 1988. He brings with him a wealth of pastoral, formational, and leadership experience, accumulated over nearly four decades of dedicated service to the mission of the SMA.

Until recently appointment, Fr. Damian served as Leader of the SMA Community and Director of the Retreat & Conference Centre at Dromantine, Northern Ireland. His previous appointments also included:  Work as a Member of the Irish SMA Provincial Leadership Team, Community Leader, SMA House, Blackrock Road, Cork and many years of Pastoral Ministry, SMA Formation, and Regional Leadership in Nigeria.   

Fr. Didier LAWSON Eloi, who was ordained to the priesthood on July 4, 1998 was elected as a General Councillor of the SMA. Until his recent appointment, Fr. Didier served as the General Bursar of the Society of African Missions (SMA), where he brought dedication and integrity to the management of the Society’s financial affairs.

Fr. Didier has previously served in Central Africa, gaining valuable pastoral and administrative experience in a variety of contexts.

Fr. James Kulwa Shimbala, who was ordained to the priesthood on June 13, 2003 was elected as the third General Councillor.  Fr. Shimbala brings with him over two decades of rich pastoral, academic, and formational experience across various countries in Africa and Europe. Until this appointment, he served as Vice Superior of the Tanzania District of the SMA.

Fr. Shimbala is recognized for his commitment to formation, his deep spirituality, and his dedication to intercultural and psycho-spiritual development within the SMA and beyond. His contributions to the growth and accompaniment of young missionaries have left a lasting impact in multiple mission territories.

The SMA as an International organisation wishes to express gratitude to Frs. Damian Andrew Bresnahan, Didier Eloi Lawson, and James Kulwa Shimbala, for their continued commitment and leadership, and we assure them of our prayers and support in their new responsibilities in the service of the Society.

^{The above is an edited version of an article published in May 31st by SMA Media Rome on the SMA International Website  https://smainternational.site/2025/05/new-general-councillors/} 

We are now half way through the Holy Year inaugurated by the late Pope Francis. Here, in his own words, he explains the meaning and purpose of the Holy Year.  This article was published in the most recent edition of the African Missionary Magazine. 

The Jubilee Year began with the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Christmas Eve 2024. In his homily, Pope Francis declared, “Sisters and brothers, this is the Jubilee. This is the season of hope in which we are invited to rediscover the joy of meeting the Lord.” “Pilgrims of Hope” is the theme Pope Francis chose for this Jubilee or Holy Year. He encourages the faithful to “fan the flame of hope” and approach the future with “an open spirit…Everyone knows what it is to hope…In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring…For all of us, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope. God’s word helps us find reasons for that hope.”

This Jubilee year is an opportunity to renew our understanding of what it means to live the call of the Gospel, both as individuals and as a community. In his first Jubilee Audience of 2025, Pope Francis called on the faithful to embrace hope and renewal through service and fraternity, and through responsibility for our common home the Earth. “This is the essence of the Jubilee: a new beginning grounded in God and a commitment to love and service.” During a Mass on the Feast of Mary the Mother of God on 1 January 2025, he referred to the extensive renovation works to monuments and buildings carried out around Rome in preparation for the Jubilee Year and then he said: “we must recognize that the decisive building site is in each one of us: the place where each of us works to allow God to change in me what is unworthy of a son or daughter… and in which I will commit myself, every day, to live as a brother and sister to my neighbour.”

To be Pilgrims of Hope we must begin with ourselves. This Jubilee year is a God-given opportunity to start anew. It is an invitation to an inner conversion through which we become people who live differently. At the centre of this different living is love of God, others and the creation we share. Conversion calls for a change of heart, a move away from self-concern and fear towards a hope filled attitude where mercy and reconciliation become the lenses through which we view our world and the principles that motivate our action. Only then can we look outward and be, in this Jubilee year, the “tangible signs of hope” that Pope Francis calls us to be, recognising God’s presence in the midst of life with all its difficulties and challenges.

In his 2024 Christmas Eve sermon, the Pope was very clear when he said, “we too are called to recover lost hope, to renew that hope in our hearts, and to sow seeds of hope amid the bleakness of our time and our world.” He then explained the meaning of hope: “Christian hope is not a cinematic “happy ending” which we passively await, but rather…a summons not to tarry, to be kept back by our old habits, or to wallow in mediocrity or laziness. Hope calls us – as Saint Augustine would say – to be upset with things that are wrong and to find the courage to change them. Hope calls us to become pilgrims in search of truth, dreamers who never tire, women and men open to being challenged by God’s dream, which is of a new world where peace and justice reign…Hope is incompatible with the detachment of those who refuse to speak out against evil and the injustices perpetrated at the expense of the poor. Christian hope, on the other hand, while inviting us to wait patiently for the Kingdom to grow and spread, also requires of us, even now, to be bold, responsible, and not only that but also compassionate, in our anticipation of the fulfilment of the Lord’s promise.” “All of us have received the gift and task of bringing hope wherever hope has been lost…We are called to bring hope to the weary who have no strength to carry on, the lonely oppressed by the bitterness of failure, and all those who are broken-hearted.” This Jubilee Year is both a time for personal spiritual renewal and a call to action. May we walk as Pilgrims of Hope, carrying light into dark places, bringing freedom to the oppressed, and embodying justice for those in need. In this Jubilee journey, may each step we take testify to the worth, dignity, and beauty of all creation. May God’s peace guide us, and may we be strengthened to continue on this pilgrimage, united in purpose and faith. Amen

The Jubilee Prayer Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom. May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally. May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever. Amen.

The Holy Door, opened at the beginning of each Jubilee or Holy Year, represents the passage to salvation opened by Jesus to humanity. When announcing the Jubilee Year Pope Francis said: “For everyone, may the Jubilee be a moment of genuine personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the ‘door’…of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere and to all as “our hope” (1 Tim 1:1). The origin of the Christian Jubilee goes back to Old Testament times when the Law of Moses prescribed a special year for the Jewish people as a time of renewal and to proclaim liberty to all, a time for setting slaves free, for forgiving debts, and for allowing the land to rest (Leviticus 25). In the Catholic tradition, Jubilees have been observed in Rome since the early 14th century. They are a time when Catholics are called on to live our faith by embodying the core themes of the Jubilee: renewal, reconciliation, and a closer relationship with Christ. There is also a strong emphasis on penitence and mercy. In this year we are urged especially to be Pilgrims of Hope

Things to do during the Jubilee Pilgrimage: To visit Rome or sites designated by the Irish Bishops, such as Knock, Lough Derg or Croagh Patrick. In addition, each diocese in Ireland will nominate a local pilgrimage site. Prayer and Spiritual Renewal: Pray the Jubilee Prayer daily for personal conversion and renewal in the Church. Pray for the Pope’s intentions; participate in the sacraments of the Mass and Penance. Acts of mercy and charity: Carry out Corporal Works of Mercy such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick; and Spiritual Works of Mercy, such as comforting the sorrowful, praying for the living and the dead, and forgiving offences. Participate in Jubilee events: Join parish and diocesan services, retreats, or Jubilee celebrations. Care for Creation: This year marks the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical on care for creation: Laudato Si’. Attend the Laudato Si’ Mass in the last week of May, and participate with other Catholics in projects such as tree planting and beach clean-ups. Pray for the dead: Obtain plenary indulgences for the souls in Purgatory by dedicating acts of charity and prayer for their intentions.

We are happy to introduce a third book written by Fr Kevin on the Gospel of St Luke.  The focus of this publication is on the rich visual imagery, often likened to a gallery or painting, that his Gospel contains.  Luke is portrayed as an artist who paints vivid literary portraits of Jesus. 

Luke is the most visual of the evangelists. If the Gospel of John speaks of Christ, the light of the world, the Gospel of Luke lets that light be shown and seen in a series of situations in the life of Jesus, from the Annunciation to his Mother Mary through to the Ascension to his Heavenly Father.

Like a gallery, Luke sets out scenes and stories from the infancy and ministry, passion and resurrection of Jesus that invite the imagination of readers to reflect on what is being revealed in these events and encounters between Jesus and those he met in these moments and movements.

Through the centuries the Gospel of Luke has been the mainstay of much religious art, a valuable resource for painters, now represented in museums, and for designers of stained-glass in churches.

Tracing 10 themes/titles, Divine Gallery aims to articulate the theological and spiritual artistry of the Gospel of Luke.

Kevin O’Gorman is a former lecturer in moral theology in both South Africa and Ireland. He has previously published two books on the Gospel of Luke, with St. Paul’s Publishing, Remembering God’s Mercy – Luke’s Virtue of Compassion (2015)  and
The Vision of Salvation –  Scenes from Luke’s Gospel (2019).

This Book is available from:  
St Paul’s Publishing Online – Order via this link  https://www.stpauls.ie/  
St Paul’s Bookshop, Moyglare Road, Maynooth, Co Kildare. 
Other Religious Bookshops.

Below is and edited version of an article written by By Fr Dominic Wabwireh of the SMA Media Centre – Rome

On the third day of the second week of the 22nd General Assembly of the Society of African Missions (SMA), held at the Centro di Spiritualità Sacro Cuore in Rocca di Papa, Italy, Rev. Fr. François Marie Hervé du Penhoat was elected as the new Superior General of the congregation. Until his election, Fr. du Penhoat served as the Provincial Superior of the Province of Lyon.

A priest of deep missionary conviction and broad experience, Fr. du Penhoat was ordained on September 21, 1985. Before joining the SMA, he worked as an agricultural technician in the Diocese of Lokossa, Republic of Benin, from 1976 to 1978. His formation within the SMA began in the then District of Spain, with seminary studies in Madrid and at the Missionary Institute of London (MIL). He later earned a master’s degree in spirituality in Spain and completed formator training in France.

Fr. Du Penhoat’s missionary journey reflects a commitment to the grassroots of the Church’s evangelizing mission. He served in alternating roles between the then District of Spain and the Bariba region of Benin, blending pastoral sensitivity with leadership responsibilities. In 2008, he joined the Lyon Province and was elected in the council in 2013, and Provincial Superior in 2016, and 2019.

As he steps into this leadership position, Fr. Du Penhoat is expected to guide the Society with a vision rooted in its charism and responsive to contemporary challenges in missionary work.

After the election and while presiding over the evening Eucharist, Fr. Du Penhoat delivered a deeply moving homily outlining his spiritual vision for the SMA. He reflected on the certainty Christians hold—not about knowing the future, but about where their life ends: in God. “Let our lives be filled with confidence and hope,” he said, recalling the foundational courage of Bishop de Brésillac, founder of the SMA, who embarked on his African mission knowing he might die, but trusting that if the work was of God, it would survive.

Fr. Du Penhoat emphasized that this legacy of trust in God and in one another must continue. “Now it’s our turn to be that human will so that the work may continue.” He also shared two personal images that sustain his spiritual life: “Jesus and I, yoked like two horses pulling a carriage—He pulls more than I do, making the burden light. And the Holy Spirit as car headlights guiding me through the night, revealing each step as I move forward.”  He concluded with a powerful prayer of humility and service—entrusting himself and future elected leaders to the grace of the Holy Spirit, praying for courage, compassion, transparency, and the strength to build fraternity through collaboration.

The focus of the General Assembly now turns to choosing members of the General Council, who with the Superior General, will lead and guide the SMA for the next six years.

When expressing his hope regarding the outcome of the General Assembly Fr. Du Penhoat said: 

“May a powerful breath arise from this Assembly, one that deeply renews our congregation, and breathes new life into each of our confreres and seminarians, so we may all recommit with more heart and strength.”

Below is an edited version of he homily preached by Fr Colum O’Shea SMA during Mass at Knock Basilica on Saturday 24th of May 2025

We gather this Jubilee year of Hope; we are indeed Pilgrims of Hope. We are here in Knock, a special place of Pilgrimage, a centre of Hope. Our readings today capture that theme of Hope.  Our Gospel reading is the great prayer of Mary, a prayer of Hope. “My soul glorifies the Lord…….My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”  We are pilgrims of hope because we are Easter people. Our Hope is based on our deep belief that our God is faithful and that he will fulfil His promises. You have travelled from all over Ireland, to be with us here today. There are also some of our friends joining us from home via the webcam.  All of you have been, and continue to be, a great support and a sign of hope to us the SMA and OLA and to our mission. We are grateful to you for that.

You may recall that a few years ago we were praying for the release of one our priests, Father Luigi Maccalli.  Father Luigi is an SMA priest from Italy. On the evening of 18 September 2018, he was abducted from his mission in Niger, West Africa, by a group of Muslim extremists.  For a long time, there was no word of his whereabouts, we did not know if he was dead or alive. For 25 months he was held captive in the barren, hostile Sahara Desert. 

He has written an account of his ordeal and I read it recently. He was held captive in terrible conditions, sometimes chained, deprived of all the basic necessities of life that we take for granted.  He had to endure the sweltering heat of the sun by day and the cold of the desert night.  Fr Luigi says, his greatest discomfort was his total lack of communication with the outside world and not knowing if he would ever again see his family and friends. In his time of captivity, he never felt totally abandoned by God, even though there were dark times when he cried out the cry of Jesus crucified, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” But it was his faith in God that sustained him and his hope that one day he would be free. 

It is that hope that comes through strongly in the pages of his book. Fr Luigi welcomed each new day as if it was to be his last in captivity. One evening as he watched the sun go down and as he settled down in the desert for another night, he wrote the following;  “The trail of light from the setting sun slowly faded away. Wrapped up in the darkness of the night, I do not forget that the resilient and invincible sun prepares for its own redemption.” 

Even though in the darkness of night we cannot see the sun, we know that it is there and it will appear again. No one is exempt from difficulties in life. We have all been through, or may be going through, painful experiences and crises. For many life lacks meaning, direction and purpose; times when darkness envelopes us. At such times we may feel God’s absence; when we question God’s existence. Just as in the dark of night we cannot see the sun it does not mean that it is not there. Our faith assures us that in our darkest moments God is there. 

Fr Luigi goes on to say, “Every evening I continue to keep alive the light of hope in the darkness of what is happening.”  When I read these words of Fr Luigi, I was reminded of the words of the song, ‘Whispering Hope.’  “Wait till the darkness is over; wait till the tempest is done. Hope for the sunshine tomorrow after the darkness is gone.”  When we experience difficulties and painful situations in life and when we are fearful of what the future may hold, our faith and hope in God sustain us.  

After 752 days and nights in captivity Father Luigi’s prayers were answered and his hope realised, when he was eventually freed from captivity.  After some time of recuperation and rest with family and friends in Italy Fr Luigi returned to West Africa and is presently on mission in the Benin Republic. He says that the light of Hope that sustained him during his captivity now shines brighter and stronger than ever.  He is a great sign of hope to all of us. 

Pope Francis, of happy memory, told us that we are all called to be messengers of hope in our world today. He said, “Today our world is experiencing a tragic ‘famine’ of hope. May we become messengers of hope.”   This is our mission in this Jubilee Year, to become messengers of Hope – let your light shine for the world to see. 

In that way you will be radiating hope in a world that is starving of hope.  Remember what Fr Luigi says;  “Keep alive the light of hope in the darkness of what is happening.”

Fr Colum O’Shea SMA

 “One particular trait stands out about the missionary Robert Francis Prevost, OSA, who became Pope Leo XIV. Those who knew him closely do not have any striking gestures to share, but they reiterate one quality: he is a man who knows how to listen.” This is what Father Andrea Mandonico, general archivist of the Society of African Missions, says when sharing his testimony about the figure of the new Pontiff, which he sees as “a particular challenge.”

“For a missionary to become Pope is an unprecedented experience for the Catholic Church. Pope Leo is not the missionary who has experienced the most heroic adventures, he is not the one who has raised his voice the most, he is not the one who has built the most schools or dispensaries,” Father Mandonico notes. “Rather, he left his mark by opening his heart and mind to those he met.” Because truly, as he said in the first Mass with the cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, even those in authority “disappear so that Christ may remain.”

The College of Cardinals, in electing Leo XIV, was fully aware that it was entrusting the Petrine ministry to a missionary.

“We must seek together how to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges, in dialogue, always open to receiving, like this square with open arms,” Father Andrea recalls, evoking the words of Pope Leo XIV in his first message from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. The Pontiff had invited each person to become a “bridge” of God’s love for all.

“The missionary Pope is a particular challenge for us missionaries,” the archivist insists. “And in our Italy, perhaps, it is even more so today than in other regions of the world.” According to Father Mandonico, the figure of the new Pope recalls the urgency of the mission, precisely at a time when it might seem that “leaving for distant lands is a vocation already outdated.” His witness challenges all Christians “not to close themselves up in a fortress,” but to keep their gaze on the people, “ad gentes,” and to open their communities “to the breath of the world.” “Today he is Peter. And we too, missionaries in Italy and in every corner of the world, want to start again from here,” he concludes. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 23/5/2025 and also published on https://www.missioniafricane.it/un-missionario-che-diventa-papa/
 

Article published by Agenzia Fides 20/5/35

(Agenzia Fides) – A total of 55 delegates—including provincial and district superiors, elected delegates, facilitators, and guests—from around the world gathered in Rome to participate in the 22nd General Assembly of the Society of African Missions (SMA), a time of communal discernment, planning and renewal.

The Assembly officially opened on Sunday, May 18, at the Sacred Heart of Jesus International Spirituality Center in Rocca di Papa (Rome), under the guidance of the Superior General, Father Antonio Porcellato. The Assembly offers a privileged opportunity to strengthen unity and renew the SMA’s missionary commitment to serving Africa and the world.
The participants arrived on the afternoon of Saturday, May 17, and participated in an important orientation session to familiarize themselves with the logistical and practical aspects of their stay. The official opening of the Assmebly took place on Sunday with a solemn Eucharistic celebration.
In his opening address, the Superior General emphasized the historic and evolving nature of the SMA. This year, 33 members are participating for the first time, and for the first time in the Society’s history, the majority of delegates are of African origin. The average age of participants is 51, reflecting a dynamic combination of experience and renewed energy. The Superior General emphasized listening as a fundamental spiritual attitude for shared discernment. The opening Eucharist was the culminating moment of the day, during which the intentions of the SMA were offered to God, confirming the SMA’s fundamental missionary identity: to set aside to proclaim the Gospel in Africa, with Africa, and from Africa. According to a note from Dominic Wabwireh of SMA International, the Assembly will last three weeks, considered a time of grace, strategic planning, and renewal, during which the SMA will assess its mission and look to the future.

During these days, small group work will be held, offering participants the opportunity to share their expectations and reflect on their contributions to the common mission. At the center of the agenda is a review of the General Assembly Manual, a document that contains the rules, program, and structure for the coming weeks. “The manual is essentially a guiding framework approved by the members of the Assembly to facilitate the entire process,” explained SMA Secretary General, Father Emmanuel Dim. “It contains the calendar, the program, and the various rules that govern the General Assembly. Therefore, it is essential that all members approve it to ensure the proper conduct of the Assembly”.

The goal of the SMA delegates is to make this Assembly not just a time of governance and planning, but a true expression of communion in mission. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 20/5/2025)

EUROPE/ITALY – Building unity through dialogue and listening: XXII General Assembly of the Society of African Missions – Agenzia Fides 

In his annual publication of prayer intentions for 2025, Pope Francis had invited us to pray in May for working conditions…  The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network entrusts to the Lord the mission of the new Pope and continues its apostolic work of entrusting to God the challenges of humanity and the Church’s mission…

This month, let us be inspired by this video featuring the words of the last three Popes: Francis, Benedict XVI, and Saint John Paul II.

TEXT OF THIS MONTH’S MESSAGE
During a General Audience in 2022, Pope Francis said: “The evangelists Matthew and Mark refer to Joseph as a carpenter. Jesus practiced his father’s trade, which was a pretty hard job. From an economic point of view, it did not ensure great earnings. This biographical fact about Joseph and Jesus” made him “think of all the workers in the world.”
“Work”, Pope Francis added, “anoints our dignity: What gives you dignity is not bringing bread home. What gives you dignity is earning your bread.”
Pope Benedict XVI, addressing all workers on the feast of Saint Joseph in 2006, also stressed that “work is of fundamental importance to the fulfilment of the human being and to the development of society. Thus, it must always be organized and carried out with full respect for human dignity and must always serve the common good. At the same time,” Pope Benedict remarked, “it is indispensable that people do not allow themselves to be enslaved by work or idolize it, claiming to find in it the ultimate and definitive meaning of life.”
And Saint John Paul II said during the celebration of the Jubilee of Workers in the year 2000 that, “the Jubilee Year calls for a rediscovery of the meaning and value of work. It is also an invitation to address the economic and social imbalances in the world of work by re-establishing the right hierarchy of values, giving priority to the dignity of working men and women and to their freedom, responsibility and participation.” John Paul II also encouraged us to “redress situations of injustice” while not forgetting those “suffering because of unemployment, inadequate wages or lack of material resources.”
Let us pray that through work, each person might find fulfilment, families might be sustained in dignity, and that society might be humanized.

This month we have and extended chapter of the Journal in which SMA’s and an OLA Sister remember their contacts and encounters with Pope Francis.  May he rest in Peace. 

Below we reprint the recent statement from the JPIC Commission of the International Union of Superiors General USG – UISG.  It is not only a statement of sorrow and mourning at the passing of Pope Francis it also reminds us of the wonderful contribution that he made to Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation and of the living legacy he has left to all  – guidance and inspiration for us to follow and enact in our world. 

Dear Friends,

It is with profound sorrow and a heavy heart that we, members of the JPIC Commission, mourn the sudden passing of our beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis. His departure from this world leaves a deep void not only in the heart of the Church but in the soul of humanity. We extend our deepest condolences to each of you and to all people of goodwill who have been touched by his prophetic voice, his tireless witness to the Gospel, and his unwavering commitment to Justice, Peace, and the Care for our Common Home.

Pope Francis was not only a shepherd of souls but a global conscience who awakened the world to the cries of the poor, the excluded, and the earth itself. In his landmark encyclicals and countless addresses, he courageously called us to a renewed sense of responsibility, fraternity, and hope in a fragmented world.

From Evangelii Gaudium, he challenged the Church to become a Church of the poor and for the poor: “Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor…” (EG 187)

Through Laudato Si’, he became a moral compass for the ecological movement and a fatherly guide for all humanity: “The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all.” (LS 23)  “We are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental.” (LS 139)

In Fratelli Tutti, he reminded us that we are indeed one human family: “Unless we recover the shared passion to create a community of belonging and solidarity… we will continue to be at the mercy of any power that exploits the human condition.” (FT 36) “Everything, then, depends on our ability to see the need for a change of heart, attitudes and lifestyles.” (FT 166)

 And in his more recent exhortation, Laudate Deum, he emphasized the urgency of bold and collective climate action: “It is no longer possible to doubt the human – ‘anthropic’ – origin of climate change. Climate change is one of the principal challenges facing society and the global community.” (LD 11)

His consistent witness gave voice to the voiceless—migrants, indigenous peoples, the victims of war and trafficking, and our wounded planet. He gave moral language to political, economic, and cultural debates and pointed us always toward the Gospel imperative of mercy and justice.

 As JPIC promoters, we have lost a visionary leader, a spiritual father, and a fellow pilgrim deeply committed to transforming structures of injustice and sowing seeds of hope. Yet even in our mourning, we give thanks—because Pope Francis’ legacy endures in our ministries, in our advocacy, in our prayers, and in the dreams of the countless young people he inspired.

 May we honor him not only in words but in action, by courageously continuing his mission. Let us walk together—as artisans of peace, guardians of creation, and builders of a just and fraternal world.

We entrust Pope Francis to the tender mercy of God, whom he served so humbly and joyfully. May he now rest in the eternal embrace of the One he called Abba, and may his intercession guide us still.

 With deep sympathy and unwavering hope,

Fr. Roy Thomas SVD & Sr. Maamalifar Poreku MSOLA

Executive Co-Secretaries

JPIC Commission – USG-UISG,

(Readings for Saturday 26th April: Acts 4:13-21; Ps 117:1, 14-21; Mark 16:9-15)

There have been many – and no doubt will be more – views and versions of what was the vision of Pope Francis. For many – perhaps a majority – this will be mercy, mindful of the opening two lines of his inauguration of the Extraordinary Year of Mercy ten years ago – ‘Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith’.  The central symbol of the papacy of Francis was the Good Samaritan, the compassionate figure whom he constantly referred and had recourse to, reminding all the faithful of the final words of Jesus in the parable, ‘Go and do likewise’ (Luke 10:37). Indeed, mercy was the moral-pastoral principle that he adopted, acted and advocated throughout his travels and teaching.

Spiritually Hope was his signature which he signed off with, dying during the Jubilee Year which he inaugurated with the title taken from Saint Paul, ‘Hope does not disappoint’ (Romans 5:5). He begins ‘In the spirit of hope’, bearing the blessing ‘To all who read this letter may hope fill your hearts’. This spiritual thread runs through to his final Message For World Mission Day in the Jubilee Year 2025, ‘the central message of which is hope’.[1] Francis was an apostle of Hope, going to peoples and places that were off the map of political, economic and cultural significance. Identifying with those on his beloved ‘peripheries’, the poor of the earth and indeed the poor earth itself, he indicated his understanding and undertaking of God’s unbreakable involvement with the world and its salvation in Christ.

Today’s two readings – in particular their endings – offer a theological take on the mission of Francis’ papacy. The first reading – from Acts of the Apostles – ends with the statement that ‘all the people were giving glory to God for what had happened’ (4:21). As a Jesuit Francis was devoted to the motto Ad maiorem Dei gloriam – ‘to the greater glory of God’. The church dare not forget God at the expense of focusing exclusively on the experience of the disciples, especially in Easter time. Without God who raised Jesus from the dead there is a danger of self-glorification. In his commentary on the Gospel of John Raymond Brown divided it into two parts, calling the second ‘The Book of Glory’, describing it whereby ‘the Word shows his glory by returning to the Father in death, resurrection and ascension. Fully glorified, he communicates the Spirit of life’.[2] To adapt an image from the same Gospel, the ‘seamless garment’ of Jesus was not a shroud but a veil covering his glory, ‘the glory as of an only-begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth’ (1:14). The Father’s glory is the fountain of grace in Christ flowing through the Holy Spirit.

The close of the Gospel reading gives us Jesus’ final communication and commission – ‘And he said to them, “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation’ (Mark 16:15). From the outset Pope Francis expressed, endorsed and exhorted evangelization, expressly in the opening of his first major document The Joy of the Gospel: ‘In this Exhortation I encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come’.[3] The double reference to ‘new’ here heralded a hugely significant era of synodality (ongoing) in the church.

Evangelization emerges from and ends in the glory of God. God’s glory is the goal of evangelization. God’s glory is the horizon (an image much loved and used by Francis) of mission. Within this infinite horizon – not a contradiction but a celebration of mystery – Francis focused and formulated the Message For World Mission Day: ‘I have chosen the motto: “Missionaries of Hope Among all Peoples”.

Brother Francis, priest and pastor, prophet and Pope, we commend you to ‘the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation’ (2 Corinthians 1:3) through the Holy Spirit of compassion.  Calling to mind your own wise, warm and wonderful way with words – ‘For Christians, the Word is God, and all our human words bear traces of an intrinsic longing for God, a tending towards that Word’[4] – we pray for your final journey, ‘But trailing clouds of glory do we come/From God, who is our home’.[5]

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA

^[1] Available at www.vatican.va
[2] An Introduction to the New Testament, New York, Doubleday, 1996, 334.
[3] Evangelii Gaudium – The Joy of the Gospel, Dublin, Veritas, 2013, Par. 1.
[4] Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis on the Role of Literature in Formation, 17th July 2024, in The Furrow, 75, October 2024, 566-576, here 572, (par.24).
[5] William Wordsworth, ‘Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood’, in eds. Margaret Ferguson, Mary Jo Salter and Jon Stallworthy, The Norton Anthology of Poetry (Fifth Edition), New York: W.W.Norton, 2005, 796-801, here 798.

At 9:45 AM, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta with these words:

“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”    _{(VATICAN NEWS)}

This month’s chapter of the SMA Journal begins with Tom Tom McEnery who has worked with the SMA in Wilton for over 60 years. We then hear memories of Archbishop Michael Francis from Sr Margaret Kiely, followed by news of two recent publications by SMA authors.  We also remember two recent deaths in the SMA Community and finally we have a thought-filled poem for Lent. 

Technology should not benefit only the few

Let us pray that the use of the new technologies will not replace human relationships, will respect the dignity of the person, and will help us face the crises of our times. Technology should be at the service of every person, especially the weakest, and for taking care of the earth.

TEXT OF POPE’S MESSAGE
How I would like for us to look less at screens and look each other in the eyes more!
Something’s wrong if we spend more time on our cell phones than with people. The screen makes us forget that there are real people behind it who breathe, laugh, and cry.
It’s true, technology is the fruit of the intelligence God gave us. But we need to use it well. It can’t benefit only a few while excluding others.
So, what should we do? We should use technology to unite, not to divide. To help the poor. To improve the lives of the sick and persons with different abilities. Use technology to care for our common home. To connect as brothers and sisters.
It’s when we look at each other in the eyes that we discover what really matters: that we are brothers, sisters, children of the same Father.
Let us pray that the use of the new technologies will not replace human relationships, will respect the dignity of the person, and will help us face the crises of our times.

Pope Francis – April 2025

A short poem reflecting on the meaning of Lent by the American poet Ann Weems.

Below is the 2025 Programme outlining nineteen events that will take place at the Centre in the coming months. Dromantine Retreat and Conference Centre welcomes bookings for Congregational Chapters, Assemblies, Diocesan and School Retreats.

Readings: Hosea 5:15-6:6; Psalm 50:3-4,18-21; Luke 18:9-14

Prophets are expected to be passionate and Hosea does not disappoint today, treating us to a cocktail of toughness and tenderness, ‘He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us’. Metaphors of both healing and prosecution are inter-mingled in the scriptures, serving to remind that salvation from God is about forgiveness of sins and freedom from injury. While we are told, ‘I have torn them to pieces by the prophets’, the thrust of God’s word talks of putting His people together again, indicated in the beautiful images of the inbreaking dawn and the impact of rain which we appreciate at this time of year.

The tone of the Gospel reading is more subdued, showing the contrast between the attitudes of the Pharisee and tax-collector. However, both of them are passionate, the one in his hubris and haughtiness, the other in his hiddenness and humility. In his Gospel which speaks often of prayer, particularly the prayer of Jesus, Luke tells us that the Pharisee ‘said this prayer to himself’ while the tax-collector is described as ‘not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven, beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner”. The former is in a competitive mood, the latter calling for compassion.

Approaching the mid-point of Lent, today’s readings ask us to listen and look at the image of God we relate to. Is God a book keeper writing down and recording our frequent failures to be good and do what is right, to be used in evidence against us? Considering this impression, it is important  to remember that the saint to whom task of collating charge sheets is often delegated – Peter – is a prototype of the tax-collector and his ilk, including in the church. Indeed Peter personifies the prophet’s prerequisite – ‘what I want is love, not sacrifice’ – responding positively, if painfully, to the question put to him three times by Jesus after the Resurrection – ‘Do you love me?’.

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA

A short poem by Fr Flor McCarthy SDB suitable for this time of Lent.  Before looking out, look in. 

“En Route Towards 2026” is a historic triple milestone for the SMA and OLA. 2026 will mark:

• 170 Years of the Foundation of the Society of African Missions (SMA)
• 150 Years of the Foundation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) and
• 200 Years since the birth of Fr. Augustine Planque, the 2nd Superior General of the SMA and Founder of the OLA. 

Preparation for the 2026 celebrations are being overseen by the Commission for the Common SMA OLA Heritage. It is composed of three OLA Sisters and three SMA Fathers.  The purpose of the commission is to help both the SMA and OLA to rediscover their spirituality and charism and to adapt them to the present time.  The “En Route towards 2026 programme aims to help in achieving this goal or purpose. There will be three stages in the events planned for  2026 – the first in Benin in April and then move to France in July, where events will take place in Chemy, the birthplace of Fr Planque and then in Lyon, the place where the the SMA began.  

Below is a short video featuring the OLA Congregational Leader, Sr Mary T Barron and the SMA Superior General, Fr Antonio Porcellato It was made to launch the “En route Towards 2026” celebration. 

Readings: Micah 7:14-15,18-20; Psalm 102:1-4, 9-12; Luke 15:1-3,11-32.

People are very familiar with the plot of the parable of The Prodigal Son a younger son claims the share of the homestead as his heritage and heads off for a distant country where he blows it all away. Returning home in tatters and tears hoping for a place in his father’s house, he receives a welcome worthy of a prince which is much to the disgust of his older sibling who has constantly kept his shoulder to the wheel working for his father in the fields. This is the third parable in a row about losing and finding, following those of the lost sheep and coin.

A staple of many Reconciliation Services, especially in the season of Lent, the story epitomizes a theme at the heart of the Gospel of Luke, namely hospitality. In the Emmaus story Jesus turns the tables on the two who have begged him to stay with them through the evening and take his meal with them; here the wastrel of a younger son is welcomed home to the extent that their father even begs his older son to let go of resentment and rejection in receiving his wayward brother home. That is how the parable concludes, having made its point about the mercy of the parent whom Luke’s mentor, Paul, proclaimed in praising ‘the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation’ (2 Corinthians 1:3).

The First Reading and Psalm together form a wonderful commentary on the Gospel. ‘What god can compare with you: taking fault away…delighting in showing mercy?’ The prophet Micah’s question is rhetorical, the answer already given by God which leads to the assurance of asking, ‘Grant Jacob your faithfulness, and Abraham your mercy’. God’s faithful mercy is the foundation of the covenant which shall never fail. The Psalmist is in penitential mode, moved to praise and give thanks for God’s mercy shown. Two metaphors – one medicinal, ‘who heals every one of your ills’, the other criminal, ‘He does not treat us according to our sins’ – coalesce in the confession of God’s healing and forgiving love. The Gospel will present this merciful love which is beyond comparison, in the hospitality shown to the prodigal son and the hope that the dutiful son will join in the celebrations.

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA

A short reflection from Fr Michael McCabe on the meaning of Lent.  It is only two and a half minutes long and was first published in our recent SMA Journal for March 2025.   

A brief message and some food for thought to help and guide us in this busy world.

Let us pray that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, rediscovering each other’s gifts, even in their differences.

•  the Pope asks us to pray “that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds.”
• He emphasizes that forgiveness always renews the family and allows family members to look ahead with hope. 
• Even when a “happy ending” is not possible, forgiveness “brings peace, because it frees us from sadness and resentment.”

TEXT OF POPE’S MESSAGE
We all dream about a beautiful, perfect family. But there’s no such thing as a perfect family. Every family has its own problems, as well as its tremendous joys.
Every member of the family is important because each member is different than the others, each person is unique. But these differences can also cause conflict and painful wounds.
And the best medicine to heal the pain of a wounded family is forgiveness.
Forgiveness means giving another chance. God does this with us all the time. God’s patience is infinite. He forgives us, lifts us up, gives us a new start. Forgiveness always renews the family, making it look forward with hope.
Even when there’s no possibility of the “happy ending” we’d like, God’s grace gives us the strength to forgive, and it brings peace, because it frees us from sadness, and, above all, from resentment.

Let us pray that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, rediscovering each other’s gifts, even in their differences.

Pope Francis – March 2025

In this month’s chapter of the SMA Journal for March 2025 we begin by praying for Pope Francis using words written by Fr Kevin O Gorman SMA.  We invite you to pray them with us. The text of the prayer is available via https://sma.ie/prayer-for-pope-francis/. 

Next, we hear about how Parishioners in the SMA Parish Blackrock Road support  mission projects in Africa thought the Parish Aid For Africa (PAFA) fund.

Then we have a short reflection about the meaning of Lent from Fr Michael McCabe SMA and finally an announcement about the availability of a new book written by Fr Luigi Maccalli SMA, telling of his two years in captivity in the Sahara desert. QR codes needed to order the book and also linking to an interview with Fr Luigi are included. 

In his Message for Lent 2025, Pope Francis reflects the theme of the Jubilee Year by inviting the faithful to use this season as an opportunity to “journey together in hope.”   He develops the idea of journeying – an “arduous path from slavery to freedom.”   He also speaks of undertaking this journey “together” – Christians must walk together towards God rather than in isolation- “consolidating the unity grounded in our common dignity as children of God (…) without letting anyone be left behind or excluded.”  Finally, we must journey in hope, anchored in God’s promise of salvation and eternal life fulfilled in Jesus’ Resurrection, the victory over sin and death.  Referencing Saint Teresa of Avila, the message urges the faithful to remain watchful and patient, understanding that God’s promises will be fulfilled in His time.

Let us journey together in hope

Readings: Ecclesiasticus:17:1-15, Ps. 102:13-18; Mark 10:13-16.

The readings today offer two ways to God – the way of wisdom and the way of innocence. As we are reminded that God ‘made [people] in his own image’ the author recalls the way of wisdom which is represented in human beings by having knowledge of good and evil and having ‘His own light in their hearts’. After describing the generous and gracious dealings of God with humanity it is justice that God desires, even demands: ‘He said to them, ‘Beware of all wrong-doing’; he gave each a commandment concerning his neighbour’. Sadly, looking around the world at present and listening to reports from reputable journalists and media outlets, the value of this basic commandment – of the virtue of justice which is basic to the natural law, at the heart of a common human moral sense – is being violated by a violence ranging from knife attacks to bombs that are random and ruinous with civilians suffering most the consequences of conflicts. The way of wisdom warns us that a life leading to God is not possible without looking to the good of others.

Building on the wisdom and prophetic writings of the Hebrew scriptures about justice, Jesus reveals the way of innocence, firstly, by displaying his indignation at the attitude and action of the disciples turning the children away and secondly, by introducing the ‘little children’ in the terms that ‘it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs’. The dovetailing of these ways of wonder and innocence is reflected par excellence in the young Carmelite in Lisieux who, through her inquiring mind and childlike trust in God, earned the title Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.

A sense of wonder is the way to trust and innocence leads to love. These were linked in her life and legacy to the church, described by Pope Francis: ‘One of the most important insights of Thérèse for the benefit of the entire People of God is her “little way”, the path of trust and love, also known as the way of spiritual childhood. Everyone can follow this way, whatever their age or state in life. It is the way that the heavenly Father reveals to the little ones’.[1]

Recovery of wonder and innocence is a huge call and challenge in a highly cynical and conflictual age. Wonder opens the window to hope and innocence incarnates humility, virtues that are vital in an otherwise vicious and violent world. A humility grounded in being truly human allows the Holy Spirit to let  hope grow, both for the good of humanity, the earth, and the glory of God.

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA  

[1] ^{C’est la confiance – On Confidence in the Merciful Love of God: For the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face’, 15th October 2023, Par. 14. Available at www.Vatican.va [accessed 25th February 2025]}

Fr Peddy Sinda SMA (left)is originally from Kabwe-Zambia. He was ordained on the 29th August,2020 and assigned to work in Sierra Leone. 

(Article courtesy of Agenzia Fides)  “Our mission in Sierra Leone is gradually growing, as is the number of Christians and small communities. People continue to come and live their faith with great enthusiasm and participation,” says Father Peddy Sinda, of the Society of African Missions (SMA), responsible for the mission of St. John the Baptist in Buedu, Kailahun district, diocese of Kenema.

“Most of the villages where we serve do not have a church or oratory,” explains the missionary. “Since many elderly people can no longer walk to the parish, we have just opened a new mission station. However, we have been subject to theft and intrusion due to the exposed location of the mission house.”

The St. John the Baptist Catholic Church-Buedu Mission opened its doors on December 13, 2020 and was entrusted to the SMA Fathers. The mission serves more than 27 villages, of which only six have a place of worship (oratory). “Fowa, in the Kailahun district, is one of the villages that does not have one. Its population, mostly of Kissi ethnicity, has about 273 Catholics, including men, women and children, some already baptized and confirmed.”

“This municipality has great potential to become a ‘Christian city’,” says Father Sinda, who has just returned from the inauguration of the new SMA mission in the diocese of Bo, where the missionaries have opened their third evangelization territory in Sierra Leone. However, despite the growth of faith, many faithful must travel almost eight miles every Sunday to attend Mass at the Buedu church, a distance impossible to cover for the sick and elderly. “They are mainly farmers and can barely afford one meal a day. They long for a place of worship,” underlines Father Sinda.

The pastoral activities of the SMA missionaries in this region include the administration of the sacraments, visiting the sick and the elderly, school pastoral care – with five primary schools and one secondary school – youth support programs, training of community prayer leaders, animation of the Holy Childhood, programs for the emancipation of women and raising awareness in the community. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 14/2/2025)

In recent times the subject of Artificial intelligence has become a burning issue and a source of worry and fear for many.  At the end of January 2025, the Church published ANTIQUA ET NOVA – Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence.   Here we link to an article, written by the OLA Communications Officer,  Michelle Robertson and published on the OLA Ireland.ie website. It gives a brief overview of this relatively short document and its contents.  It also links to the full text.

Click here to read article https://www.olaireland.ie/resources/the-vaticans-stance-on-ai-understanding-antiqua-et-nova/https://www.olaireland.ie/resources/the-vaticans-stance-on-ai-understanding-antiqua-et-nova/ 

This article from Agenzia Fides and written by by Antonella Prenna tells of the great role that Cardinal Gantin has played in the development of the Church in Africa.  It also highlights his close links with the Society of African Missions. 

Rome (Agenzia Fides) – The main airport in Benin, his homeland, is named after Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, who died in 2008. Seventeen years after his death, it was the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Lazio, on 14 January 2025, who approved the process for opening the beatification and canonization process. And it was the Vicariate of Rome that issued the Edict calling on its diocesan Tribunal to “collect all information from which one can in any way derive elements that speak for or against the reputation of holiness of the said Servant of God”.

The Process for the canonization of the Beninese cardinal, starting with the actors involved, thus highlights one of the traits that characterized the entire human and Christian adventure of this “African giant”, as John Paul II called him: his passionate identification with the Church of Rome, which nourished his missionary heart and also embraced his love for his homeland.

“Undoubtedly, the main ambition of a Christian is not to be beatified or canonized, but to be faithful, to be a person of faith in Christ, who renders Christ present and bears witnesses to him in every aspect and area of this earthly life. This is an obligation for the Christian “charged with mission”, for one who has received the command to proclaim the Gospel,” said the Cardinal in his commentary on the Pope’s missionary prayer intention for November 2004 (Fides, 28/10/2004).

“With great gratitude to the Successor of Peter, I look to the future, on the eve of new horizons, to always carry Rome in my heart, just as I have tried to bring the Church of my country to Rome, the city of Peter,” he said in the homily he gave at the tomb of Saint Peter under the high Altar in St. Peter’s Basilica on 3 December 2002, in which Gantin once again stressed that the missionary, even if he comes from a particular nation, must have a “Roman heart” that is not so much related to the earthly “civitas” but rather to the Eternal City, that is, to the Pope, the Successor of Peter.

A missionary in body and soul, Cardinal Gantin understood the mission as the key to understanding his personal existence and his priesthood.

In an interview with Joseph Ballong, the director of the Franco-African program of Vatican Radio, who died on February 1st of this year, he expresses well how his positive response to Paul VI’s request to serve at the head of the Roman Curia profoundly marked his life and determined his vocation as a world missionary. It was a matter of saying “yes” to the call of the Holy Father, following in the footsteps of the missionaries who gave the same response, to evangelize Africa. For Cardinal Gantin, being Christian means first and foremost being a missionary, that is, becoming a true witness to the Good News of salvation and making Jesus present in every culture and every situation.

Speaking in Ronco Scrivia (Italy), the birthplace of Father Francesco Borghero of the Society of African Missions, one of the missionaries who began to preach the Gospel in his native Benin, he said: “I am deeply moved to bring you, in my humble person, a sign of the gratitude that the Church of Africa feels for the missionaries who, renouncing every human satisfaction, no matter how legitimate, have placed their health, their physical and mental strength, every strength, talent and opportunity at the service of the evangelization of Africa, enduring enormous difficulties and sacrifices. I do not forget that my own belonging to the Catholic Church and the choice of my life in the Christian faith are certainly linked to this evangelization in Dahomey, today’s Benin”.  The surname Gantin means “iron tree of the African land”, and his people and his land were and are always present in his life.

The deep bond of the future Blessed Gantin with the Society of African Missions is confirmed by testimonies of people who shared important moments and fundamental aspects of their lives with him.

“It was June 21, 1975, a Saturday. A year later, Lorenzo Mandirola and I, who studied at the same seminary, will be ordained priests for the Mission ‘ad Gentes’,” said Father Sandro Lafranconi (SMA), who had received the deacon’s ordination from Cardinal Gantin,” the missionary currently working in Polynesia told Fides.

“Bishop Bernardin Gantin, who had already been called to Rome to work in the Roman Curia, was invited to our SMA provincial house in Genoa to ordain us deacons. If his presence at our ordination to the diaconate was of particular importance, it was even more important for him to come to Genoa and, on this occasion, to travel as far as Ronco, a small village in the Scrivia Valley, behind the Ligurian capital. In fact, it was from this very village that Father Francesco Borghero, a member of the SMA, who was barely 30 years old at the time, set out at the end of 1800. Father Borghero was one of the first to arrive in Dahomey, now Benin, to bring the first mustard seed of the Gospel. A hundred years later, Bernardin Gantin was one of the fruits of the now vigorous plant of the Catholic Church, which had taken root and borne branches and leaves, and even fruit. A son of the soil of Benin, fruit of the tree of the Gospel planted there a century earlier.”

“I clearly remember the discretion, the silence and the recollection that could hardly contain his deep emotion when, at the end of Sunday Mass in the small church of Ronco Scrivia, he stopped to pray at the tomb of Father Borghero, now in a side chapel of the church itself,” said Father Sandro. “And he repeated that for him that day was the grateful and joyful return of a son to his father’s house. It was a loving and simple meeting with the ‘grand vieux’ who had brought the Gospel to his African homeland. If I am a Christian today and if my country knows the Risen Christ, I owe it to Father Borghero and my spiritual family of the Society of African Missions. And even if these are not his exact words, I take responsibility for having heard them spoken from his heart and from his lips.”

“A cheerful, simple, intelligent and cultured personality,” recalls Father Lafranconi. “His character and way of presenting himself, his discreet kindness and spontaneous directness prevented even the veil of racial differences and misunderstanding from creeping into his encounters. A natural bridge-builder between cultures and peoples, he became an outstanding representative of the Church because he managed to be discreet, modest and sincere.
How can we forget that Pope John Paul II gave him his papal cross to represent him in Lourdes when he was unable to travel there in that dramatic year in which he was the victim of the attack in St. Peter’s Square?”

“Ordained deacon by Bishop Gantin, I am always speechless when I realize that one of the most important moments of my life was marked by a person whose virtues are comparable to those of the saints,” concludes Father Lafranconi, with emotion.

Another memory of the “African giant” is that of Father Lorenzo Rapetti, currently Provincial Secretary of the Society of African Missions in Genoa.  “I came into contact with Cardinal Gantin in the 1970s when, as a missionary in the Ivory Coast in the Lakota mission, I was asked by the Provincial of the Society of African Missions in Paris to commission an ivory carver to carve and deliver to the Cardinal an altar in solid iroko wood, similar to the one he admired in the house of the Society of African Missions in Paris. He liked this altar and used it throughout his stay in Rome, first in San Callisto and then in the Vatican, to celebrate daily Mass. He also took it with him when he returned to Benin in 2002, where the altar still stands in the small chapel of the house where he spent his last years in Cotonou,” the missionary told Fides.

“The Cardinal,” Father Rapetti recalls, “was ideally part of the SMA family, but this affiliation also became concrete on June 25, 1993, when he was named an honorary member of the Society of African Missions. When he was named Cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977, the then Superior General of the Society of African Missions, Father Joseph Hardy, put the episcopal ring of the Order’s founder, De Marion-Brésillac, on his finger, which he returned when he returned to Benin,” the missionary said. “I knew of his connection with the Italian province of the Society of African Missions through the Ligurian missionary Father Francesco Borghero, who came from Ronco Scrivia and whom Gantin considered the real founder of the ecclesiastical mission in what was then Dahomey, later Benin,” Father Lorenzo continued. “I had the opportunity to get to know his talents and his personality better during the ten years I spent in Rome as general treasurer and in other areas of responsibility. He was often with us in the Generalate on important occasions, such as December 8th, the anniversary of the founding of the Society of the Society of African Missions (1856) and June 25, the anniversary of the death of our founder, Melchior-Marie De Marion Brésillac. I sometimes met him in Marino, near Rome, where he went to the Sisters of Notre Dame de la Apostle, who were also present in his life, and he fondly remembered the sisters who had accompanied and supported him during his early years of primary school and when he entered the seminary.”

Gantin’s link with the Society of African Missions extends from his education at the Sainte Jeanne d’Arc minor seminary and later at the Saint Gall major seminary, always under the watchful eye of the missionaries of the Society of African Missions, to his ordination as a priest by the laying on of hands by Archbishop Louis Parisot (SMA), whose successor he was to become at the head of the Archdiocese of Cotonou.

In April 1999, Gantin, who was Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops from 1984 to 1998, had spoken clearly in an interview with the monthly magazine 30Giorni to condemn the practice of transferring bishops from one diocese to another and to express his appreciation for the old discipline which tended to consider the successors of the Apostles as “stable” and permanent in the episcopal sees to which they were destined. “On his appointment,” the Cardinal said in the interview, “the bishop must be a father and a pastor for the people of God. One is always a father. Once a bishop is appointed to a particular see, he must generally and in principle stay there for ever. Let that be clear. The relationship between a bishop and a diocese is also depicted as a marriage and a marriage, according to the spirit of the Gospel, is indissoluble. The new bishop must not make other personal plans. There may well be serious reasons, very serious reasons for a decision by the authorities that the bishop go from one family, so to speak, to another. In making this decision, the authorities take numerous factors into consideration. They do not include an eventual desire by a bishop to change see”. In the same interview, Gantin questioned the then self-evident concept of “cardinalate dioceses”: “Today, in recently evangelized countries, in Asia and Africa for instance, there are no so-called cardinalates, in that the purple is conferred on the person. That should be the case everywhere, even in the West. There would be no deminutio capitis, nor would there be any lack of respect if, for example, the archbishop of the very great archbishopric of Milan, or of other very ancient and highly respected dioceses, were not made cardinal. It would not be a catastrophe”.

“I have now become a Roman too and I am returning to my Africa as a Roman missionary,” said Gantin, returning to his homeland after more than 30 years in the service of the Roman Curia. “I left Rome with my soul, but not with my heart. I remain a Roman missionary in my country, where I carry the care of the entire universal Church. I have been back here for two years. And I made this decision to pray, to help the bishops of my country with my presence and my prayers.”

He was the first African bishop in the Roman Curia and the first African cardinal to head a curial college: “Among the African bishops, he is one of the few who attended all the sessions of the Second Vatican Council; he contributed so much that he was the one chosen by Pope Paul VI when he wanted an African bishop in the Roman Curia. Because of his personal history, Cardinal Gantin was considered a leader among the bishops of Africa: he did not make much noise, he did not speak too loudly, but each of his words was worth a lot,” said Cardinal Francis Arinze. (Agenzia Fides, 8/2/2025)

Welcome the February edition of the SMA Journal for 2025.  This month we feature
– Traditions associated with St Brigid and how one was marked in SMA Parish Wilton.
– A report on the Oldest member of the Society of African Missions, Fr Al Cooney.
– A video made by SMAs and OLAs to highlight the life of St Josephine Bakhita and              the scourge of Human Trafficking.
– Our Congratulations to Fr Oliver Noonan SMA – PHD

God still calls young people even today, sometimes in ways we can’t imagine.  

 “For vocations to the priesthood and religious life” is the theme of the Pope’s prayer intention for the month of February 2025. This topic leads him to speak about young people, and the need to accompany them with their dreams and concerns. At the same time, he talks about a crucial moment in his own life.

TEXT OF POPE FRANCIS’ MESSAGE
When I was 17 years old, I was a student and was working. I had my own plans. I wasn’t thinking at all of being a priest. But one day, I went into the church…and God was there, waiting for me!
God still calls young people even today, sometimes in ways we can’t imagine. Sometimes we don’t hear because we’re too busy with our own things, our own plans, even with our own things in the Church.
But the Holy Spirit also speaks to us through dreams, and speaks to us through the concerns young people feel in their hearts. If we accompany their journeys, we’ll see how God is doing new things with them. And we’ll be able to welcome His call in ways that better serve the Church and the world today.
Let’s trust young people! And, above all, let’s trust God for He calls everyone!
Let us pray that the ecclesial community might welcome the desires and doubts of those young people who feel called to live Jesus’s mission in life: either through the priestly life, or religious life.

Welcome to the SMA International News – the first edition for 2025.  The topic of this bulletin is a recent meeting of SMA Formation Staff that took place in Cote d’Ivoire in January.  The week-long gathering was attended by formators who are less than ten years ordained. 

Fr. Albert Cooney SMA is one hundred years old.  He was born on January 7^th 1925 and raised in Tierlahood, Stradone, Co. Cavan.  He is now the sole surviving sibling of 13 children – 4 of whom chose the religious life and served in the missions of Australia, Philippines and Africa.  As a young man Albert, or Al as friends know him, emigrated to America. It was there that he met members of the American Province of the SMA and realised that he wanted to be a missionary priest.   

He joined the SMA and having completed his training and studies was ordained to the priesthood on 5^th February 1955. Thus, in addition being 100 years old, Fr Al is, this year, also celebrating the Platinum Jubilee of his Ordination – seventy years of priesthood and ministry.   During the last seven decades, Fr. Al has served in the SMA American Province’s Development and Animation House in Chicago; he ministered to African American and Caribbean Catholic communities in urban Los Angeles and in Florida.

Yet of all his mission assignments, the time dearest to Fr. Albert was the 38 years he spent in Liberia, West Africa, particularly in the coastal communities of Cape Palmas. In the best of times and the more challenging times, Fr. Al remained a steadfast figure for the people entrusted to him. Although the brutal civil war in the early 1990’s disrupted his work in Liberia he remained committed to giving of himself to a people for whom he had a special love. Open to the Holy Spirit, Fr. Cooney later returned to East Africa, shifting his service to the people of Kenya and he remained there until 2006.  He is now retired and living in the American Provincial House in Tenafly, New Jersey.

Fr. Cooney remains in good health, thanks be to God. He relished in the recent celebration of his 100 years that took place in Tenafly on his actual birthday, 7^th January 2025. He was joined by many family members as well as confreres who travelled from near and far to honor his life and service.

Our Superior General Fr. Antonio Porcelatto, SMA, came from Rome to lead the honors with the celebration of the Holy Mass. He presented Fr. Al with a special Papal blessing along with a lit candle from Rome as a symbol showing him as a reflection of the light of Christ and a light and hope to the Church. Fr. Antonio also acknowledged him as the oldest member of the S.M.A. worldwide and emphasized that his presence among us (both young and old) is truly a sign that we are “Pilgrims of Hope” on the journey in life. The three-minute standing ovation was just a mere glimpse of the immense joy expressed on that day. The Mass was followed by a lively luncheon full of song, tears and laughter.

Fr. Al remains the man, the missionary and the priest who still lights up the room with his lively smile and wit. His century of wisdom is a pearl of great worth, his courage is admirable. He lives a faith rarely seen these days and his humility is worth noting – he just wants to remain a “hidden instrument in the hand of God.”

We S.M.A. Fathers are so very proud of the man who wants to remain hidden. This is a great milestone in his life as well as the life and patrimony of the African Mission Fathers. Thank you, to his parents and family for giving Fr. Al to us and for allowing us to share with you and to honor one of Ireland’s “great missionaries.” 

Thanks to Fr Dermot S. Roache SMA, Vice Provincial of the American Province for this article.

In his Apostolic Exhortation The Word of the Lord written after the 2009 Synod of Bishops on the Word of God – Pope Benedict XVI wrote that ‘throughout the Synod we were accompanied by the testimony of the Apostle Paul’, on account of ‘the year dedicated to the great Apostle of the Nations on the two thousandth anniversary of his birth. Paul’s life was completely marked by his zeal for the spread of God’s word’.[1] It was down to the genius of Paul and the grace of the Holy Spirit that the Gospel was galvanised to go to the ends of the earth. As Benedict added ‘we cannot but think of Saint Paul and his life spent in spreading the message of salvation in Christ to all peoples’.

Today we celebrate the Conversion of Saint Paul, the remarkable reversal and role of the man who absolutely altered the course of his life, from being an attacker of the church to becoming an Apostle, the one sent to the Gentile world to announce the faith, love and hope that the Gospel gives. From being persecutor and prosecutor of those disciples who – we are told in the Acts of the Apostles, ‘in Antioch were first called “Christians”’ (11:26) – Paul became the proclaimer of Christ and proponent of the church. Tomes, theses and talks have poured out and been pored over on the person who is probably best perceived and presented in the short yet succinct title of a book published nearly fifty years ago – Paul, Mystic and Missionary.[2]

Sometimes controversial yet always clear and concise, Paul captures and communicates the message of the Gospel that comes to us through the centuries. A man in a hurry, he left the details of the message of Christ’s life, teaching and Passion to his protégé Luke (and the other evangelists). For Paul the point of departure is the Resurrection of Jesus who revealed himself to Paul in a dramatic fashion. In this week of both Prayer for Christian Unity and Catholic Schools, Paul is Patron of all that is authentically apostolic and genuinely Gospel oriented. Zealous to the end, Paul left a legacy in his letters which are still the zenith of Christian spirituality.

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA 

^{[1] Verbum Domini – The Word of the Lord, Rome, September 2010, par. 4.}

                                                                                                       ^{[2] Bernard T. Smyth, Paul, Mystic and Missionary, Maryknoll, New York, Orbis Books, 1980.}

Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) and Society of African Missions (SMA) wish to recruit a full-time Justice Officer.  The Joint Justice Officer’s role is to promote social and environmental justice through advocacy and awareness-raising, grounded in Catholic Social Teaching. This position is fulltime and is ideal for someone passionate about social and environmental justice, who appreciates Catholic Social Teaching and has experience working within a Christian ethos. The ideal candidate will be an effective project manager and strategic thinker, demonstrating strong communication skills and a collaborative work style.

Qualification/Experience

• Professional qualification and/or equivalent experience of working in areas of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation.

Competencies/Skills

• Experience and skilled in project management and strategic thinking.
• A capacity to work with, build and lead collaborative networks and platforms.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills, including the ability to write articles and reports and deliver presentations.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to build strong working relationships.
• Ability to work on own initiative with excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to work effectively as part of the OLA and SMA teams.
• Ability to work to tight deadlines.
• Strong administrative skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office or equivalent. A basic understanding of social media is an advantage.
• An understanding and appreciation of Catholic Social Teaching.
• A willingness to learn about the OLA & SMA congregations and to engage with OLA & SMA personnel.
• Respect for the Christian ethos and missionary commitment of the OLA & SMA.
• Experience of working in developing countries, especially in Africa, is an advantage.
• Experience of working within, or cooperating with, Church and other groups in a faith-based environment, is an advantage

Salary: €30,000 – 40,000  depending on experience

Hours: This will be a full-time role comprising a working week of 40 hours per week.  This position will require working outside of normal business hours, including evenings and weekends if required.

Location: This position will be located OLA Provincial Offices, Ardfoyle Convent, Ballintemple, Cork. Travel to other OLA/SMA locations will be required.

Application deadline: Tue 11^th Feb.

For a full job description and personnel specification and application process please download from the following link: https://bit.ly/justiceofficerjd   

^{Below is edited text from a report published by Agenzia Fides on 15-1.25:}
“Child abuse, of whatever nature, is a despicable act, it is a heinous act. It is not simply a blight on society, no, it is a crime! And it is a gross violation of God’s commandments. No child should be abused. Even one case is already too many”.

Pope Francis chose strong words, already pronounced on other occasions, to denounce the atrocious scourge of child exploitation, during a general audience in the Vatican  during the second week of January, as part of the short cycle of catechisms on children….A week earlier the Pontiff had focused on how, in his work, Jesus had repeatedly spoken of the importance of protecting, welcoming and loving the little ones (see Fides, 8/1/2025), today he pointed out how in today’s society “hundreds of millions of minors, despite not being of the minimum age to undergo the obligations of adulthood, are forced to work and many of them are slaves to trafficking for prostitution or pornography, and forced marriages”. “And this is rather bitter”, added the Pope, noting: “In our societies, unfortunately, there are many ways in which children are abused and mistreated”. 

“It is necessary to awaken our consciences” and “to practice closeness and genuine solidarity with abused children and young people”, creating, at the same time, “synergies” between organizations “to offer” these little ones who have seen their childhood taken away “opportunities and safe places in which to grow up serenely”.

Widespread poverty, the shortage of social support tools for families, the increased marginality in recent years along with unemployment and job insecurity are, in the words of the Pontiff, “factors that burden the youngest with the highest price to pay”. And this is seen most in the metropolises, where the social divide and moral decay “bite”, there are children engaged in drug dealing and the most diverse illicit activities”. These children become “sacrificial victims” and, sometimes, “tragically they are induced to become “executioners” of their peers, as well as damaging themselves, their dignity and humanity. And yet, when on the street, in the neighbourhood of the parish, and these lost lives present themselves before our eyes, we often look the other way”.

It pains us to recognize the social injustice that drives two children, perhaps living in the same neighbourhood or apartment block, to take diametrically opposed paths and destinies because one of them was born into a disadvantaged family. An unacceptable human and social divide: between those who can dream and those who must succumb.

Pope Francis then recalled the story of little Loan, a 5-year-old boy who disappeared in June last year in the province of Corrientes, Argentina, and who is suspected of being the victim of a human trafficking network: “his whereabouts are unknown. And one of the theories is that he has been sent to have his organs removed, for transplants. And this happens, as you well know. This happens! Some return with a scar, others die. This is why today I would like to remember this boy Loan”.

But Jesus, the Bishop of Rome emphasized. “wants us all free and happy. That is why He asks us to stop and listen to the suffering of the voiceless, the uneducated. Fighting exploitation, especially child exploitation, is the way to build a better future for the whole of society. And so, we can ask ourselves: what can I do?” The Pope suggested for example, to stop purchasing “products that involve child labour. How can we eat and dress, knowing that behind that food and those garments there are exploited children, who work instead of going to school? Awareness of what we purchase is a first act in order not to be complicit. Some will say that, as individuals, we cannot do much. True, but each one can be a drop that, together with many other drops, can become a sea. However, institutions, including church institutions, and companies must also be reminded of their responsibility: they can make a difference by shifting their investments to companies that do not use or permit child labour”.

Finally, the Pope appealed to states and international organisations to “do more” and the exhortation to journalists “to do their part: they can help raise awareness of the problem and help find solutions”. Do not be afraid, denounce, denounce these things”.

In greeting the many pilgrims in Paul VI Hall, the Pontiff’s thoughts went to Myanmar, where “a landslide the day before yesterday swept away houses and left victims, missing people and enormous damage. “I am close to the people affected by this disaster and I pray for those who have lost their lives and for their families. May these brothers and sisters, who are enduring such trials, not lack the support and solidarity of the international community”.

Therefore, before the final blessing, the appeal for peace: “Let us pray for peace. War is always a defeat. And please let us also pray for the conversion of the hearts of the arms manufacturers, because with their products they help to kill…”, the Pope concluded. (Agenzia Fides, 15/1/2025)

In this month Pope Francis asks us to pray for migrants, refugees and those affected by war, that their right to an education, which is necessary to build a better world, might always be respected.

TEXT OF POPE FRANCIS MESSAGE
Today we’re experiencing an “educational catastrophe.” This is no exaggeration. Due to wars, migration, and poverty, some 250 million boys and girls lack education.

And let’s never forget that whoever welcomes the foreigner, welcomes Jesus Christ.
Let us pray for migrants, refugees and those affected by war, that their right to an education, which is necessary to build a more human world, might always be respected.

Pope Francis – January 2025

The Jubilee Year began on Christmas Eve 2024 and was marked by the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican immediately before Pope Francis celebrated midnight Mass. The Holy Door represents the passage to salvation opened by Jesus to humanity. When announcing the Jubilee Year Pope Francis, in the opening paragraph of Spes non Confundit says, “For everyone, may the Jubilee be a moment of genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the ‘door’ … of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere and to all as “our hope” (1 Tim1:1).

The origin of the Christian Jubilee goes back to Old Testament times in which Law of Moses prescribed a special year for the Jewish people: “You shall hallow the fiftieth year and proclaim the liberty throughout the land, to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family. This fiftieth year is to be a jubilee year for you.” (Leviticus 25, 10-14) The trumpet with which this particular year was announced was a goat’s horn called Yobel in Hebrew, and is the origin of the word jubilee. The celebration of this year also included the restitution of land to the original owners, the remission of debts, the liberation of slaves and the land was left fallow. In the New Testament, Jesus presents himself as the One who brings the old Jubilee to completion, because he has come to “preach the year of the Lord’s favour” (Isaiah 61: 1-2).

The theme for  the 2025 Jubilee is “Pilgrims of Hope.”  In the document announcing this year, i.e. “Spes Non Confundit” or “Hope does not disappoint,” Pope Francis states, “Everyone knows what it is to hope”…“In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring….“ For all of us, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope. God’s word helps us find reasons for that hope.”  Pope Francis also hopes the year draws Catholics toward patience, which he described as a “virtue closely linked to hope,” yet can feel elusive in “our fast-paced world, we are used to wanting everything now.” (Par 4)

In the Roman Catholic tradition, a Holy Year, or Jubilee is a great religious event. It is a year of forgiveness of sins and also the punishment due to sin, it is a year of reconciliation between adversaries, of conversion and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and consequently of solidarity, hope, justice, commitment to serve God with joy and in peace with our brothers and sisters. A Jubilee year is above all the year of Christ, who brings life and grace to humanity.

This Jubilee Year is also a call for Christian action.  Pope Francis calls on us to be tangible signs of hope showing our concern for peace in the world, openness to life and responsible parenthood, and closeness to prisoners, the poor, the sick, the young, the elderly, migrants and people “in difficult situations.” Pope Francis has called on affluent counties to forgive the debts of countries that would never be able to repay them, and address “ecological debt,” which he described as “connected to commercial imbalances with effects on the environment and the disproportionate use of natural resources by certain countries over long periods of time.” (Par 16)

It is also a year of Pilgrimage with a projected thirty-five million visitors expected in Rome for a series of events planned to mark the year.  The 2025 Jubilee Year also looks forward to 2033 when the church will mark the 2,000th anniversary of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection, which Pope Francis called “another fundamental celebration for all Christians.”

The Jubilee Year concludes with the closing of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica Jan. 6, 2026, on the feast of the Epiphany.

Readings:   Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12

Theme: ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage’ (Mt 2:2)

 Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, one of the most important celebrations of the Liturgical Year – a feast with particular significance for missionaries.  The word Epiphany comes from the Greek word ‘Epiphaneia’, which means revelation or manifestation. This great feast celebrates the revelation of the light of Christ to all the nations and peoples of the world, represented by the Magi or the Wise Men. It is an appropriate occasion to thank God for our missionary vocation.

In today’s gospel we hear the captivating story how the certain wise men (Magi)  from the East, guided by a Star, come to visit to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. The Magi saw the star from afar and they knew that a very prominent event was about to happen, the birth of a great King, destined to bring integrity and justice to the world, an event foretold by many prophets and wise men throughout the centuries and millennia past. The Magi undertook a long and arduous journey from their own lands, enduring difficult conditions to reach the place indicated by the star. Although their names are not recorded in the Scriptures, Church tradition has given them the names of Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar. Their places of origin are often given as India, Persia and Arabia or other distant lands. On entering the place indicated by the star, ‘they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh’ (Mt 2: 11-12).

While this beautiful story should not be taken literally, it is a superb summary of the entire life of Jesus and every element in it is rich in symbolism. Jesus’ birth was like a star rising in the skies to guide people on their pilgrimage of life. His birth has an important background, highlighted by John in his prologue to his Gospel – the moment when the Eternal Word gave birth to the Universe, nearly 14 billion years ago. This is, as theologians today increasingly recognise, the first incarnation of God, a free and creative event with particles of matter and light expanding in an endless adventure. The initial birthing of our universe eventually gave rise to our Star, the Sun, the source of the atmosphere of our planet and of all living beings. At a certain moment in time this cosmic unfolding story converged in a unique and incomparable conjunction of light and love, of human and divine, in the historical person of Jesus. So, with the Magi, we contemplate the mystery of the Word Incarnate, the Cosmic energy of love shining in the defenceless and tender flesh of a baby.

The story of the Magi, as recounted by Matthew, shows how Jesus is recognised as the Messiah and universal Lord by those who genuinely sought wisdom, while many of his own people rejected him for various reasons. The political leaders, represented by Herod and the Jerusalem elite were perturbed. They felt threatened by a child! The Chief priests and scribes had access to all the right texts. But their knowledge of the texts did not open their hearts and guide them along the road of faith – a warning surely to those who are too sure of themselves and their knowledge.  The wise men, however, were seekers, and willing to undertake a long and hazardous journey. And, as Matthew tells us, led by a star they found the house and went inside. The house represents the house of faith. The gifts of the Magi, the gold, frankincense and myrrh express the true nature of Jesus, Universal King and Lord of all Creation, Eternal High Priest and Suffering Servant. The gift of gold expresses the real significance of Christ’s Kingship; incense is a sign of his Priesthood; while myrrh signifies the manner in which he would fulfil his role as Messiah – his suffering and death.

At the time the Gospel of Matthew was written, around 85 AD, most of the Jews had rejected Jesus Christ and his message. However, the Gentile nations had responded to the preaching of Paul and his companions and were entering the house of faith, the Church. In today’s second reading we find Paul rejoicing that ‘the pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are part of the same body, and that the same promise is made to them, in Christ Jesus, through the gospel’ (Eph 3:5-6). This providential acceptance of Christ by the nations was foreseen and gloriously celebrated by the Prophet Isaiah in the 8^th century BC – as we see in the first reading: ‘The nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness’ (Is 60:3).

As we join with the Magi in acknowledging the great light that has come upon the earth with the birth of Jesus, and offer him our homage Let us pray:

May Christ, our Lord, King, High Priest and Saviour, revealed and manifested to the whole world, be our Light and Guide. May he sustain us with his Spirit as we continue to walk faithfully in his presence in this world, bearing witness to his truth and love. May he bless us all, now and always. Amen.

Below is an edited version of an Agenzia Fides article written by Fabio Beretta and published on the 30/12/2024

“We can ask them: How did you manage to survive such trials? And they will tell us what we heard in this passage from the Second Letter to the Corinthians: God is the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation. He is the one who consoled us!’”

We have chosen the words that Pope Francis [above] delivered in the Cathedral of Tirana during his Apostolic Journey to Albania in 2014 to introduce the usual annual report of Fides Agency on missionaries and pastoral workers killed in the world in 2024.

This does not refer only to missionaries and pastoral workers “ad gentes” in the strict sense, but considers the term “missionary” in a broader context, encompassing all Catholics who were involved in some way in pastoral works and ecclesial activities and who died violently, even if they did not die expressly “in hatred of the faith”.

For this reason, we prefer not to use the term “martyrs”, if not in its etymological meaning of “witness”, in order not to enter into the question of the name or designation that the Church might eventually deliver upon some of them, after careful consideration, for beatification or canonization.

In 2024, according to data verified by Fides, 13 Catholic “missionaries” were killed worldwide, including eight priests and five lay people. As in recent years,  Africa and America are again at the top of this tragic ranking.  In detail, in Africa a total of 6 people were killed (2 in Burkina Faso, 1 in Cameroon, 1 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 2 in South Africa), 5 in the Americas (1 in Colombia, 1 in Ecuador, 1 in Mexico and 1 in Brazil) and two in Europe (1 in Poland and 1 in Spain).

As the information on their biographies and the circumstances of their deaths shows, the missionaries and pastoral workers killed were not in the public spotlight, but worked to bear witness to their faith in everyday life.  The available information on the lives and circumstances in which these people died violently give us a picture of daily life, in contexts often marked by violence, poverty and lack of justice. They were often witnesses and missionaries who selflessly sacrificed their lives to Christ until the end.

Among the pastoral workers killed in 2024 are also Edmond Bahati Monja, coordinator of Radio Maria/Goma, and Juan Antonio López, coordinator of the social pastoral care of the Diocese of Truijllo and founding member of the pastoral care of integral ecology in Honduras.

Edmond, who lived in an area of North Kivu disrupted by the advance of the armed group M23, was shot dead by a group of armed men near his home in the district of Ndosho, on the outskirts of Goma. The regular Congolese army has formed alliances with other armed groups to defend the city and has also supplied weapons to some militias that call themselves “Wazalendo” (“patriots” in Swahili). However, the presence of irregular armed groups has led to a rise in violent crimes in Goma, with robberies and murders. The killing of Edmond Bahati was linked with his investigations into the violence of armed groups in the region.  At least a dozen journalists have been murdered in and around Goma in two years.

Juan Antonio López, on the other hand, was known for his commitment to social justice, and drew strength and courage from his Christian faith.  His killing occurred just hours after a press conference in which Juan Antonio López, along with other municipal representatives, denounced alleged links between members of the Tocoa municipal government and organized crime.

López’s murder is part of a growing repression against human rights activists in Honduras. Pope Francis stressed the importance of protecting those who work for justice during the Angelus prayer on September 22. “I join in the grief of this local Church and in the condemnation of all forms of violence,” the Pope stressed. “I am close to all those who see their basic rights trampled upon, as well as to those who work for the common good and in this way respond to the cry of the poor and the earth,” the Pope added, recalling López’s legacy as a man of faith who gave his life for others.

From 2000 to 2024, a total of 608 missionaries and pastoral workers were killed.  “These brothers and sisters may seem to be failures, but today we see that it is not the case. Now as then, in fact, the seed of their sacrifices, which seems to die, germinates and bears fruit, because God continues to work miracles, through them, changing hearts and saving men and women”.   (Pope Francis, December 26, 2023).

The day after the above article was released Agenzia Fides reported the murder of Fr Father Tobias Chukwujekwu Okonkwo, a Catholic priest on the 26^th of December in Nigeria. This brings the total killed in 2024 to fourteen.  https://www.fides.org/en/news/75850-AFRICA_NIGERIA_A_priest_and_pharmacist_shot_dead_in_the_street  

This is the fourth video in the series of presentations prepared and delivered by Fr Michael McCabe SMA on the Synod.  In this he gives a summary explanation of the final document of the Synod.  

For pilgrims of hope is the prayer intention chosen by Pope Francis for the month of December. It is a special invitation within the context of the upcoming Jubilee 2025.  For this reason, the Pope asks us to “pray that this upcoming Jubilee will strengthen us in our faith, helping us to recognize the Risen Christ in the midst of our lives, transforming us into pilgrims of Christian hope.

TEXT OF THE POPE’S MESSAGE
Christian hope is a gift from God that fills our lives with joy.
And today, we need it a lot. The world really needs it a lot!
When you don’t know if you’ll be able to feed your children tomorrow, or if what you’re studying will allow you to get a good job, it’s easy to get discouraged.
Where can we look for hope?
Hope is an anchor – an anchor that you cast over with a rope to be moored on the shore.
We have to hold onto the rope of hope – hold on tight.
Let’s help each other discover this encounter with Christ who gives us life, and let’s set out on a journey as pilgrims of hope to celebrate that life. And entering into the upcoming Jubilee is the next stage within that life.
Day by day, let us fill our lives with the gift of hope that God gives us, and through us, let us allow it to reach everyone who is looking for it.
Don’t forget – hope never disappoints.
Let us pray that this upcoming Jubilee strengthen us in our faith, helping us to recognize the Risen Christ in the midst of our lives, transforming us into pilgrims of Christian hope.

Pope Francis – December 2024

(Feast of the Immaculate Conception)

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception 168 years ago, Mgr Melchior de Marion Brésillac founded the Society of African Missions.  In a letter written on the 13^th December 1856 to the then Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide, Mgr Barnabo, he describes this founding event in the following words:

Eminence,

Although I have not yet received a reply to the letter I had the honour of writing to you about a month ago, I think it useful to let you know that on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception we went, seven of us, to offer our enterprise to the Blessed Virgin, at the foot of her image venerated on the hill of Fourvière. There we renewed our resolution to devote ourselves entirely to the work of the African Missions. And we desire, if the Sacred Congregation so permits, to date the existence of our Society from the 8^th December 1856.

These words capture the moment the Society of African Missions was born. It was a moment of profound faith and total generosity, reflecting and repeating the unconditional ‘fiat’ of her under whose protection our Founder placed his new enterprise. At that moment a seed for God’s Kingdom was sown a seed that would yield abundant fruit and call forth hundreds of young men to give their lives to bring the Gospel of Christ to ‘the most abandoned’ in Africa. After more than a century and half, we recall that event with a sense of awe and gratitude. We also strive to recapture something of the sprit that gave us birth as we continue to embrace the challenges of mission today.

It was, I believe, no accident that de Brésillac dedicated his new Missionary Society to the Virgin Mary on the Feast of her Immaculate Conception. The mid-nineteenth century was a high point of Mariological devotion in the Church. Many of the great founders of Missionary Institutes and Religious Congregations in the 19^th century laid their dreams at the feet of Mary. Two years before de Brésillac founded the Society of African Missions (1854), Pius IX had capped a great wave of Mariological fervour with the definition of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The Dogma declared that, by the grace of God, and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Mary was preserved free from all sin.   

In today’s liturgy, Mary is presented as the one who is without sin, the first beginning of human perfection, in contrast to the first woman, Eve, the mother of all the living, who stands at the first beginnings of our sinful rebellion. In Mary a break is made with our sinful history, and humanity is made newly open to God. The Immaculate Conception signifies that Mary is the first of the redeemed. In her we see what we are called to be, and what we shall be if we respond to this call. Mary, then, is not so much ‘our fallen nature’s solitary boast’, as an old hymn to Mary puts it, as she is our model of true humanity. What God has done in her, God can and will do in us.

It is no accident either that his feast occurs in the Advent Season – when we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  During Advent, Mary is presented as someone who, like any mother, awaits the birth of her child, and bears him in her womb ‘with love beyond all telling’ as the Second Advent Preface states.  

One of my favourite images of the missionary is that of a midwife, assisting at the ongoing birth of Christ among new peoples in new places. The task of the midwife is a delicate one, demanding sensitivity and patience as well as courage and skill.  We can surely invoke Mary’s help in this task. Who understands better than she the dynamics of birth-giving – that combination of nurturing and caring, of letting go and letting be? We can rely on her teach us how to be good mothers so that Christ may ‘play in ten thousand places/ Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes, not his/ To the Father through the features of men’s faces’ (GM Hopkins).

As we continue to serve the mission our Founder entrusted to us at the feet of Our Lady of Fouvière, 168 years ago, may Mary, our Missionary Mother, bless and sustain us all in our commitments and enable us to bear abundant fruit in the harvest fields of God’s Kingdom.

Michael McCabe SMA

(The Final Document of the Synod on Synodality) 

 by Michael McCabe SMA

Introduction
The second universal session of the Synod on Synodality took place in Rome, 2-27 October, 2024. Like the first session, it was held in the Vatican’s Audience Hall rather than the usual Synodal Hall. Among its 368 participants were a significant number (86) of religious and laity, men and women, all with voting rights. The Assembly adopted the method of ‘conversations in the Spirit’ that had been employed in the first session. Participants were divided into a number of language groups, gathered around 36 round tables, 10 participants at each table.  Every person had the opportunity to speak a number of times. This novel method for Vatican meetings involved several moments of silent prayer and listening as well as speaking (limited to 3 minutes). From all accounts this method, with the help of experienced facilitators, worked smoothly as most participants were quite familiar with it.  

The Synod concluded with the approval of a rather large Document of 52 pages, [155 paragraphs], entitled ‘For A Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission. All paragraphs were voted separately and received the two-thirds majority of votes necessary for inclusion in the document. In his closing speech, Pope Francis immediately approved its publication, saying that he would not be releasing a post-synodal apostolic exhortation, the type of papal document that usually follows a synod. This document, then, becomes part of the ordinary papal magisterium.

Structure of the Document
The document consists of five parts with an introduction and conclusion. The unifying theme of the document is the call to conversion. The first part, entitled ‘The Heart of Synodality’ explains the call to synodal conversion. The focus of the second part, entitled ‘On the Boat, Together’, is on the conversion of relationships within the Church. Part three, entitled ‘Cast the Net’, focuses on conversion of the processes of governance in the Church – discernment, decision making, and accountability. The focus of part four, entitled ‘An Abundant Catch’, is on the conversion of bonds within the Church, and the focus of part five is on Formation for Missionary Discipleship. The Introduction situates the document in the context of the three-year journey of world-wide consultation. It also refers to the continuing work of the ten study groups and two commissions established following the first universal sessions. The work of these groups will be concluded by June 2025. The conclusion states that a synodal Church is meant to give witness to, and be an instrument of, communion for all peoples. It ends with a prayer entrusting ‘the results of this Synod to the Virgin Mary’.

 Part I: The Heart of Synodality (13-48)
 The document affirms synodality as a constitutive dimension of the Church as a missionary community of Christ’s disciples. The purpose of synodality is make the Church truly visible as a people of God, working together to proclaim, in word and deed, the gospel of Christ. Synodality is described as ‘the path of spiritual renewal and structural reform that enables the Church to be more participatory and missionary so that it can walk with every man and woman, radiating the light of Christ’ (28). Synodality involves ‘gathering at all levels of the Church for mutual listening, dialogue and communal discernment’ (28). It requires certain spiritual dispositions that need to be cultivated: humility, patience, and the willingness to forgive (43).

Recognizing that the unity of the Church does not mean uniformity, the document states that ‘the appreciation of contexts, cultures and diversities, and of the relationships between them, is key to growing as a missionary synodal Church (40). It also states that, in accord with the post-Vatican II emphasis on the importance of dialogue with other religious traditions, the Church strives ‘together with them to build a better world’ (41). Embedding synodality in the heart of the Church requires accompaniment and formation not only of lay men and women but also of the clergy and religious (43).

Part II – On the Boat Together  (49-77)
Under this heading the document develops the implications of synodality for all relationships within the Church. It endorses the call for greater inclusivity and the cultivation of an ecclesial culture where all members are made to feel welcome, irrespective of marital status, identity, or sexual orientation (58). While no explicit mention was made of LGBTQ+ persons, it is clear that these are included. In his homily at the end of the Synod, Pope Francis highlighted this theme of inclusion. He stated that the Church must be a visible sign and instrument of the Kingdom of God, presented by Jesus as a great banquet for all peoples. Hence, insists Pope Francis, the Church must always be opening doors instead of erecting walls. ‘We should never be erecting walls’, he adds.

The foundation of the fundamental equality of all persons in the Church is their common baptism. This necessitates a much greater participation of lay men and women in the life and mission of the Church, including its decision-making processes at all levels, from local to universal (74-77).  The document acknowledges the need for new forms of lay ministry, institutional and non-institutional, which will vary according to the needs of local Churches (66). It calls for a special ministry of listening and accompaniment of those alienated from the Church (78). The document also highlights the need for greater co-responsibility between clergy and laity, distinguishing between what properly belongs to ordained minsters and what can and should be delegated to others. The document call for the laity to be given a greater voice in the election of bishops (70).

Paragraph 60 deals specifically with the issue of women’s participation in the life and mission of the Church and begins by acknowledging that ‘women continue to encounter obstacles in obtaining a fuller recognition of their charisms, vocation, and roles in all the various areas of the Church’s life [Some of these obstacles are Church-made regulations rather than the will of God or the teaching of Jesus].  The document adds that ‘there is no reason or impediment that should prevent women from carrying out leadership roles in the Church. What comes from the Spirit cannot be stopped’. Contrary to what we had been led to expect, the document states that ‘the question of women’s access to diaconal ministry remains open’ (60). [This is one of the issues being examined by group 5 of the special study groups].

 Part III: Cast the Net (79-108)
Under this heading the document focuses on the principles and processes of ecclesial discernment, decison-making and accountability in the Church. These practices, it states, are closely intertwined. ‘Decision-making processes need ecclesial discernment, which requires listening in a climate of trust that is supported by transparency and accountability.’ Trust must be mutual: decision-makers need to be able to trust and listen to the People of God, and the latter, in turn, ‘needs to be able to trust those in authority’ (80). Several paragraphs offer guidance on the principles and processes of ecclesial discernment and highlightes the need of special formation for those in leadership as well as for facilitators who play a vital role in these processes (81-86). Ecclesial Discernment, the documet states ‘is not an organisational technique but rather a spiritual practice grounded in a living faith’. It is ‘never just a setting out of one’s own personal or group point of view or a summing up of differing individual opinions’ (82).

Noting that those who exercise authority in the Church must do so in consutation with others, the document calls for a revision of Canon Law to clairiy the distinction between deliberatlion and consultation. There are serveral paragraphs on key issues in Church governance such as ‘Transparency, Accountability, and Evaluation’ (95-102), and ‘Synodality and Participatory Bodies‘ (103-108). While many kinds of synodal and participatory bodies already exist in the Church (diocesan synods, parish pastoral councils, presbyteral councils), the document recognises that the effective vitality of these bodies requires them to be mandatory (not just optional), efficient and effective (104).

Part IV: An Abundant Catch (109-139)
Here the document focuses is on the need to create new bonds within the Church at local, regional and universal levels. The opening paragraph states:  ‘In a time when there is great change occurring in the places where the Church is rooted and on pilgrimage, we need to cultivate new forms of the exchange of gifts and the network of bonds that unite us’ (109). The document notes the implications for the Church of urbanisation and migration, as well as the ‘existential peripheries‘ of rural areas and places of marginalisation and exclusion (111). It highlights the potential of the digital revolution to be a prophetic space for proclamation and mission and asks local Churches ‘to encourage, sustain, and accompany‘ those engaged in this arena of mission (113). The document insists on the importance of reaching out to marginalised groups, and calls for the creation of a more open and hospitable Church in the new contexts of mobility and interconnectedness. Without offering specific suggestions, the document recommends that parishes   be ‘reconfigured‘ so that they focus on mission and outreach, and on Christian initiation, accompaniment and formation (118)

Part IV also highlights the importance of ecclesial bodies such as bishop’s conferences, and other ecclesial assemblies at regional, national and intercontinental levels, and calls for them to be strengthened (124-128). It calls for a special Council ‘around the Pope’ of Partiarchs and Archbishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches (133). While recommending the implementation of a ‘sound decentralisation‘ in accordance with the teaching of Pope Francis in The Joy of the Gospel, it notes the need for clarification regarding those matters which can be left to bishops and those reserved to Rome (134). It also calls on the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, when publishing important documents, to consult episcopal conference beforehand (135). Finally it recommends that future synods of bishops continue to include laity and religious. 

Part V: So I Send You (140-151)
The focus here is on formation for missionary discipleship. The document underscores especially the critical importance of formation in synodality.  It states that one of the requests that emerged most strongly during all stages and contexts of the synodal consultation process ‘is that the formation provided by the Christian community be integral and continuing’ (143). The document also insists that this formation be ‘common and shared’, [involving men and women, clerics and laity] participating together (145). As was emphasised in the Report on the first session of the Rome Synod, this document calls for a complete overhaul of seminary formation – involving women formators [as well as men], and training in ecclesial discernment (148).

The document also calls on the Church to strengthen its commitment to promoting ‘in all ecclesial contexts a culture of safeguarding, making communities ever safer places for minors and vulnerable persons’’ by ‘offering specific and ongoing formation and training for those working with minors and vulnerable adults’ (150). Finally, the document highlights the need of ongoing formation regarding the Church’s social teaching, its commitment to peace and justice, care for our common home, and intercultural and interreligious dialogue – a formation that must be more widely shared among the People of God (151).

 Conclusion
At first sight the final document of the Synod on Synodality seems neither revolutionary nor prophetic. It is long and wordy, and in no way matches the freshness and visionary thrust of the Vatican II documents. Mary McAleese’s evaluation of it is quite disparaging. She describes it as ‘one big wordy yawn signifying absolutely nothing’. On the other hand, Fr Gerry O’Hanlon’s evaluation is more positive. He describes it as ‘hopeful’ and ‘a blueprint for change’. While many people were disappointed that the Synod did not come up with more radical proposals for the renewal for the Church and its structures, it did open avenues for change (even including the possibility of diaconate for women) and renewal in the Church at every level.  The degree of consensus achieved by the participants was remarkable, given the great diversity of viewpoints represented in the Synodal Assembly. Many participants have described it as a personal conversion experience for them. 

However, the success of the Synod must not be judged solely by its final document. The Synodal Assembly was itself an exercise in synodality, an experience that left an indelible impression on its participants The method adopted for the Synod (Conversations in the Spirit) helped to create an atmosphere of deep and respectful listening and enhance the sense of community among participants with very different viewpoints about the Church and its mission. The ultimate aim of the synodal process, as Pope Francis has always insisted, is not to make the Church into a more democratic Institution, but to enable the People of God to walk and work together in the service of the mission entrusted to it by the Lord. As he said in his concluding homily, the Synod on synodality showed that it is possible for people of very different backgrounds, and with very different viewpoints, to walk together in harmony despite differences. This was the success of the Synod on Synodality, and its witness is a much needed antidote to the hatred, violence and interminable conflicts that mark the world of our time.

In his prayer intention for November, the Pope invites us to pray that “all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community, and may receive peace of heart from the Spirit of Consolation.”

Pope Francis invites us to accompany “responsibly” those parents who have lost a child, to “listen to them, to be close to them with love, imitating how Jesus Christ consoled those who were afflicted.”  

TEXT OF POPE FRANCIS MESSAGE
What can we say to parents who have lost a child? How can we console them?
There are no words.
You see, when one spouse loses the other, they are a widower or a widow. A child who loses a parent is an orphan. There’s a word for that. But when a parent loses a child, there’s no word. The pain is so great, that there’s no word.
And it’s not natural to outlive your child. The pain caused by this loss is especially intense.
Words of encouragement are at times banal or sentimental, they’re not helpful. Spoken with the best intention, of course, they can end up aggravating the wound.
To offer comfort to these parents who have lost a child, we need to listen to them, to be close to them with love, to care responsibly for the pain they feel, imitating how Jesus Christ consoled those who were afflicted.
And those parents who are sustained by their faith can certainly find comfort in other families who, by suffering such a terrible tragedy as this, have been reborn in hope.
Let us pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community, and may receive peace of heart from the Spirit of Consolation.
Pope Francis – November 2024

The UN’s 29th Climate Change Conference of Peoples (Cop 29) will take place from the 11 to the 22^nd of Nov.  The under-whelming progress of previous COPs especially the last two, in Edinburgh and Dubai, have dampened interest, enthusiasm and expectations about the success of the forthcoming Baku, Azerbaijan, Conference. There is also climate fatigue among both the general public and many erstwhile activists whose efforts have born little fruit.  This fact is evident in the failure of Governments to make the much lobbied for decisions and changes needed and the de facto refusal of multinational corporations to do so.  Instead they hide behind minor changes and lots of greenwashing while, with the passive acquiescence of Governments, more or less continue their fossil-fuel based businesses as usual.

Another negative that prevents COP 29 getting the attention it deserves is that it is taking place at a very bad time.  World attention is demanded by the destructive and horrific wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.  In addition, the media is also preoccupied with the US Presidential election, as well as on-going economic and political worries.  Here in Ireland, it is all but certain that we will be in the midst of a General Election Campaign while the conference proceeds.  All of this has helped to push the climate crisis well down the agenda. 

Last year’s Conference in Dubai went, as did previous meetings to “the wire” with time extended as those with vested interests in fossil fuels held their ground. It took an all-night debate to reach what was acclaimed as a “landmark” global climate agreement – i.e. the inclusion in the final statement of agreement to “transition away from fossil fuels” and to triple renewable power and double energy efficiency by 2030. This was not a landmark moment, it was another COP failure.  The second part of this statement is a laudable target to be achieved by 2030.  The first is a vague unspecific aspiration that one commentator referred as having a “constructive ambiguity.” It is an expression of unclear intent rather than the defined commitment needed.    Yet, and it is hard to believe that after twenty-eight COP meetings this was the very first time that the term “fossil-fuels” has been included in a final pact statement.  Previously countries such as Russia, Saudi Arabia and India had prevented in inclusion of fossil fuels due to their dependence on Oil and Coal.    In Laudate Deum, an apostolic exhortation written by Pope Francis specifically to address the Dubai COP28 Conference, he expressed the hope that it would establish “binding forms of energy transition that meet three conditions: that they be efficient, obligatory and readily monitored”. This did not happen.

Looking forward to COP29 in Azerbaijan, another oil producing giant, it is hard to be hopeful given the current lack of engagement by Governments and NGOs with the climate crisis.  Yet we are, as has been made very clear by the many extreme climate related events over this summer and most recently in Spain, experiencing more and more severe impacts from climate change. Climate breakdown is here now, it is not something that happens far away or in the future. Spain has also shown that the relative wealth of richer, developed countries can no longer protect them from the effects of climate change.    

One good note since last year’s COP is the increase in renewable energy production.  While this is encouraging the scale of increase needs to grow if targets are to be reached.

COP29 is yet another chance to agree actions commensurate with the problem – previous meetings have tinkered around the edges without addressing the core issue of a commitment to fossil-fuel reduction. Will recent events concentrate the minds of delegations from the richer countries?  What is needed this time is an exponential step change from the vague “transition away from” to a defined phasing out of fossil fuels. Will it happen? 

Welcome to the SMA International News for November.  In this edition we hear about a visit by a group of young people from Turin to the Ivory Coast. Following contact with the SMA through missionary animation work in Italy these young people wished to go and see for themselves how faith is lived and expressed in this West African country.  Fr Dario Dozio SMA and some of the young visitors tell us about their experience.

As usual this episode ends with some information about the work of members of the General Council and their visits to SMA Confreres in Africa. 

Readings: Is 25:6-9; Ps. 26 varia; Rom 5:5-11; Mk 15:33-39, 16:1-6

After celebrating the Communion of Saints yesterday we turn today to the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. Here we are praying for those primarily known to us through the bonds of family, friendship and faith as well as through pastoral charity. With the decline of daylight in the Northern hemisphere in November, our minds turn to the natural cycle of life with its process of decline and death. Today we move between the moorings of memory and the horizon of hope.

Hope features prominently in today’s readings: the prophet Isaiah proclaiming ‘See, this is our God in whom we hoped for salvation’. The second reading starts with the line from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (Pope Francis took this as the title of his document declaring 2025 as a Year of Jubilee in the church.)  Today’s biblical translation reads – ‘Hope is not deceptive’ while the papal version declares ‘Hope does not disappoint’. These variations are not simply a matter of semantics but a sign of mystery, a reminder that the theological virtue of hope is multi-faceted, a horizon always leading us deeper into trust and thanksgiving to God through ‘our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation’. Reconciliation is a powerful metaphor for salvation, one that speaks strongly to our age with its terrible woe of wars around the world. Hope is fuller than ‘Finding optimism in hard times’, a line of introduction to an interview used in the past week. The Gospel gives us our reason for hope – ‘Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he has risen, he is not here’. In the Introduction to Jesus Risen Gerald O’Collins stated ‘It was the resurrection of the crucified Jesus which created and sustained the essential Christian identity’.[1] This is the identity we cling to today and indeed every day, as we remember the bonds of family, friendship and faith we pray that the beacon of hope from heaven brings all the faithful departed to the fullness of light, life and love in God.

Kevin O’Gorman SMA

^{[1] Jesus Risen, The Resurrection – what actually happened and what does it mean? (London: DLT, 1987), 5.}

(Agenzia Fides) – “The thread of my presence in Niger (of 11 uninterrupted years) was broken on September 17, 2018 with the kidnapping. Exactly six years later, I have finally returned to Niger”, begins the moving report of Father Pier Luigi Maccalli, priest of the Society of African Missions (SMA), about his visit to Niger for the ordination of three priests from the parish of Bomoanga, from where he was kidnapped on September 17, 2018 (first published by Fides, 18/9/2018).

“My arrival in Niamey, on the evening of September 17, 2024, was preceded by heavy rain and tears that I could only hold back with difficulty. I was first greeted by the lights of the capital, which I could see from the window of the landing plane. They whispered to me a timid welcome that moved me deeply”, says Father Gigi.

“Before dinner, my confrere Mauro Armanino told me: ‘Welcome back to your home, Gigi. You have never been absent. Thank you for helping to keep heaven connected to earth, like the branches that defy the wind and the storm. And thank you for the silence you shared with us’. To make my stay in the city easier, the Bishop of Niamey, Djalwana Laurent Lompo, wanted me to be his guest. In the courtyard of the episcopal residence are the cathedral and a reception center. Here I was able to meet many old acquaintances and my close collaborators who knew of my arrival: the catechist Jean Baptiste, Valérie, Emmanuel… But the most moving encounter was with the people of Bomoanga and the surrounding area, who had come in large numbers for the ordination of the new priests from the Bomoanga parish. Hugs with everyone, handshakes and lots of photos/selfies to immortalize a long-awaited and hoped-for encounter. At the ordination mass on Saturday evening, September 21st, I was involved in the dance by the newly ordained priests themselves, who wanted to thank me for my presence and above all for the years of accompanying them on their youthful path,” the missionary continued.

“The next day, at the first mass, I was able to address the new priests and the congregation directly,” the missionary continued. “The homily was a mixture of memories, advice and gratitude. I spoke in parables and in the Gurmancema language to convey to everyone present my joy at this long-awaited return to my homeland. An African proverb says: ‘C’est au bout de l’ancienne corde que l’on tisse la nouvelle – At the end of the old rope the new one is tied’. My return to the land of Niger on the anniversary of my kidnapping was a symbol and sign of continuity. Attending the ordination and the first Mass of Michel Wuoba and Felix Waali (assisted by Deacon Michel Ouliga, also from the Bomoanga parish) was for me the fulfillment of a dream. I ended my homily by recalling that at the inauguration of the new church in Bomoanga (January 2017) I had prophesied that the day I would see a young man from Bomoanga celebrating at the altar, I would say (like old Simeon in the temple): “Now let your servant go in peace, Lord”. This word came true and far exceeded my expectations, because my eyes saw not one but three young men at the altar of the cathedral in Niamey, ready to serve the Gospel.”

“After the celebrations and in the days that followed, many people wanted to meet me in person to tell me about themselves. Many were forced to leave their villages (due to insecurity or because they were directly threatened by new jihadists) and found themselves in the reception centres of Makalondi and Torodi. Life is hard and without prospects. They miss working in the fields, which is the main source of income for the family. They lack housing, food and money for their children’s education. There is a lack of medicine. Although the aid provided by the diocesan Caritas, the state and humanitarian organizations has alleviated the urgent needs, the unrest concerns the future, which remains very dark. Insecurity on the streets and in the villages is increasing and there are repeated targeted attacks on places occupied by the military,” reports Father Macalli.

“The local population (especially in Bomoanga) is caught between two fires: on the one hand, the attacks of the jihadists and on the other hand, the military, who distrust everyone and arrest people accused of collaborating with terrorism,” he continues. “Among them are my catechist Robert and his brother: they have been in prison for months because they are related to a suspect. The joy of their return soon turned into bitterness and I still carry so much sadness in my heart. I confess that meeting so many loved ones who have lost weight and whose faces are marked by suffering has made me very sad.”

“Before taking the plane back, I asked for a courtesy visit to the Italian embassy in Niamey,” said the missionary. “The new ambassador and his head of security greeted me with (diplomatic) somewhat reproachful words… I immediately pointed out that I was a missionary back home to see my brothers, sisters and children. I reflected and took the necessary security precautions, but I wanted to return to Niger to give hope with my presence and my story of liberation to a population that is still suffering. A father does not abandon his loved ones, especially in uncertain times.”

“Instead, I keep in my heart the farewell words of Bishop Laurent Lompo, who thanked me several times for this visit,” he affirms. “I have the calm certainty that my return to Niger, albeit brief, and the words of exchange have given hope to an impoverished, sad and exhausted Church and population.”

“The mission now continues for me in Benin, where I prepare young missionaries of the Society of African Missions, who will be sent to the peripheries of the world as a sign of hope and as artisans of peace,” concluded Father Macalli, “The date of October 8, 2024 (4th anniversary of my release from hostage) renews in me the urgency of the mission: I am free to create peace. Too many words and images of violence and war continue to circulate in the media, destroying homes and relationships. Peace is unfortunately still a hostage to violence. What we need is a jolt of humanity based on dialogue and forgiveness. The mission is to humanize relationships. I commit myself to this mission and call upon all men and women of good will who care about peace.”

Father Maccalli’s report ends with thanks for the support and prayers of all and the wish for a good month of world mission. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 7/10/2024)

Readings: Gal 3:22-29; Ps 104:2-7; Lk 11:27-28.

Today’s Gospel text is one of the shortest readings in the Lectionary. Jesus’s commendation of course contains an irony which only the eyes of faith could consider. The woman who bore him in her womb, gave birth to and nursed Jesus at her breasts is pre-eminently the person who has heard the Word of God, preserved and put it into practice is Mary. The evangelist presents this through his portrait of Mary in the Infancy Narrative at the beginning of the Gospel. Her ‘Fiat’ – ‘let it be with me according to your word’ (in the New Revised Standard Version, 1:38) is the human foundation for the fulfilment of the promise to Abraham, to become the father of many nations. Influenced by his mentor Paul, Luke insists on the universality of the Gospel, that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in [Jesus’s] name to all nations’ (Lk 24:47). The Synod on Synodality meeting in Rome at this time is a sign of participation in, communion with and mission of this vision of the church.

The Gospel text points to something more, ‘Still happier those’. This picks up on ‘the better part’ (Lk 10:42) that Jesus commended in the choice of another Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. This spurs us on to greater effort, not to make ourselves more worthy in God’s eyes but to let the grace of the Holy Spirit to continue changing us for the better. Deeper listening to God’s Word leads us on to a better, greater life even on earth. Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) brings this out brilliantly: ‘Believing implies the duty of following of going where [Jesus] has gone before us. We ought never to be satisfied with ourselves, with our life, with our virtues…Saint Augustine says “If you say ‘enough, that is enough for me’, you are already lost”.[1]  

_{[1] Co-Workers of the Truth, (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1992), p. 317.}

Welcome to this edition of SMA International News For the Month of October 2024. 

In this edition we hear about a recent event in Côte d’Ivoire.  In a vibrant celebration of faith and cultural diversity, a youth camp was recently held in the historic city of Grand Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire. This inspiring gathering brought together young people from across Africa and beyond, fostering lasting friendships and deepening their spiritual connection. 

The bulletin ends with some news from the SMA Generalate in Rome.

On Sunday 8 September, the Annual International Fun Day took place in St Joseph’s Parish Wilton. It was a day to celebrate the international, intercultural and the different Catholic Rites (Roman Catholic, Siro Malabar & Ethiopian Orthodox) included in the life of the Parish.  The weather was good and so were the interaction, food, music and costumes of those who participated.  These reflected both the diversity of the Parish and also the inclusivity and welcome that is integral to the loving of one’s neighbour, the heart of Christian life. 

The International Day also looked beyond the confines of the Parish as the occasion was used to launch a fundraising appeal in response to the plight of the people of Gaza. The subsequent response of the Parishioners was generous.  The Parish Priest, Fr Michael O’Leary SMA commented: 

“It was fantastic to see the generous response of the local community and parishioners.  In total €8,000 was collected, during Masses and a representative from Trócaire came to accept the cheque.”

The picture shows Fr. Michael O’Leary SMA, presenting the cheque to Mr Herve Bund from Trócaire. Present also is Sheila McCarthy, Parish Sacristan. Herve has spent the last 20 years of his life working on various projects for Trócaire in South America and Africa and currently works in the Trócaire office in Maynooth.  The donated funds will contribute to the provision of lifesaving humanitarian relief including food, safe water, hygiene supplies, blankets, and shelter to hungry and injured families in Gaza.

As can be seen in the short video below, the Wilton Parish International Day was a good day enjoyed by all. Thanks to all who helped organise it and thanks to all those, of many nationalities, who participated.  It was also a good and Christian response to support the people of Gaza. Our thanks too, to all who heard and contributed to the Trócaire appeal. 

Should any of our readers wish to contribute directly to the Trócaire Gaza Appeal please do so via this link.  https://www.trocaire.org/donations/gaza-eaction-appeal/

Click on the red button to view video

The Society of African Missions is seeking to recruit a Director to will lead and manage all business operations and hospitality services within the SMA Dromantine Retreat & Conference Centre, Dromantine Newry. This role requires a dynamic and strategic leader who can drive business growth, enhance customer experiences and ensure operational excellence. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in both business management and the hospitality industry, with a proven track record of leadership, innovation and delivering high-quality services. 

This full time permanent post will be based in SMA Dromantine Retreat & Conference Centre Dromantine, 96 Glen Road Newry Co. Down BT35 1RH. 

Application: Applications and submission of CV should be emailed to: HR Consultant Kevin McDonald via email: [email protected]  

The deadline for applications is: 31.10.24

Download the Job Description terms and Conditions here. 

Monday September 23rd to Tuesday 1st of October. 
Ceremonies are taking place at SMA House Dromantine, County Down and at the SMA Parish, Blackrock Road Cork. Join live via the Webcam links below. 

SMA HOUSE DROMANTINE	SMA PARISH BLACKROCK ROAD
In Dromantine Mass will be at 10 am each morning and also at 7.30pm each evening.  CLICK HERE TO JOIN	In Blackrock Road Parish Mass will be at 7.30 pm each evening with the exception of Saturday when it will begin at 7pm.  CLICK HERE TO JOIN

PRAYER FOR MISSIONARIES
St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, who merited to be proclaimed Patroness of the Catholic Missions of the whole world, remember the very ardent desire you manifested here on earth “to plant the Cross of Jesus Christ in every land and to announce the Gospel even to the end of time”.
We beseech you, according to your desire, to help priests, missionaries and the whole Church.
Obtain for us all an increase of missionary zeal and generosity. Protect our missionaries; help them in their labours, support them in their sufferings and poverty, teach them to love Jesus more ardently and to place all their confidence in the Tabernacle and in the intercession of our Immaculate Mother, Mary.

This article was written by Fr Basil Soyoye, a Nigerian SMA Missionary now based in Castelnaudary, France. It tells the story of one of the earliest Irish SMA Missionaries, Fr Jeremiah Moran who is considered as one of the founding pillars of the Church in Togo.

Jeremiah Moran was born in Ballinree, in the diocese of Killaloe, Ireland in 1859. He was one of four children born to Rebecca and Daniel Moran.  After secondary school  he entered the major seminary of the Society of African Missions (SMA) in Lyon (France) in 1879 when he was twenty years old. He took his oath and became a member of the SMA on June 10, 1881 and was ordained a priest on July 26, 1884 in Lyon. Two months later, in September, without returning to see his family in Ireland, Father Moran was sent to the apostolic prefecture of Dahomey which includes present-day Benin and Togo.

Upon arrival, he stayed in Agoué (now a district in the Department of Mono in Benin) where he began to learn Gengbé, one of the local languages.  In December 1885, Father Moran left with Father Beauquis under the leadership of Fathers Ménager and Baudin to found  a mission in Adangbé, where they settled. He was appointed as superior of this mission dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.   However, the missionaries did not succeed in establishing themselves in Adangbé and they went to Atakpamé where the old chief, Abassam, welcomed them with joy.  Unfortunately, the foundation there also proved difficult, but nevertheless, Fathers Moran and Beauquis remained. They gave witness to the Gospel of Jesus. They treated the sick. They resolved disputes. They built. The good deeds of the missionaries attracted the anger of the witch-doctors and healers who, in addition to losing their influence over the population, also saw their income drop considerably.  As a result, the two missionaries were poisoned on Holy Saturday (Saturday April 24), 1886.  Using an emetic, they managed to expel the poison.  Father Beauquis recovered quickly but Father Moran was ill for a long time. Almost recovered, Father Moran went back down to Agoué, to rest and recuperate  with his colleagues and to “stock up on provisions”. It should be noted that on Easter Sunday, Chief Abassam was also poisoned and he died on May 6.

Upon returning from Agoué  after convalescing, the the same troubles and difficulties remained.  The local Chiefs and witch-doctors became increasingly jealous of the growing influence the missionaries had over the population.  In December, Father Beauquis went back to the coast, while Father Moran, left alone, tried to calm the envy and jealousy of the traditional leaders with gifts.

In January 1887, Father Lecron, the new superior of the prefecture, came  to Atakpamé with Father Beauquis and they also brought needed provisions.  Father Lecron, a man of rare gentleness, succeeded in bringing joy and happiness to the mission. He provided wise guidance on how to manage the local leaders and succeeded in calming the situation.  After his departure the missionaries of Atakpamé lived in peace for a few months. Land was even acquired on a hill nearby and materials were prepared for construction. They continued to care for the sick and increasingly acquired a great reputation.

This did not suit those whose influence was being undermined and so it was decided to kill the missionaries. They were, once again, poisoned, this time by means of poison mixed into palm wine.  A young boy whom they often sent to the market, brought them palm wine that was poisoned by the seller. They drank it and soon afterwards experience severe pain. They immediately took an emetic to counter the poison. This worked on Father Beauquis but failed to bring relief to Father Moran. In a letter dated October 16, 1887, Father Augustin Planque (the SMA Superior General at the time) gives the following details: “Father Moran was ill for eight days and from the first day he knew his death was close. He remained, calm and smiling, prepared to die and did not, for a single moment, depart from his deep trust in God. He said that God asked him for his life as the foundation of the mission dear to his heart .” Father Moran died on August 7, 1887, at age 28. The people of Atakpamé and the surrounding villages attended his funeral. His body was carried by the two sons of the former chief, the one who had welcomed the missionaries and who, also poisoned, had died for it.

The Atakpamé mission was reopened in 1900 and the Fathers of the Divine Word succeeded in finding the bones of Father Moran and gave them a suitable burial in the town’s new Catholic cemetery.

Here is an quote from the article by Togolese journalist, Charles Ayetan, entitled, “Father Jeremiah Moran, martyr of evangelization in Togo,”  published in the International Cross on July 30, 2021:   “This drama is considered by many to be the founding martyrdom of the Church.”   Mgr Joseph Strebler, first archbishop of Togo in his preface to the work History of the Catholic Church in Togo [1] reflects a similar view, he writes;  “ The history of the Church of Togo is extraordinary! It begins with the death of the young Father Moran, SMA, poisoned  at Atakpamé in 1887.“

During the centenary of his death, in August 1987, the remains of Father Moran were reburied in the Sainte Famille Church, the former cathedral of Atakpamé, and the diocesan seminary of Datcha-Tchogli was named ‘Jérémie Moran’ in his honour during the laying of the its foundation stone in 1990 by Cardinal Jozef Tomko.

At the enthronement of Mgr Julien Kouto, third bishop of Atakpamé, Mgr Philippe Kpodzro, archbishop emeritus of Lomé, evoked the memory of Moran in these words: “Atakpamé fertilized in 1887 by Father Jérémie Moran, first priest of Jesus Christ , SMA missionary, who gave his life in the line of martyrs, so that the Church in Togo would sprout in abundance.”  “The history of the evangelization of Atakpamé represents a founding event of the Mission in Togo. It is considered its prehistory…”  writes Father Joseph Amegbleame, theologian, at the Catholic University of West Africa, University Unit of Togo [2]. »

^{[1] Karl Müller, History of the Catholic Church in Togo (1892-1967), Lomé, Éditions Librairie Bon Pasteur, 1968, p. 11.}

^{[2] Identity confinement and appearance of integration in the mission of Jérémie Moran, sma, + August 7, 1887, article, Présence Chrétienne No. 302 of Thursday July 22, 2021, pp.9, 10.}

Below is an article first published by Agenzia Fides and written by Anselmo Fabiano an SMA Seminarian from Italy.  On the 25th of June 2024 was one of 29 young men who took their first Oath and thus became members of the Society of African Missions  (see Twenty-Nine New SMA Members) Anselmo has already completed five years of training with the SMA and is about to begin the next stage of his formation in Cairo, Egypt. 

“It is time to leave, it is mission time. I take you with me on this experience in Egypt, where I will continue my formation and pastoral service in the mission in Cairo”, writes Anselmo Fabiano, on his departure from the mission in Calavi (Benin), where he spent a year participating in an international vocational promotion program, to now face what he calls “a new missionary reality”.

“Leaving for Benin was an experience of faith and life that changed and enriched me greatly, just as the soil in which the seed was sown grows and bears fruit”, says Anselmo. “Like the sower who returns full of joy with his sheaves, so I too return from Calavi with the fruits of this year, full of gratitude to God who has always guided and accompanied my steps.”

“Africa has taught me so much through the brothers and sisters I met there,” he continues, “the value of welcome and hospitality, simple but always made with the heart, the great wisdom of African proverbs, an inexhaustible source of wealth, the value of time and relationships.” “Malaria was also a great lesson for my life, which made me confront my weakness,” he stresses, “it changed me, made me less fearful, more cautious and grateful for the great gift of health.” “The fraternity in diversity that I experienced in Calavi with 40 other seminarians,” Anselmo continues, “made me feel that it is really possible to overcome all barriers and discover that we are all brothers. The diversity is a great richness and extraordinarily beautiful, just like the many cheerful colors of the typical fabric of sub-Saharan Africa.” “The most beautiful fruit of these months in Benin was my ‘yes’ to becoming a missionary and joining the great family of African missionaries (see Fides 3/7/2024)”, he concludes.  “Now my ‘first mission’ has arrived in Egypt, in Cairo, where we have to start serving and confront a completely new reality of missionary life – adds Anselmo with emotion. There will also be an opportunity to become part of a small, minority church, open to interreligious, missionary dialogue.”

 (Agenzia Fides, 11/9/2024)

Numbers 21:4-9, Philippians 2:6-11, Ps. 77:1-2, 34-38, John 3:13-17

When you enter through the North door the ground falling away before you as you face the nave. The descent to the sanctuary is more than symbolic. To the right of the sanctuary a life size crucifix stands almost like a sentinel; to the left is a relic of the True Cross. Space and spirit synthesise here – in Holy Cross Abbey – in County Tipperary. 

The south side of the altar bears the inscription – a half line in Latin taken from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians – ut crux Christi non evacuetur – ‘that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power’ (1Cor 1:17). This could also be translated as, ‘that the cross of Christ may not be emptied of its might’. Paul professes that the power/might referred to here is ‘to proclaim the gospel’ and he adds, as is his wont, ‘not with eloquent wisdom’.

Today’s second reading –from Paul to the Philippians – sets forth the fundamental Christological format that the Church will follow and unfold in its doctrine, Christ being both divine and human. From his ‘equality with God’ Jesus Christ empties himself, foregoing his divine status, firstly in being human ‘as all men [and women] are’, and finally ‘even to accepting death, death on a cross’. The addition of the adverb ‘even’ is eloquent, expressing equality with humanity and experiencing existential emptiness in the historical horizon of death.

However, as Paul confesses and the Gospel of John clarifies, the crux of the matter (in today’s parlance) is literally the ‘cross’. For both Paul and John this is the crux gloriae, the cross of glory through which ‘God the Father’ is praised and His saving love is poured out for the world.

The mystery of faith means that God’s might is manifested in weakness, God’s word is spoken in the silence of suffering, God’s eternal life given in the emptying of Christ ending in his death. As Easter is celebrated (in the northern hemisphere) in Springtime, the Exaltation of the Cross is celebrated in Autumn, the season of harvest time when the goods of the earth are gathered after growth. The cycle of sowing and reaping, the process of the seed that Jesus spoke of, ‘if it dies, it bears much fruit’ (Jn 12;24), is complete. This is the hour when God’s hands, the Son and Holy Spirit (Saint Irenaeus), gather us into the heavenly harvest and banquet, when we can hope in the words of Saint Clement of Alexandria:

Bound to the wood of a cross, thou art free from all danger of destruction. God’s Logos will steer thy ship and the Holy Pneuma or the Holy Spirit will give thee a safe return to heaven’s harbour.[1]

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA

[1] Quoted in Thomas Merton, Contemplation in a World of Action.

The Prayer intention for September coincides with the Season of Creation.  Pope Francis invites us to pray for the care of the planet and to listen to “hear the pain of the millions of victims of environmental catastrophes.”

In his video message, the Pope emphasizes that “the ones suffering most from the consequences of natural disasters are the poor” and that it is necessary to “commit ourselves to the fight against poverty and the protection of nature.”

The Earth “has a fever. It is sick,” Pope Francis says, and he asks for “responses that are not only ecological, but are also social, economic and political.”

TEXT OF THE POPE’s MESSAGE
Let us pray for the cry of the Earth. 
If we took the planet’s temperature, it will tell us that the Earth has a fever. And it is sick, just like anyone who’s sick.
But are we listening to this pain?
Do we hear the pain of the millions of victims of environmental catastrophes?
The ones suffering most from the consequences of these disasters are the poor, those who are forced to leave their homes because of floods, heat waves or drought.
Dealing with the environmental crisis caused by humans, such as climate change, pollution or the loss of biodiversity, begs responses that are not only ecological, but are also social, economic and political.
We must commit ourselves to the fight against poverty and the protection of nature, changing our personal and community habits.
Let us pray that each of us listen with our hearts to the cry of the Earth and of the victims of environmental disasters and climate change, making a personal commitment to care for the world we inhabit.
Pope Francis – September 2024

Readings: 2 Cor 9:6-10 Ps 111 John 12:24-26

We have heard a lot already – and will hear a lot more in the months and years ahead – about synodality. Alongside the synodal way is another, the paschal way. Today’s readings point that out, Paul writing that ‘thin sowing means thin reaping’, the Gospel announcing that ‘unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies’. It is not surprising that given the geography of Galilee and its agrarian ambience that Jesus drew heavily on examples and images from nature to instruct his disciples about the nature of God’s Kingdom. Given what a theologian recently referred to as ‘the goodness of the Catholic doctrine of Creation and sacramental grace; the Catholic intellectual tradition for its marrying together of revelation and reason, grace and nature’[1], it is evident that the earth and eternity are not entirely separate, that God holds heaven and humanity in both hands. Paul’s message is about generosity, the sense of sharing that gives and gains even more from God’s generosity; Jesus goes even further, expressing self-emptying even unto death, the example that he gave to the end, laying down his life. This is the economy of salvation not in a mercantile but in a merciful manner. Jesus is the seed of God’s Kingdom, a person and not a principle at the heart of the paschal mystery.  As followers of Christ we are called to participate by faith in this mystery, perform it in love, pray for it through hope.

The synodal and paschal ways run parallel to each other in the church: without the paschal journey of personal conversion the synodal process might produce change for change sake, setting up structures that will not survive since they are without the support of the Holy Spirit; without the synodal journey in the church the paschal passage might be what Pope Francis calls a ‘self-referential’ process, a so-called spirituality that doesn’t see beyond the blinkered self, that builds on the sand of so-called relevance rather than the rock of God’s revelation (See Matt 7: 24-27).

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA

[1] Tina Beattie, The Tablet, 27^th July 2024, p. 11.

Let us pray that political leaders be at the service of their own people, working for integral human development and the common good, taking caring of those who have lost their jobs and giving priority to the poor.

In The Pope Video for August, Pope Francis invites us to pray for political leaders, that they might “work for the common good.” 

In the video message that accompanies his prayer intention, the Pope affirms that even though “politics doesn’t have a very good reputation, it is much more noble than it appears.”

Pope Francis also invites us to thank the “many politicians who carry out their duties with a will to serve, not of power.” 

TEXT OF THE POPE’s MESSAGE

Today, politics doesn’t have a very good reputation: corruption, scandals, distant from people’s day-to-day lives.
But, can we move ahead toward universal fraternity without good politics? No.
As Paul VI said, politics is one of the highest forms of charity because it seeks the common good.
I’m talking about POLITICS with all capital letters, not politicking. I’m talking about politics that listens to what is really going on, that’s at the service of the poor, not the kind that’s holed up in huge buildings with large hallways.
I’m speaking of the politics that’s concerned about the unemployed, and knows full well how sad a Sunday can be when Monday is just one more day not being able to work.
If we look at it this way, politics is much more noble than it appears.
Let’s be grateful for the many politicians who carry out their duties with a will to serve, not of power, who put all their efforts toward the common good.
Let us pray that political leaders be at the service of their own people, working for integral human development and the common good, taking caring of those who have lost their jobs and giving priority to the poorest.

Pope Francis – August 2024