VATICAN – Sister Mary Teresa Barron appointed adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization and president of the Pontifical Mission Societies

Vatican City (Fides News Agency) – Pope Leo XIV has appointed the Reverend Sr. Mary Teresa Barron, OLA, superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles, as adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization in the Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches, with the office of president of the Pontifical Mission Societies, with effect from 4 January 2027.

Today, at around noon, before the recitation of the Angelus, Sr Mary Teresa Barron was presented to the staff of the Missionary Dicastery at the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide.

Reverend Sr. Barron was born in Donegal, Ireland, on 7 November 1968. She was awarded a master’s degree in “Public Healthcare Administration from the Institute for Public Administration in Dublin, and in “International Development” from the Kimmage Institute in Dublin, Ireland. Since 2018 she has served as superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles, from 2022 to 2025 she was president of the Service of Documentation and Study on Global Mission (SEDOS), and from 2023 to 2025, president of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) in Rome, Italy, as stated in the official curriculum vitae accompanying the appointment.

Her public statements are characterized by her missionary experience, intercultural dialogue and the link between synodality and the proclamation of the Gospel.

In an interview with the Spanish weekly Vida Nueva, published on 10 January 2025, she stressed the importance of having lived and worked in different ecclesial contexts and of being in contact with “the Church and peoples from different continents”.
She described this experience as “extremely important for any role in the Church that has a global reach”.
When asked on that occasion what belonging to a missionary congregation might have in common in her own journey and that of Sister Simona Brambilla, who had recently been appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, she explained: “I believe that a missionary perspective and understanding are very important in a synodal Church, because experience teaches us to appreciate and cherish diversity as a source of richness.” She added that “the missionary spirit is often inclusive and readily encourages dialogue”, qualities that are important in relations with people from all over the world.

The link between mission and synodality was already at the heart of her words at the conclusion of the Assembly of the Synod on Synodality in October 2024. In an interview with iCatholic, Sister Barron recalled with emotion a process in which she had been involved from the very beginning, three years earlier. She expressed satisfaction with the final document, which she regarded as a source of support to continue “as a Church on this synodal path”.
When asked about the prospects for the Irish synodal journey, she identified the “missionary orientation” as one of the document’s strengths. The challenge, she explained, was to form missionary disciples and to help people live their faith in everyday life: “Faith is not a Sunday event; it is something we live every day.” It meant bringing Christ’s love into ordinary life and sharing it. She also highlighted the emphasis placed on the family as the domestic Church, seeing this as a call to a more missionary presence in society.

On 19 March 2026, in a joint interview with Vatican News together with Father François Marie Hervé du Penhoat, Superior General of the Society of African Missions, Sister Barron reflected on new forms of missionary presence. The two congregations were celebrating, among other anniversaries, the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles and the 170th anniversary of the Society of African Missions.
“The Church is becoming more synodal. This missionary spirit is fundamental,” she said.
“Today, our response could include accompanying migrants, women who are victims of trafficking for the purpose of exploitation, and a greater commitment to social pastoral ministry, even though our traditional apostolates in healthcare and education remain essential.”
She also recalled the international dimension of the congregation, which brings together sisters from 21 countries, and the importance of nurturing a family spirit among them.

Her concern for people wounded by exploitation is one of the causes particularly close to her heart, as shown by a message she addressed to participants in a prayer marathon against human trafficking, organized in 2025 by the UISG and the Union of Superiors General. “Our prayers today are not just words. They are also a call to action,” she stressed, inviting participants to walk in solidarity with victims and to draw inspiration from the courage of survivors.
During the nine-day novena following the death of Pope Francis, on 3 May 2025 in St Peter’s Basilica, she expressed, on behalf of consecrated women, a commitment to continue a mission of closeness: “To be the caress of our loving God the Creator towards those who suffer, to be the fire that kindles other fires.” She linked this mission to the Gospel’s call to go out to meet people, to serve, heal and accompany those most in need.
(Fides News Agency, 8/10/2026)

Below is a link to a video message delivered by Pope Leo XIV in preparation for World Mission Sunday (18 October), established 100 years ago by Pope Pius XI and celebrated this year on Sunday, October 18.  The text of message, as published by Fides News Agency is given below.  

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As we mark World Mission Sunday, we give thanks to God for the abundant fruits he has bestowed upon the Church since my predecessor, Pope Pius XI, established this annual celebration 100 years ago. He desired that it would foster, in every Diocese and parish, a deeper understanding of the greatness of the missionary task, fervent prayer for the work of evangelization, encouragement for the missionary vocation, and support for the work of the Pontifical Mission Societies.

Indeed, the realization of Pius XI’s aim has borne fruit in my own life. Looking back on my youth, I can see how the prayers offered to the Lord of the harvest mysteriously helped prepare my heart to hear Jesus’ call to follow him as an Augustinian missionary. Moreover, the prayers and contributions of the faithful encouraged and sustained my missionary work in Peru, as well as that of countless others throughout the world. For this reason, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported World Mission Sunday over the years.

In this centenary year, the present theme, “One in Christ, United in Mission,” invites us to reflect on the fundamental task of nurturing the Church’s unity in following Christ, particularly in our commitment and responsibility to spread the Gospel message of salvation to all people.

Indeed, through Baptism, each one of us becomes a member of the Body of Christ and has a unique role in contributing to Jesus’ saving work. Our Lord calls us to cooperate as one family, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to bring everyone everywhere into a communion of faith in Christ.
I reiterate, therefore, the special appeal I made in the Message for World Mission Sunday: “Let us all commit to contributing to the great mission of evangelization — which is always a work of love — according to our own vocation and the gifts we have received. Your prayers and practical support… will be a great help in bringing the Gospel of God’s love to everyone, especially the poorest and those most in need.” (Message for the 100th World Mission Day, 25 January 2026).

Finally, as we celebrate this centenary, I thank you for all that you will do to carry on the legacy of World Mission Sunday and to support generously the evangelizing mission of the Church throughout the world.

May the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit come down on you and remain with you for ever. Amen.
(Fides News Agency, 7/10/2026)

Pope Leo, in his prayer intention for this month, invites us to pray for mental health ministry, so that we may know how to welcome those who suffer in silence, support those who care for them, and learn to integrate mental health care into our community life as a living sign of mercy.

By praying this prayer, you join the millions of people who belong to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network who, from every corner of the world, are praying for humanity’s challenges and the Church’s mission. Take a moment, pray with the Pope.

TEXT OF THE POPE’s PRAYER
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

God of life,
You know the innermost depths of our hearts—
the light and shadows within us,
the silent wounds that sometimes no one sees.

Today we bring before you our brothers and sisters
who struggle with challenges to their mental health,
who suffer in solitude with anxiety, depression, or any other mental illness.
You call them by name, with tenderness,
and in You they find dignity and hope.

Forgive us for the times we have looked the other way,
feeding the stigma and discrimination of persons with mental illnesses.
May your Church be an open house,
a safe space where everyone has a place—
a community that accompanies and never excludes,
that listens without judging and draws near without fear.

We pray to you, Lord, for those who care:
professionals, family members, volunteers—
men and women who, with patience and love,
build bridges of understanding and comfort.
Give them strength and compassion to sustain others.

Send your Spirit upon us,
that we may learn to welcome and integrate care for mental health
into the life and ministry of our communities and of the whole Church,
and thus become a living sign of your mercy,
which never abandons and always restores.

Amen.

Calavi (Fides News Agency) – On Thursday, 1 October, the international year of spirituality for 42 seminarians of the Society of African Missions (SMA) will begin at the Brésillac Centre in Abomey-Calavi, in the Archdiocese of Cotonou, Benin. They come from 12 countries in Africa and Asia, are between 20 and 30 years old, and have already completed the philosophical studies required of those preparing for missionary priesthood.

“Accompanied by a team of five formators, they will spend nine months in an experience of discernment, through periods of reflection and interiority, listening to the Word and prayer, as they prepare to make a decision about their future: whether to continue their vocation as members of the SMA or to discern another form of life and service.”

The testimony comes from Father Antonio Porcellato, who, after six years as Superior General of the SMA, has received a new assignment from his successor, Father François du Penhoat, who appointed him as a formator for a three-year term, renewable for another term.

“I continue to serve in the field of the initial formation of seminarians, an area in which I already worked from 1989 to 2001: six years in Genoa, one year here in Calavi and five years in Ibadan, Nigeria,” the missionary explains. Father Porcellato himself had suggested taking on an assignment in formation. “I am convinced that discernment and initial formation are among the most urgent priorities for the SMA today, which is experiencing a flourishing of vocations in Africa, more moderate growth in Asia, and an almost complete absence of vocations in Europe and America.”

“This year too, around 30 Beninese families have played an active role in the missionary formation of these young men by welcoming, free of charge, into their homes throughout the month of September the seminarians who need to improve their knowledge of French before the beginning of the annual program,” the missionary continues.

Every morning, the seminarians go to the Brésillac Centre, where they meet their classmates for French lessons and have lunch. In the afternoon, each returns to his host family, where he spends the evening and night before returning to the Centre the following morning. The families generally have school-age children, with whom the seminarian naturally interacts and converses, while also taking part in daily activities, meals and times of prayer.

“The group of families who offer their hospitality has existed for decades and has gradually organized itself, identifying each year those families willing to welcome a seminarian. In keeping with the African tradition of hospitality, these families see welcoming others as an opportunity for encounter and are happy to host young people from other countries. In this way, relationships are formed that often continue well beyond the nine months of the year of spirituality spent in Benin.”

This is the experience of Pascaline Assogba, a recently retired university lecturer, who speaks joyfully of the experience she has gained over 20 years of welcoming seminarians. Today, she has what amounts to an extended family in several African countries. “If I travel anywhere on the continent, practically every country has an SMA missionary whom I have hosted in my home and who has now become part of my family,” she says.

On Saturday, 26 September, a closing celebration was held, during which the 24 seminarians who had been hosted by local families expressed their gratitude for the experience.

Spending a month with a Beninese family, besides providing an opportunity to practise French, represents a significant stage in the formation of future missionaries. The young men are called to adapt to foods they have never encountered before, different rhythms of daily life – such as the custom of having dinner very late – and forms of devotion that may sometimes be new to them.

In essence, it is a practical school of proximity, interculturality and adaptability – essential skills for those called to live out their missionary vocation in contexts different from their own. The experience also helps foster mutual understanding and trust among people from different countries and continents, including those marked by tensions or conflict.

These are small, concrete steps towards overcoming divisions, building relationships and contributing to peace.
(AP) (Fides News Agency, 30/9/2026)

Dromantine Seminary officially opened its doors 100 years ago today – on the 29^th of September 1926.  Forty- seven seminarians transferred from the SMA seminary in Cork, then located in what is now the headquarters of the Society of African Missions in Blackrock Road.  The first, in the series of photographs below, shows the students and staff at that time.

For the next forty-seven years, up until 1972, Dromantine prepared generations of men for missionary priesthood. During its years as a major seminary, 587 students were ordained, many of whom were subsequently sent to serve in countries including Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Liberia, Kenya, South African and Tanzania.

The contribution of Missionaries trained in Dromantine to the Church and to education and development in Africa has been enormous.  On the 19^th and 20^th of September Celebrations to mark this fact and the part that Dromantine played in making this possible took place.  Below are some photographs taken at these events.  You may click on the photos to enlarge.   
To view a video about Dromantine Click HERE

Below is a summary of a recent article published by the Mexican, Catholic News platform, “Press Crux. ”  There is a link to the full text below.  

The article highlights the severe security crisis affecting the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora in north-central Nigeria, where widespread violence, kidnappings, and attacks by armed groups are disrupting religious life and threatening the survival of rural Christian communities.   According to Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, some villages can no longer receive regular Mass because roads have become too dangerous for priests, religious workers, and catechists to travel safely. Many families have been forced to abandon their homes, farms, schools, and churches, creating a risk that entire Christian communities may disappear from their ancestral lands.

A major example of this insecurity was the November 2025 kidnapping of 230 students and staff from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri. Although all hostages were eventually released, the incident left deep emotional trauma among children, parents, and educators. The attack highlighted the vulnerability of schools and rural communities, where limited security presence allows armed groups to operate with relative ease.

The bishop explains that Nigeria’s violence cannot be attributed to a single cause. Criminal kidnapping for ransom, cattle rustling, territorial disputes, poverty, weak state institutions, and sometimes religious tensions all contribute to the crisis. While some Christian communities have been specifically targeted, both Christians and Muslims suffer from kidnappings, killings, and displacement. Bishop Yohanna stresses the importance of interfaith cooperation to prevent criminals from exploiting religious differences.

The insecurity has significantly affected the Church’s pastoral mission. Some parishes and mission stations have been closed temporarily, priests are unable to reach remote communities, and access to sacraments and religious education has been disrupted. Nevertheless, local catechists and lay leaders continue to support the faithful and maintain community prayer despite the challenges.

The bishop argues that biggest problem in relation to the current violence is impunity, with attackers often escaping justice. He calls for stronger security measures, better intelligence gathering, faster intervention, and greater investment in education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. He also emphasizes that security requires more than military action; it requires addressing the underlying social and economic conditions that fuel violence.

Despite these difficulties, the Church continues to provide humanitarian support, including food, shelter, educational assistance, and pastoral care to displaced families. Bishop Yohanna’s final message is a plea for prayer, international solidarity, and support for those affected by the crisis. He insists that the Diocese of Kontagora does not want to be defined by violence but by its commitment to faith, peace, dignity, and hope.

To read the full article click on the link below and then on  “translate” for an English version.

https://presscrux.org/nigeria-algunas-comunidades-cristianas-podrian-desaparecer-el-obispo-que-intenta-mantener-viva-la-fe-en-su-pais  

Below is the the text of the homily delivered by Fr Eamonn Finnegan SMA during a Mass, to mark the centenary of the SMA’s presence on Dromantine, Newry, Co Down, celebrated on Sunday 20th of September 2026.

This year is a year of Jubilees for the Society of African Missions and the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA). Last June, in Lagos, Nigeria, we celebrated three jubilees – the 170^th anniversary of the foundation of the SMA by the Venerable Bishop de Brésillac. The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles [OLA] celebrated the 150^th anniversary of their foundation. and the 200^th anniversary of the birth of their founder and the SMA Co-Founder, Fr Augustin Planque.  And here this afternoon, we celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the arrival of the SMA in Dromantine, in 1926.

When our Founder died at the age of 46 in Freetown, Sierra Leone, it was left to Fr Planque to continue the work he started in Lyons, France. Fr Planque realised that, not only did Africa need priests, but they also required religious Sisters to look after the health and education of the women and girls. He therefore founded the OLA Sisters.  I want to acknowledge the tremendous work the OLA Sisters have done in Africa, in Ireland and especially in Dromantine for many years.

In our early years in Ireland, we had our own Fr Planque in the person of Kerryman, Fr Maurice Slattery. He, too, like Fr Planque, was a man of vision, a man who took risks, a man who was totally committed to the work of building up of the Society of African Missions in Ireland.

He was ordained in Egypt in 1900 and after his ordination he remained there, teaching in the seminary. In 1912 he was elected Vice-Provincial of the newly-erected Irish Province and the following year at the age of 38 he succeeded Fr Stephen Kyne, as Provincial Superior. When he took over from Fr Kyne, he had many challenges to face. By the time his term of office came to an end in 1918, he had put the young Society on a sound financial footing. He had the joy of seeing many young

newly ordained priests going on mission in West Africa. In 1914 he started the African Missionary magazine – the first missionary magazine in Ireland. In 1925 he was elected again as Provincial Superior. One of the most pressing needs for us at that time was to find a suitable seminary for the increasing number of young men who were joining the Irish branch of the Society.  The seminary at Blackrock Road, Cork was too small. Maurice put his heart and soul into looking for a suitable house. On the 24^th January 1926, at his request, a special novena begun after night prayers for the procuring of a suitable site for a new seminary. Shortly afterwards he heard that a suitable property, near Newry, Co Down, had come on the market. Permission to build a seminary was given by Bishop Mulhern of Dromore diocese. On the 29^th September 1926, Dromantine opened its doors to welcome 47 seminarians. On the 16^th June 1927, eleven of those students were ordained in Newry Cathedral by Bishop Mulhern. From 1927 until 1972, 587 students were ordained to the missionary priesthood, nearly all in Newry Cathedral.

Fr Slattery soon saw, with the increase in the student numbers, that he would have to extend the house. He supervised the various extensions himself, keeping them in harmony with the architecture of the original Manor House.  Only a man of Slattery stature, vision and courage could have transferred the seminary from Cork to Newry. 

When Fr Slattery arrived in 1926, he was welcome at the front door by a lady from Ardee who worked for the McKeever family – the previous owners of Dromantine. She was Annie Rogers who later married a local man, Pat Bagnall. Two of their daughters Agnes and Annie worked here for almost 50 years. Agnes married Sean McCrink who along with his father Frank looked after the farm. In later years Sean was the maintenance man in the house. Annie & Sean are present here today. We, SMA’s are very grateful to all our lay staff for their loyalty to us going right back to 1926. I must also acknowledge the many people from this parish (Donaghmore) and surrounding area who worked in Dromantine.

The cost of running a large seminary for many years was very difficult for SMA Leaders. Money in the 1930’s 40’s and 50’s for very scarce.

In 1959 a new movement began that was to change the financial situation in Dromantine. And this movement was started in Belfast when a young man by the name of Tommy McKenna came to visit a student friend of his. On that visit he met the Superior, today we call them Community Leaders. Tommy asked the Superior, ‘how much does it cost to educate a student for one year?’ He was told that approximately £100 per student. Tommy went back to Belfast and gathered members of his own family and some friends and told them the story of Dromantine. That Sunday afternoon in Belfast he got his £100 and sent it to Dromantine. And he did this for the next seven years – seven years being the length of time a student spent studying for the priesthood. So, from that meeting the Family Vocation Community (FVC) was born. And it snowballed throughout Ulster. Very soon every town had an FVC group. It was so successful that a priest had to be appointed to help with the work.  Every Sunday afternoon, two laymen, Tommy McKenna and Johnny Lappin from Portadown travelled with Fr Andy Anglin to towns and villages all over Ulster, to speak to groups of people about this movement. It has been perhaps one of the most successful lay movements in the country. At one time we had over 30,000 families involved throughout Ireland. Today I want to thank all those that we call Head Sponsors or group leaders – some are with us for over 50 years. Your commitment to Dromantine for the education of students to the priesthood has been phenomenal. Our Sponsors are just Like St Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower, who never left her convent in France but spent her life praying and offering her sufferings for the missions.

I want also to mention the many FVC Directors – SMA priests who succeeded Fr Andy. Some of them are here today. They all made a great contribution to the work, especially those who worked here during the Troubles.  

From the FVC came the Open Day, the Holiday Camps, the missionary Association Cards. Open Day was built on the enormous number of local people and others from further afield. I want also to acknowledge the many people who support our missionary work through our Mission Boxes and our Mission Awareness ministry.

I must not forget the great support we – and all missionaries – received from the Apostolic Workers. Founded in Belfast by Miss Agnes McCauley, our Society has been receiving all types of support from them since 1923 with money being sent to Cork for our missions

In the 1970’s the SMA seminarians transferred to the National Seminary – St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. This has led to a very fruitful collaboration with the diocesan clergy our students studied alongside for many years. A new beginning for Dromantine saw it hosting conferences and Retreats, Holiday Camps etc. Over a three-year period, the entire building underwent major renovations and reopened in 2001 as the refurbished Dromantine Conference and Retreat Centre.  Since then, the Centre has, and continues to play a major part in promoting the work of Mission to groups from all over Ireland and overseas. Thousands of priests, Sisters and lay people have made use of the Conference Centre facilities for workshops, retreats etc.

Many groups from other denominations also use Dromantine. In 2005, the worldwide Anglican Assembly of bishops was held here. In 2000 and 2006, we hosted two international Flower festivals to celebrate the new millennium and the 150^th anniversary of the foundation of the Society. More than 10,000 people came through the doors of Dromantine for these weekends.

You, my dear missionary friends, can be proud of the work of the Irish missionaries, your representatives in Africa. Many of those early missionaries did not see the fruit of their labours. But we who worked in countries like Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa have witnessed the growth of the African Church.

In many African countries, the church is flourishing. When I first went to the Archdiocese of Lagos, Nigeria, there were over 20 Irish SMA priests. Today there are none. But there are over 400 Nigerian priests caring for more than three million Catholics. There are thousands of Sisters who run hospitals, schools and clinics.  And today Nigeria and other African countries are sending missionaries all over the world to preach the gospel. As SMA’s we thank God for the gift of so many Africans, Indians, Filipino and Polish young men who have been ordained as SMAs since the early 1990’s. This year alone we had 31 young men ordained as SMA missionaries.

Dromantine has served us well since 1926 – the people of Ulster have been generous with their spiritual and financial support. The young people still come to the holiday camps in large numbers. The promotion activities and the Retreat and Conference Centre continue. We give thanks to God for the many gifts the SMA have received since its foundation.

My dear friends of the SMA, in this place, we stand on Holy Ground. For 100 years we have been praying and celebrating Mass daily for our supporters, for our missionaries and for the work of the Church. And we will continue to do so. The future is in the hands of the Lord. May we be attentive to the voice of God’s spirit as we face the future.

We are not just looking back, we work in the present and with the help of God, our Blessed Mother and with the continued support of the people of Ulster, the Society of African Missions will continue to bring the message of Jesus to the ends of the earth.

But what does the future hold? Our Irish membership are ageing. We are just over 100 Irish SMAs, two thirds of whom are over 70 years. Before Bishop de Brésillac died he told Fr Planque that the work would continue if he, Fr Planque, would take it on. And so today, as our numbers decline, the vibrant churches in Africa, Asia and Poland are taking up the challenge. Thanks to the Family Vocations Community, the SMA now rejoices with more than 400 SMA priests at the service of Africa. They are the future. Six of them, from Africa and India, are now here in Ireland helping us with our work. And we know they will continue the work of the Irish and other European missionaries who left all to proclaim God’s message of mercy, compassion and love to the people of Africa. Amen.

God bless you and enjoy your afternoon.

The Annual SMA Novena in honour of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus takes place from the 23rd of September until the 1st of October. Ceremonies with take place at St Joseph’s SMA Church, Wilton, Cork City and in SMA House Dromantine, Co Down.

In Cork Mass and Novena Prayers will be at 7.30pm each evening (Saturday 6pm), while in Dromantine there will be morning Mass at 10 am each morning and also at 7.30pm each evening.  You may also join remotely via the WEBCAM tab on the top of this Page or via the 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.                                                                                                                                            

Readings: 1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49; Psalm 55; Luke 8:4-15

The disciples were wondering and worrying why things weren’t developing quickly enough – would the Kingdom of God come in time for them to receive the reward they expected for their hanging in and holding on while others walked away from Jesus and his mission. They were expecting some equivalent reward for their efforts and endurance. Instead Jesus answers with a parable expressing that growth takes time and that such growth depends also on the condition of the ground.

In the first reading Paul proposes the image of the seed – ‘Whatever you sow in the ground has to die before it is given new life’. This picks up on the saying of Jesus : ‘Amen, Amen I say to you, unless a wheat grain falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies it bears much fruit’. (John 12: 24)  This saying is found only in the Gospel of John and is the closest statement in it to the nature parables in the other Gospels, as we have in today’s reading from Luke. The context for this saying is important, as a response to a group of Greek visitors to the festival in Jerusalem. To his disciples, who were probably impressed by their presence, Jesus did not give a philosophical argument – what Paul earlier in this Letter labelled ‘human wisdom… to the gentiles foolishness’ (see 1 Corinthians 1: 20-25).

Indeed following on from the image of the seed, Jesus indicates and insists on ‘Anyone who loves life loses it; anyone who hates life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me, must follow me, and my servant will be with me wherever I am’. (John : 12:25-26). Christian discipleship demands a dying to self, the discernment of which is dealt with in conscience and within the context of a person’s life considered in the round.  

Kevin O’Gorman SMA

Water is a sacred gift that sustains life. We see a sign of God’s generosity in water. It quenches our thirst and makes the earth fertile. In Baptism, it becomes a symbol of his renewing grace. Taking care of water is also a form of safeguarding life and of recognizing that this resource belongs to everyone, without distinction.

In his prayer intention for September, Pope Leo invites us to pray that water be protected so that we might learn to appreciate it with gratitude, justice, and moderation, and so that we might know how to defend the right of every brother and sister to have equal access to drinkable water.

By praying this prayer, you join the millions of people who belong to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network who, from every corner of the world, are praying for humanity’s challenges and the Church’s mission. Take a moment, pray with the Pope.

PRAYER TEXT
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 
Lord of Life, You have given us the gift of water, source of fruitfulness, freshness, and hope. It quenches thirst, nourishes the earth, and heals wounds.

We thank You, because it is also a symbol of your grace and love that renews us through Baptism. Today we ask You to teach us to safeguard it with gratitude, justice, and responsibility.

Forgive us for turning it into a commodity, forgetting that it is a universal gift, a right without borders, meant for all your children. We see with pain so many brothers and sisters who lack clean water, who walk for miles to find it, who become ill due to its scarcity.

May your Spirit make us pilgrims of the essential, able to live with simplicity, denouncing waste and pollution, defending the right of every brother and sister to drink without fear and without inequality.

May our care for water be a sign of love for the Creator and a commitment to the lives of the poor, educating new generations to value and protect the Earth’s resources. Amen.

Below is a link to an interesting article written by Joseph Tulloch for Vatican News.  It outlines the Church’s relations with the Coptic Orthodox and Muslim communities, and the impact of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

At present there are eight SMA’s working in Egypt, based in Cairo at Shourba and Heliopolis and also in Shohag which is located 467 kilometres south of Cairo.

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2026-09/bishop-alexandria-claudio-lurati-catholic-copt-muslim-egypt-gaza.html   

Below: Views of St Mark’s Church, Shoubra where SMAs minister.      

Readings :  Jeremiah 1:17-19; Psalm 70; Mark 6:17-29

The title of today’s Memorial taken from the Missal is The Passion of Saint John the Baptist. Two words there – Saint and Passion – not only suggest but state the significance of the person remembered today, John the Baptist. Calling the beheading of John at the hands of Herod his Passion points out his blood relationship to Jesus in a very realistic manner while naming him Saint shows his relationship to the Holy Spirit. Rather than seeing John then as a minor character in the unfolding of the Jesus story that the Gospels undertake, his importance is indicated in the Introduction to a study which was published 30 years ago: ‘The fact that the traditions about John can be traced to every layer of the gospel  tradition points to the early acceptance of a significant role for him in the life of the Church and in its understanding of its own mission’.[1]

The subtitle of this study – Prophet and Evangelist – goes beyond the received understanding of the cousin of Jesus as merely another minor prophet pointing to Jesus. In this perspective John points out Jesus and prepares the way in a unique manner through his Passion. After calling John ‘a Martyr for truth and justice’ in the Opening Prayer, the Prayer over the Offerings presents him as having ‘powerfully sealed his teaching by the shedding of his blood’. If we substituted passionately for powerfully here we could perhaps appreciate more the personal involvement and investment of John who was prepared and, in the words of the Preface, it was; ‘He alone of all the prophets pointed out the Lamb of redemption’. 

Alongside his role as herald of the saving mission of Jesus and the church John’s spiritual hallmark is his humility. The response to today’s Psalm could be readily placed in his mouth: ‘My lips will tell of your justice, O Lord’. This is the saving justice of the Gospel that Jesus proclaimed and paid his life in service of. In playing his part John is an indispensable piece of the picture, the willing witness who makes way for Jesus, Messiah and Saviour. As a victim of the violent thuggery of those prepared to go to any length, even killing others, to save their own skin and status in society, John is the patron saint of the innocent and those injured by the moral cowardice of others, especially office holders.

Kevin O’Gorman SMA

^{[1] Carl R. Kazmierski, John the Baptist, Liturgical Press, 1996,  9.}

Today’s cities are filled with contrasts. They are places of freedom and opportunity, as well as anonymity and loneliness for many who live in them. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of urban life, millions of people seek deeper meaning for their lives, often without finding it.  In his August prayer intention, Pope Leo invites us to pray for the evangelization of the city so that the Church might know how to reach out to everyone, offering comfort, community, and the joy of the Gospel in every corner of the city.

By paying this prayer, you join the millions of people who belong to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network who, from every corner of the world, are praying for humanity’s challenges and the Church’s mission. Take a moment, pray with the Pope. 

TEXT OF THIS MONTH’s Prayer
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd, You walk through our streets and squares, enter tall buildings and humble neighbourhoods, and silently accompany millions who seek meaning amid noise and haste. You know, Lord, the heart of the city: its lights and shadows, its noise and loneliness. We know that cities are called to be places of freedom and opportunity, but they can also become spaces of anonymity and isolation. That’s why today we ask You for a renewed gaze, able to discover in urban life fertile ground for proclaiming your Gospel. Give us a creative and deep faith, that doesn’t remain in words, but becomes flesh through simple and loving gestures. Make us a Church that goes forth, able to reach out to the peripheries, to console those who are lonely, and to sow fraternity and connection instead of giving in to indifference. Lord, may our urban communities be open and welcoming homes, places where hope is shared, where no one feels invisible, and where the joy of your Gospel shines in the hidden lives of so many brothers and sisters. Make us your witnesses in the city, bold and creative missionaries, who proclaim your Love with their lives— a Love capable of overcoming haste, noise, and anonymity. Amen.

Source: https://thepopevideo.org/august-for-evangelization-in-the-city/ 

Readings: Habakkuk 1:12-2-4; Psalm 9; Matthew 17:14-20.

Today’s first reading is taken from one of the minor prophets, Habakkuk, where we hear some of the most hopeful and helpful words in holy scripture: ‘Write the vision down, inscribe it on tablets to be easily read, since this vision is for its own time only: eager for its own fulfilment, it does not deceive; if it comes slowly, wait, for come it will, without fail’. The perspective of the prophets is proclaimed as follows: ‘Prophets are less concerned with foretelling the future than with exposing what is spiritually misaligned in the present, naming the idols of their age, and unsettling the comforts of injustice or ritual formality’.[1]

In today’s Gospel text we hear and see the prophet of God’s Reign in action. After hearing about the boy in his ‘wretched state’ where he was wont to fall onto the fire or water, and hearing that his disciples could not cure him, Jesus is exasperated and exclaims, ‘faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you?’ He goes on to answer the disciples’ question about their inability to cure the boy. Jesus is blunt, ‘Because you have little faith’. The complete contrast in size between the mustard seed and the mountain only serves to communicate the power of faith.

Earlier in the week we heard from the prophet Jeremiah: ‘Listen to this word that I am now going to say for you and all the people to hear. From remote times, the prophets who preceded you and me prophesied war, disaster and plague for many lands and for great kingdoms; the prophet who prophesies peace can be recognised as one truly sent by the Lord only when the prophecy comes true.’ (28:7-9) The so-called prophets of doom could be preaching in the present with the proliferation of conflict and contagion being communicated in media that were unimaginable ‘in remote times’.

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus expresses and enacts, embodies and exemplifies the Reign of God. This is an eternal vision which has entered into history, of which peace between peoples is an essential part. As we say the prayer in the Communion Rite – asking the ‘Lord Jesus Christ’ to look ‘on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will’ – we are reminded of the vision of ‘peace and unity’ that Pope Leo XIV is making the motto of his papacy, mindful of the prophecy ‘Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I charge you, in the name of his appearing and of his kingdom: proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it’.  (2 Timothy 4:1)

Kevin O’Gorman SMA

^{[1] Nina Blibetic, ‘Sacred Space between Inclusion and Exclusion’, Studia Liturgica, 2026, (1), 40-53, here 42.}

In 2026 the Society of African Missions and the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles celebrate a triple anniversary: the 170th anniversary of the SMA, the 150th anniversary of the OLA, and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Father Augustin Planque SMA, founder of the OLA Sisters. To mark these a series of events took place in Africa, in Ireland and in France. 

The article below, first published on the SMA International website, is about the final day of one of these events – a pilgrimage in which 120 members of the SMA and OLA participated.  Over a six-day period they visited and prayed in places with strong links to the development, life and mission of the SMA and OLA. Among them were  the Church of Saint-Martin in Chemy, Father Planque’s native village — the Chapel of the Martyrs of Algeria in Vénissieux, and, the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière in Lyon, where the SMA was consecrated on 8 December 1856.

Chaponost, Tuesday, July 28, 2026 — The sixth and final day of the pilgrimage held in France as part of the triple jubilee of the Society of African Missions (SMA) and Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) reached its high point this Tuesday, with a solemn Mass celebrated at the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. A highly symbolic place to close this stage of the pilgrimage: it was on this very hill that the SMA was founded nearly 170 years ago.

A Mass of Sending, Not of Closing
It was Archbishop Michel Cartateguy, SMA, Archbishop Emeritus of Niamey, Niger, who presided over the Eucharistic celebration. In a homily marked by gratitude and challenge, he recalled the journey of the two founders — Bishop de Brésillac for the SMA and Father Planque for the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles — who climbed this same hill with five companions, before most of them gave up the venture in the months that followed. Only three of the seven remained.

Recalling this founding episode, Archbishop Cartateguy saw in it an echo of the question Jesus posed to the Twelve in the Gospel of John: “Do you also want to leave?” The missionary vocation, he stressed, has always been demanding — yesterday as today — and calls for courage, perseverance, patience, and self-denial. He expressed his joy at the number of young people drawn to this vocation today, while asking whether they are prepared to go not only to the peripheries, but to the places where, precisely, no one wants to go. That, he recalled, is the very heart of the SMA-OLA mission.

The archbishop emeritus emphasized the collective dimension of this sending: no one is a missionary alone, but always within the Church — universal, diocesan, parish-based, communal. He used a sporting image to express this conviction: talent wins matches, but it is teamwork that wins championships.

He then drew on another, still more symbolic image: that of a fig tree originally from the South — the land of Bishop de Brésillac — but bought in the North, the land of Father Planque, and then planted in Lyon, at the center, precisely where the two founders met to give birth to the SMA-OLA family. A tree born of this dual origin and now called to bear fruit from this place of convergence. He concluded by describing this Mass not as the closing of the pilgrimage, but truly as a sending, inviting everyone to come down from the hill with the boldness of the founders, to proclaim that Christ is alive.

Sister Clémentine’s Testimony: “I Hope to Have Them Soon”

Among the many testimonies gathered throughout the day, that of Sister Clémentine Remadji Narangar, an OLA religious sister from Chad, stood out in particular. Visiting the founding places of the SMA and OLA for the first time, she shared her joy at having seen with her own eyes how it all began, and her gratitude toward those who, day and night, worked to prepare this jubilee.

Asked about the SMA’s presence in her country — Chad, where SMA Fathers are not yet established — Sister Clémentine did not hide her hope: “I hope to have them soon,” she said, adding that the OLA sisters, already present there, are preparing the ground for a future welcome of the Fathers. According to her, two sites are already being set up, and the OLA’s presence in Chad could well open the way for their SMA brothers, so that the mission may continue together in her country.

This wish echoes as a concrete extension of Archbishop Cartateguy’s call to live the mission “together” — a thread that ran through the entire day, between gratitude for the heritage received and momentum toward new territories to evangelize.

Gratitude, Renewal, and Hope

Other voices joined Sister Clémentine’s to express this same blend of gratitude and hope. Sister Julienne Adogboe, OLA, originally from Togo and currently on mission in France, said she was happy to have taken part, through Providence, in this jubilee pilgrimage, and expressed the wish that the Spirit continue to raise up vocations for both institutes.

Sister Françoise Fri Abena, for her part, emphasized the day’s dimension of renewal: walking in the footsteps of Bishop de Brésillac and Father Planque, she explained, is a return to the source in order to set out again, at a time when the world still expects much from missionary institutes.

Finally, Father Michael Adebote, SMA, originally from Nigeria and currently serving in the Diocese of Portland, Maine (United States), gave a testimony filled with personal emotion. Baptized, having made his first communion, and ordained by SMA priests, he said he felt a deep sense of debt toward the Society for all it has brought to Africa and to Africans. He praised the 170-year journey — from a childhood dream to a presence that is now worldwide, carried by many African sisters and fathers serving on every continent — and expressed confidence in the future: the torch, he affirmed, now rests in the hands of a new generation of “missionaries without borders,” called to continue proclaiming the Good News in Africa, from Africa, and with Africa.

Thus concludes, at Fourvière, the France stage of the SMA and OLA triple jubilee pilgrimage: a stage lived as a return to the sources, but above all as a new sending on mission, carried by gratitude for the past and hope for lands still to be sown — starting, perhaps soon, with Chad. The triple jubilee itself will officially close on December 8, 2026

Source:  https://smainternational.site/2026/07/at-fourviere-the-sma-ola-jubilee-pilgrimage-in-france-concludes-in-joy-and-hope/  

by Cosimo Graziani

 (Fides News Agency) – The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that aims to halt US aid to Nigeria in the next fiscal year, justifying this measure as a response to anti-Christian violence in the African country.

The bill was approved in mid-July with a majority of 217 votes in favor and 209 against. The proposal calls for foreign governments and “bad actors to be held accountable for the persecution of people of faith” and proposes reducing assistance to Nigeria “until effective action is taken to protect Christian communities suffering from religious violence.”
The proposal also lists the objectives of the measures it intends to introduce, namely, offering “support for religious freedom programs abroad and the protection of religious freedom for faith-based organizations engaged in cooperation.”

The proposal to tie US financial aid to Nigeria to the situation of Christians in the country was spearheaded by two Republican congressmen: Representative Riley Moore of West Virginia and Representative Jeff Steube of Florida. Moore had long advocated cutting aid to Nigeria, arguing that such action is necessary to defend the country’s Christian population. In recent months, he had repeatedly claimed that Christians in Nigeria are facing genocide and accused the federal government of failing to take adequate action against Fulani extremists. He also proposed a bilateral security agreement between the United States and Nigeria aimed at protecting Christian communities.

Moore initially proposed a 50% reduction in US assistance to Africa’s most populous nation, while Steube introduced an amendment calling for a complete suspension of aid to Abuja. The House ultimately approved the amendment. Following the vote, Steube announced the bill’s approval in a post on X: “American taxpayers should never bankroll governments that turn a blind eye while Christians are abducted, tortured and murdered”

It should be noted that this is the first approval of a bill, and has not yet become law. For the 2027 federal budget to become legally binding, the bill must also be approved by the Senate and signed by President Donald Trump.

In February, the current US administration released a report describing Nigeria as the most dangerous country in the world for Christians. Following that report, Washington designated Nigeria a “Country of particular concern,” a label rejected by the government in Abuja as well as by local and international organizations, which have stressed that violence in Nigeria affects Christians and members of other religions.

In recent months, the United States and Nigeria have continued to strengthen security cooperation. The US has deployed military personnel to the country, describing the move as support for the fight against several terrorist groups. The collaboration prompted expressions of appreciation from President Trump, as reflected in a letter he sent to the Nigerian government in recent weeks.
According to the authorities in Abuja, Trump also commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for its efforts to address the problems “afflicting Christian communities.” Those statements appear to contrast with the House of Representatives vote, though they are unlikely to prevent the proposal’s final approval.
(Fides News Agency, 26/7/2026)

This year, one of the triple Anniversaries that both the OLA Sisters and SMA Fathers celebrate is the birth of Fr Augustine Planque SMA, founder of the Our Lady of Apostles Sisters (OLA) and also who, as the second Superior General of the SMA, ensured the continuation and growth of the Society of African Missions.  He was born 200 years ago on the 25^th of July 1826.  Without him the SMA would likely have ceased to exist soon after it was founded and the OLA would not have come into being.

He was born in Chemy, northern France, into a devout and hardworking Catholic family.  As a young man searching for direction, her discovered an appeal from Monsignor Melchior de Marion Brésillac, who sought volunteers for a new missionary initiative – the Society of African Missions. Inspired, Planque arrived in Lyons in November 1856, just a few weeks before the formal founding of the SMA on the 8^th of December. 

Planque longed to be sent to African but Brésillac, discerning his gifts asked him to remain in France while he and the first small group of missionaries travelled to Sierra Leone.  Tragically, within weeks, all but one of the group, including Brésillac, succumbed to yellow fever.  Despite pressure to abandon the fledgling society, Augustine Planque stepped into leadership with determination and faith.

In the following decades he guided the Society of African Missions with a combination of sound judgement, forward vision, humility and deep spiritual grounding.  He was known for his ability to analyse situations, anticipate needs, and chart new paths – a skill that helped secure the Society’s survival and growth.

Fr Plangue knew that reaching the women of West African required the presence of women missionaries, and he turned to several existing congregations for help.  A courageous group of Franciscan sisters responded and worked in SMA missions for several years. Still, the need was far greater. 

When Planque petitioned the Pope for more sisters, the answer her received was simple and challenging. “You want nuns. Well, make them!”

Though already fully occupied as Superior General of the rapidly growing SMA, Fr Planque trusted that if God needed a new congregation, God would provide the means. He issued an appeal in the Annals of the Propagation of the Faith and women from France and Ireland answered generously.  From these first volunteers, a new congregation took shape.

He placed the growing community of sisters under the protection of Mary, Queen of Apostles and chose as their motto the phrase from Acts 11:14: “With Mary, the Mother of Jesus.”   Thus, on the 1^st of May 1876 the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles were born.   

About a year later the first OLA missionaries arrived in Lagos.  Among them were two Irishwomen, Sr Dominique O’Riordan (Cork) and Sr Felicity Kirwan (Dublin).  Both gave their lives within their fist year on mission – an early testament to the courage and sacrifice that would characterise the congregation’s history.  In the following years, the presence of OLA sisters spread throughout West Africa, North Africa the Middle East and beyond.  Wherever they went they responded to the most urgent needs of the people, establishing schools, clinics, hospitals and undertaking pastoral outreach to villages, homes and prisons.

Today, OLA Sisters serve in twenty-one countries across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America. Their work remains anchored in the same spirit Fr Planque instilled: profound faith, courage and commitment to making Christ known and loved.

Fr Planque died on the 21^st of August 1907 at the age of 81.  He is buried at the SMA Seminary in Lyons.  His legacy lives on in the thousands of SMA Priests and OLA sisters who continue the mission he dedicated his life to and worked to promote.

^{Source: The article above is taken mostly from an OLA publication.}

by Cosimo Graziani

(Fides News Agency) – Liberia has announced the establishment of a task force to combat illegal mining. The new body, called the Protect Our Resources Taskforce (PORT), has been created to strengthen inspections, improve enforcement of mining regulations and enhance government oversight of the phenomenon. According to the Liberian newspaper The New Dawn, the initiative was launched in the presence of Minister of Mines and Energy Matenokay Tingban, who described it as “a strategic shift toward intelligence-led enforcement, stronger coordination and more responsible management of mineral resources.”

The task force will monitor mining operations across the country, ensuring compliance with licensing requirements, royalty payments, environmental standards, labor regulations and other legal provisions. One of the government’s objectives is to promote a more regulated mining sector by reducing illegal mining and illicit trafficking, particularly of gold, in order to improve working conditions, limit environmental damage and increase government revenues. As Tingban explained at the press conference, Liberia’s mineral resources are among its national assets and must therefore contribute to economic transformation, financial stability, environmental sustainability, and national prosperity.

The Liberian government’s decision to establish a task force for the mining sector should come as no surprise. The rapid expansion of mining activities, especially illegal operations, has become one of the major socio-economic challenges facing several African countries.
West Africa, from Senegal to Nigeria, as well as the Congo Basin, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are the hardest hit. But illegal mines, primarily gold mines, also exist in South Africa and Uganda. In recent days, illegal mines have been shut down in both countries. The closures in South Africa led to the arrest of over two hundred people, mostly undocumented immigrants. Illegal mining harms African societies in many ways, most notably the environment. Gold mining involves the use of pollutants such as mercury, which is discharged into rivers and water basins. The environmental impact is compounded by equally devastating social consequences. In the Ugandan mine closed in recent days, located in the Kanungu district, a full-scale gold rush had developed over recent weeks. The rush prompted most residents to abandon the village of Kanoni and move into makeshift settlements surrounding the mine.

The abandonment of the village resulted in a local food crisis, as farmers abandoned their fields to work in the mines. Entire families left the village, including underage children, who had to drop out of school to support their families. To resolve this situation in Uganda, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Phiona Nyamutoro, had to intervene and shut down the mine upon her arrival on site.
The problem not only causes internal social difficulties but is also closely linked to international dynamics and conflicts. Illegal mining is fueled by the raw material hunger of regional and global geopolitical powers. It is linked to widespread corruption and represents another facet of neocolonialism.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), mining activities are intertwined with the instability caused by the presence of rebel groups such as the M23. Since the movement seized control of Goma in early 2025, the government in Kinshasa has lost control of the local mines, which are now operated by the rebel group. The group has also extended its control to gold smuggling. Furthermore, the DRC not only mines gold but also precious metals for technological innovation. These are at the heart of a smuggling trade coveted by rebel groups, often linked to close alliances with groups and organizations in neighboring countries. Thus, the trade in gold and precious metals also becomes a battleground for economic conflicts, which in turn are intertwined with regional and global conflicts. (Fides News Agency, 12/7/2026)

^{https://www.fides.org/en/news/77918-Growing_social_alarm_across_Africa_over_the_damage_caused_by_illegal_mining} 

Readings: Proverbs 2:1-9; Psalm 33; Matthew 19:27-29

Today we celebrate Saint Benedict, a figure renowned for his role in establishing monasticism in the Latin church through his Rule which still regulates the lives of many religious and inspires many of the lay faithful. Widely respected both within the church as saint and without as sage, today’s first reading is like a waterfall pouring out the attributes of such a figure – ‘turning [one’s] ear to wisdom and applying [the] heart to truth’, seeking discernment ‘as if it were silver’ and searching for it as for buried treasure’. This spiritual seeking stands opens to ‘the knowledge of God’ since ‘the Lord himself is giver of wisdom’. Today’s reading from Proverbs closes with a profile of the wise person who is just in his or her judgements, whose character cannot be impugned by those playing politics rather than practicing ‘justice and fair dealing’. The Psalmist portrays the wise person in prayerful terms – ‘I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips’; ‘those who seek the lord lack no blessing’.

The Gospel reading relates the personal price in relational terms paid by those who ‘have left everything and followed’ Jesus. (This is rather humorously illustrated in the story of Benedict’s sister Scholastica who had to pray for a storm to prolong his stay with her.) This resonates with and indeed reflects the recommendation in the Rule, ‘This is the kind of zeal then which monks should exercise with fervent love…let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may he lead us all alike to everlasting life’. The ‘reward’ which Christ promises is fleshed out, ‘And everyone who has left…for the sake of my name will be repaid a hundred times over, and also inherit eternal life’.

Having taken his name as Pope, Benedict XVI wrote about him, ‘The obedience of the disciple must correspond with the wisdom of the Abbot’[1], about whose office he has many insights to offer, not least the need to listen to ‘the brethern’s views, because the lord often reveals to the youngest what is best’.[2] The Pope’s commentary is timely: ‘This provision makes a Rule written almost 15 centuries ago surprisingly modern! A man with public responsibility even in small circles must always be a man who can listen and learn from what he hears’.[3]

Kevin O’Gorman SMA

^{[1] The Pope Benedict XVI Reader, Park Ridge, Ill: Word of Fire Institute, 2021, 294.}

^{[2] Ibid.}

^{[3] Ibid.}

Human life is a sacred gift that merits to be welcomed, protected and cared for in all its stages. Nevertheless, indifference, exclusion and violence threatening the dignity of the person, especially those who are particularly vulnerable, persists in many parts of the world. When respect for life diminishes, the throwaway culture grows, leaving many without the care, support and recognition they need. 

By praying this prayer, you join the millions of people who belong to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network who, from every corner of the world, are praying for humanity’s challenges and the Church’s mission. Take a moment, pray with the Pope.

TEXT OF POPE LEO’s PRAYER
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord of life, we thank you for the gift of sport, for those who glorify God through the exercise of their bodies, for the friendships born on the field and the joy of playing as a team. You teach us that in life, as in the game, no one is saved alone. We need others to grow, to learn respect, to overcome our limits, and to celebrate together the victories we achieve. We ask that sport may always be a school of fraternity, not of empty rivalry, a space of encounter, not exclusion, a path of peace, not violence. May those who play, train or cheer discover in sport a universal language that brings cultures together, unites peoples, and sows respect, solidarity and personal growth. Lord Jesus, may every sport become a parable of life lived with you, working with joy and effort, living with humility in defeat and with gratitude in the victory you offer in your Resurrection. May your Spirit never be lacking in us, making us one team, united with you to build communion and fraternity in history. Amen.

The SMA House at Calavi is located about 18 kilometers north of Cotonou, the capital of Benin. It is here that the SMA International Formation Programme shapes hundreds of future missionary priests through a unique balance of prayer, community life, manual work, and discernment. The programme at Calavi is overseen by a team of five formators.  Fr. Luc Kouakou Yao N’dah, (Ivory Coast) is the rector; he is assisted by Fr. Athanas Dotto (Tanzania), Fr. Andrzej Grych (Poland), Fr. Abel Attikassou (Republic of Benin), and, finally, Fr. Daniel Mellier (France).

Every morning in Calavi, the day begins before sunrise. At 6:30 a.m., silence gives way to meditation. At 7:00 a.m., there is the Eucharist. Then comes breakfast, formation sessions, manual work, sports, and evening prayer. This rhythm has formed and shaped missionary priests of the Society of African Missions (SMA), coming from Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Calavi is where seminarians discern their vocation in the light of the SMA Charism. Here, the students receive a holistic formation – spiritual, human, intellectual, and moral – designed to prepare them for a life of missionary service.   What makes Calavi unique is not only its international character but also its deep conviction that spiritual formation cannot be separated from the rest of life. The daily schedule reflects this integrated vision: prayer frames the day, but the middle hours are devoted to classes, practical work, and community life.

Another striking aspect of life at Calavi is its commitment to self-sufficiency. The house runs many livestock projects: chickens, rabbits, ducks, guinea fowl, pigs, sheep, and even five oxen. There is also a catfish farm.  This not only helps to cover costs but provides good training and a healthy diet.

The International Spiritual Year begins each year on October 1 and ends on June 25 of the following year. This date is a special day in the SMA Calendar as it marks the anniversary of the founder’s death, Bishop de Marion Brésillac, who died in Sierra Leone on June 25, 1859.  In Calavi, this day is even more special as on this day students who have successfully completed their spiritual year take their first oath of commitment to the SMA for a period of one year.

On June 25^th, 2026, forty-eight students took their first Oath and they will now move on to the next stage of their formation.  We wish them well as they continue their training to become missionary priests.  Life in Calavi is made up of many different elements but overall the core aim always remains the same: to create a place where young men can hear God’s voice clearly enough to respond to it. 

If you would like to support the upkeep and training of SMA Seminarians please donate by clicking HERE  – and selecting ‘FVC Training SMA Priests’.

^{The article above is based on information published  in an article on the SMA international website:
https://smainternational.site/2026/06/my-joy-is-to-accompany-the-young-men-inside-the-international-spiritual-year-of-calavi/}

The text below was first published as an article in the African Missionary Newsletter,  No 47, Spring-Summer 2026. 

As we travel along the pathway of life there are many milestones which we scarcely notice, but, occasionally, we are reminded of a milestone we cannot and should not pass by without pausing to reflect on its significance. This year the SMA Irish Province is approaching such a milestone when we prepare to celebrate the centenary of the opening of Dromantine House as a Major Seminary on 29th September, 1926. While we are commemorating a mere hundred years of its existence the building is steeped in history and boasts a rich multifaceted heritage whose origins can be traced back to the 12th century, when it belonged to the Magennis clan. It was then purchased by a Scottish family named Innes who made numerous additions and alterations to the building while residing there until 1922.

The Society of African Missions (SMA) was founded on the 8th December, 1856, in Lyon, France. It established its first presence in Ireland in Cork city in 1878 and its first official Major Seminary was established at Blackrock Road, Cork, on 20th September, 1909. Hitherto students went to a seminary in Lyon, France, to pursue their studies. On the 15th May, 1912, Bishop Paul Pellet, the SMA Superior General, formally erected the SMA Irish Province as a separate branch of the Society. The SMA Superior in Ireland since 1910, a Mayo man, Fr Stephen Kyne, resigned due to ill-health and was replaced by Fr Maurice Slattery, a native of Kerry, who later became the first Irish man to be elected the SMA Superior General, serving from 1937- 1947. A century ago, it was the foresight, diligence and determination of Fr Slattery whose keen intellect and warm personality impelled him to look for a suitable location to replace the Seminary at Blackrock Road which was no longer adequate to cater for the increasing numbers of students applying to join the Society. When an exhaustive search throughout the 4 Provinces proved to be fruitless, he sought divine intervention and organised a Novena in January, 1926. A few months later news reached him that a suitable site in the Diocese of Dromore was for sale. He sought and received the permission of Bishop Eugene Mulhern to establish a new theological seminary in the Diocese. He purchased Dromantine House and, after necessary renovations were completed, 47 seminarians moved from the seminary at Blackrock Road to take up residence in the new Major Seminary at Dromantine on the 21st September, 1926. The official Opening took place on 29th September, 1926. Fr William Butler, SMA, a native of Kilkenny, was the first elected SMA Provincial Superior in 1918 and was also the first Superior of Dromantine. 

It is not an exaggeration to say that, when the SMA purchased Dromantine House and established it as a Major Seminary, it was a pivotal moment for the SMA here in Ireland and for the Diocese of Dromore. The prestigious Manor, which hitherto housed members of the landed gentry, was being transformed into “a spiritual powerhouse, an academy out of which go forth ambassadors to win new worlds for Christ”. (Quote from Dromantine Annual, 1943- 44, page 8). Eleven such ambassadors were ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Eugene Mulhern at St. Patrick and St. Colman’s Cathedral, Newry on the 16th June, 1927, and for the next 46 years a total of 571 students were ordained to serve as missionaries in Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia and Liberia, where they left a lasting legacy. Many are still remembered and admired long after they have gone back to God. Largely unknown in their own country, they were regarded as giants on the mission fields of Africa, in the manner of the little acorn that has grown into the impressive oak tree and occupies a prominent position, standing guard for centuries at the entrance to Dromantine, to welcome its many visitors.

From the mid-60s onwards there was a significant rethink of the entire priestly formation process, in response to the insights of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II, (1962-1965). This led to a fundamental change in seminary formation from an overly academic classroom-centred approach to a model which placed greater emphasis on human, spiritual and pastoral development. Vatican II was seen as a watershed moment in the history of the Catholic Church. It sought to move the Church away from a defensive and isolationist posture towards a more active engagement with the modern world. In the light of Vatican II, and in keeping with this prevailing fresh thinking, a decision was made to move SMA students into mainstream seminary formation at St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth. After 46 years as a Major Seminary, Dromantine gradually closed its doors and the historic move to Maynooth began, starting with a few classes in September, 1969, to be followed by the remaining classes in 1972.

Another new era for Dromantine was about to begin. (This story will continue in the Autumn edition of the African Missionary)

June 25^th 2026 marks the 167^th Anniversary of the death of the SMA Founder, the Venerable Melchior de Marion Brésillac in 1859.  He and four other SMA’s who had arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leon, just six weeks before, died of yellow fever.  This left the Society of African Missions, established just three years before, with three priests, one brother and five seminarians. In spite of the disaster in Freetown the work and mission of the SMA, not only continued, over the following years and decades, it thrived.   

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

There are over 450 students in SMA Houses of Formation. This year 34 new SMA priests will be Ordained to continue the Mission begun and inspired by our Founder.

We are thankful for his life and work and pray that God’s blessing and protection may be with SMA Missionaries working in countries all around the world.  May they continue to be inspired by his life example, self-sacrifice and dedication to spreading the Gospel message.   

We invite you to view information and resources about the Founder on this website. To do so Click here.  To view a short video about the life of Melchior de Marion Brésillac Click here 

The SMA Media Centre, Ndola Zambia, was founded by Fr Tom Casey SMA in 1999. Since then it has served as a vital hub for communication and evangelization by producing religious, catechetical and educational programmes to be used in Zambia and beyond. Here, Fr Tom shares an account of the Centre’s beginning and development over the last twenty-seven years.

My media journey began in 1998 with a year of studies in radio and television production at Kairos Communications, Maynooth, in Ireland.  On returning to Zambia the following year, the Bishop of Ndola Diocese, offered me a position with Radio Icengelo. This marked the start of my involvement in media ministry.

From the early days until 2007, I focused on producing radio programs.  In addition to homilies, religious topics, material for Lent and Advent, these programs also covered a wide range of subjects, including witchcraft, the plight of widows, the education system, alcoholism, drug abuse, and child abuse.  From a Christian perspective, this diverse programming aimed to raise awareness of pressing societal issues and, ultimately, to promote positive change.

A milestone for the Media Centre occurred in 2006 when, in collaboration with the Franciscan Media Centre, a short video was made on the life and work of Fr. Fergus Conlon SMA, who had died in January of that year. This, our first video production, marked the beginning of a new era which recognised the potential and value of using this medium.  With the assistance of Irish supporters, equipment was acquired and this facilitated the establishment of a dedicated video production section at the SMA Media Centre.

Initially our main subjects for video productions were NGOs and SMAs involved in project work in Zambia, for example, Father Anthony Kelly’s project for housing widows and orphans in Kitwe. The videos we produced supported fundraising efforts for this and for other important initiatives.  Our experience also grew through providing video coverage for events such as graduations at the university in Kalulushi, the 25th anniversary of St. Dominic’s Hospital and various SMA occasions such as Ordinations and celebrations of SMA Foundation Day.  A comprehensive video commemorating 50 years of the SMA in Zambia was made, featuring interviews conducted both in Zambia and Ireland, particularly with the founding fathers of the SMA mission in Zambia.

A major project, spread over many years, was the writing, recording and editing of Sunday Homilies for the full three-year Sunday cycle of Church readings – 156 recordings in all.  Each sermon was produced in both audio and video versions. This dual-format approach is intended to allow an outreach to as wide and diverse an audience as possible.  The videos have been distributed via Facebook, YouTube and Email. The Audio versions have a much wider outreach and, in 2024, were broadcast on 11 local Radio Stations in Zambia.  For many years the homilies page on the SMA website (www.sma.ie)  has been its most visited page, often achieving thousands of visits each week.  Two different homilies are offered on this page – a written homily from Fr. Michael McCabe SMA and the audio recording from SMA Media Centre Ndola.  These provide spiritual support and guidance to many people all around the world. 

The SMA Media Centre, Ndola is also engaged in other areas of work.  It has organised and facilitated live conferences (via Zoom) between schools in Zambia and Ireland over the past three years. These gave students in both countries an opportunity to meet, interact and experience one and other’s culture and daily life. These collaborations required substantial preparation and coordination with school authorities in both countries.  In Ireland Mr. Paul O’Flynn, who works with the SMA Communications Office, has been invaluable to our efforts, bringing his expertise from years of service with Ireland’s national media outlet, RTE.

In a conscious effort to educate new communicators and media personnel the SMA Media Centre has since 1999, trained over 200 students in radio and TV production.   Among these are students from the SMA formation house in Kabwe. The Photo above shows Ernest Katema, Henry Kangwa and Jonathan Chibwe who attended an intensive course on audio and video production.   While doing this, they produced a short audio documentary and also a video about life as an SMA student.  This experience and training will help to prepare them to be better communicators and, therefore, better missionaries, able to use modern means of communication effectively.   The training of these students is also essential for the continued operation of the Media Centre.  Hopefully some of them will, as missionaries, be actively engaged in media ministry and future managers of the SMA Media Centre.

^{First published as an article in the African Missionary Newsletter,  No 47, Spring-Summer 2026.} 

In this month’s prayer, the Holy Father invites us to pray “for the values of sports” so we “discover in sport a universal language that brings cultures together, unites peoples, and sows respect, solidarity and personal growth.”

You are not alone. By praying, you join the millions of people who belong to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network who, from every corner of the world, are praying for the challenges of humanity and the Church’s mission. Take a moment, pray with the Pope.  

 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord of life, we thank you for the gift of sport, for those who glorify God through the exercise of their bodies, for the friendships born on the field and the joy of playing as a team. You teach us that in life, as in the game, no one is saved alone. We need others to grow, to learn respect, to overcome our limits, and to celebrate together the victories we achieve. We ask that sport may always be a school of fraternity, not of empty rivalry, a space of encounter, not exclusion, a path of peace, not violence. May those who play, train or cheer discover in sport a universal language that brings cultures together, unites peoples, and sows respect, solidarity and personal growth. Lord Jesus, may every sport become a parable of life lived with you, working with joy and effort, living with humility in defeat and with gratitude in the victory you offer in your Resurrection. May your Spirit never be lacking in us, making us one team, united with you to build communion and fraternity in history. Amen.

Readings:  Exodus 19:2-6; Romans 5:6-11; Matthew 9:36-10:8
Theme: The Compassion of Jesus

By: Fr Michael McCabe SMA

 God’s tender love and compassion for his creatures is the dominant theme of our Mass readings today. In our first reading from the book of Exodus, God’s loving care for the people of Israel is conveyed in a beautiful image: ‘I bore you up on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself’ (Ex 19:4). The appropriateness of this image came home to me recently, as I was strolling along by the Atlantic pond near our house in Blackrock Road, Cork, and noticed a mother swan carrying her baby swans on her back. I was immediately captivated by this sight, as were several other people who were walking nearby. It was a striking example of motherly love and care.  Later, I was informed that, while eagles do not carry their young on their back, as swans do, when the young eaglets are learning to fly, the mother eagle flies under them with her wings spread out to catch them in case they fall.  

When the Israelites became discouraged as they wandered through the wilderness of Sinai, following their miraculous escape from Egypt, they needed to be reminded that God, who had intervened to facilitate their escape, would never desert them.  So, God commands Moses to tell them: ‘You have seen what I did, how I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself. From this you know that now, if you obey my voice and hold fast to my covenant, you of all the nations shall be my very own, for all the earth is mine. I will count you a kingdom of priests, a consecrated nation’ (Ex 19:4-6). We, too, need to hear those same words of encouragement, especially when we feel threatened by forces outside our control, like the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution, which, as Pope Leo XIV has reminded us in his first Encyclical Letter, Magnifica Humanitas, threatens to erode our humanity and subvert our inherent dignity as children of God.

In our second reading, St Paul underlines the unconditional quality of God’s loving care for us. God’s love, says Paul, is not like that of people who only love those who deserve it, or who might be prepared to give their lives for those they consider worthy of such a gesture. Just how different, and infinitely greater, is the love of God is shown by the fact that he sent his Son to die for us while we were still sinners (cf. Rm 5:8). Paul encourages us not to let ourselves become slaves to our fears and doubts, but to be filled with ‘joyful trust in God’ (Rm 5:11). Just imagine, he says, that if God loved us when we were estranged from him, how much more will he love us now that we have been made citizens of his Kingdom? Our weaknesses and sins can never be stronger than his love.  While we may be tempted to give up on God, he will never abandon us.

Our gospel reading from Matthew highlights the empathy of Jesus for the people he encountered in his ministry. The English expression ‘he felt sorry for them’ (Mt 9:36) doesn’t come close to capturing the depth of his feeling for their pain and suffering. Far from observing the pitiable conditions of the people – ‘harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd’ (Mt 9:36) – with detachment or disinterest, he was moved from the depths of his heart to respond to their plight. He knows that the political leaders and the religious authorities of his time have no real concern for them. Their focus is on maintaining their privileged positions and feathering their own nests, while neglecting the hungry, the sick, and the oppressed of the land.  Not so with Jesus. He identifies with their sufferings. And his compassion leads him, not only to embark on a personal ministry of healing and hope, but also to choose and select twelve of his disciples to collaborate with him in this mission.

The mission on which Jesus sends his twelve chosen disciples, is an extension of his own ministry: ‘Go and proclaim the message: The kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons’ (Mt 10:7-8). The demons and illnesses symbolise everything that   erodes our humanity (Mt 9:35). The authority that Jesus confers on the twelve is an authority, not over people, but over evil. It is the liberating power of his word, which can destroy evil and transform us and the world in which we live. As disciples of Jesus, we, too, are called and sent to continue his mission of healing and hope in the world of our time.

The gospel reading concludes with the directive of Jesus to his apostles: ‘You received without charge, give without charge’ (Mt 10:8). These words remind us that we, too, are called to be instruments in the service of their Lord, and not to seek fame or personal enrichment. Our task is well expressed in the words of a contemporary hymn: ‘Freely, freely you have received; freely, freely give. Go in my name, and because you believe others will know that I live.’  This remains our constant challenge.

Listen to an alternative audio Homily by Tom Casey, SMA:

The short video below gives an overview of the four Anniversaries taking place in 2026, that make this year a special one for the Society of African Missions and the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles. The video is based on the text of an article published in the African Missionary Newsletter – No 47 Spring/Summer 2026. 

Readings: 2 Timothy 4:1-8; Psalm 70:8-9, 14-17, 22; Mark 12:38-44.

‘Christ has said that he is truth, not fashion’.[1] This saying of Tertullian is in sync with the teaching of today’s first reading. From his travels throughout the Greek and Roman world there was probably no one more well placed than Paul to see – and see through – the fashions and fads of his time. Thus today’s exhortation – ‘proclaim the message, and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it’ – emerges from Paul’s own travails and trials. This commission and challenge occur in the course of ‘the time…when far from being content with sound teaching, people will be avid for the latest novelty’. Described in terms of ‘instead of listening to the truth, they will turn to myths’, many are drawn to false dichotomies and futile doctrines.

Pope Francis frequently warned against such contemporary dangers to Christian faith. Chapter Two of his Apostolic Exhortation Rejoice and Be Glad is entitled, ‘Two Subtle Enemies Of Holiness’ and this evaluates Gnosticism and Pelagianism which ‘are two heresies from early Christian times’ yet they continue to plague us’.[2] With headlines such as ‘An intellect without God and without flesh’, ‘A doctrine without mystery’ and ‘the limits of reason’, the Exhortation gives a flavour of the estrangement of Gnosticism from the Gospel. Similarly with Pelagianism which, as Francis formulated, ‘subtly led back to the old error of the gnostics, which was simply transformed rather than eliminated’. The chapter concludes with a call to an examination of conscience: ‘These aberrations take various shapes, according to the temperament and character of each person. So, I encourage everyone to reflect and discern before God whether they may be present in their lives’.[3]

The first reading furnishes the Pauline testament of finishing the witness to and work for the Gospel while waiting in hope for the ‘crown of righteousness’. This finds further expression in the Gospel reading where Jesus points out the generosity of the ‘poor widow’ whose existence is in extremis yet her example is exalted over those who have contributed to the Temple treasury from their surplus. Together the readings testify to a theology that ties together the true threads of Christian worship and witness, words and works.   

Kevin O’Gorman SMA

^{[1] Quoted in The Pope Benedict Reader, Park Ridge, Ill: Word of Fire Institute, 2021, 238.}

^{[2] Gaudete et Exsultate – Rejoice and Be Glad’, Dublin, Veritas, 2028, Par. 35.}

^{[3] Ibid., Par. 62}

Every year, the Irish Province of the SMA uses donations received to support projects in Parishes run by SMA Missionaries in Africa. Grants are given to support pastoral, social or construction projects, associated with the parish and the people who live there.  They aim to bring improvements to parish structures, to provide training or to ensure suitable living conditions for SMA missionaries.  Funds are granted for things such as building/roofing materials for Churches, to cover the cost of pastoral courses or to help provide basic requirements in Mission Houses where SMA Missionaries live such as water, sanitation or solar panels for lighting.

The photographs here show examples of past projects supported. Although the grants are for relatively small amounts and are sometimes for very mundane and basic things, they help the life of the Parish or allow SMA Missionaries the facilities they need to live to live and work.  

This year 26 such projects were funded following applications received from SMAs working in Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, Benin, South Africa and other countries. The grants will, among other things, be used to provide windows for a new Church, equip a school laboratory, renovate a Mission House and provide a fund for the Poor and Needy.

These projects are important and make a big difference in the lives of the Parishioners and SMA Missionaries who work among them. In mission Parishes, needs are always greater than the available resources. Next year again, there is no doubt that many SMAs will apply for grants to meet particular needs where they minister.  Please help the Irish Province of the SMA to continue providing grants by making a donation. Click on the link and choose General Donation.  DONATE  

This year Fr Josephat Nzioka SMA, photographed here,  received a grant to put windows in the new Parish Church that he is building at Bwiru near Mwanza in Tanzania (click on the photos to enlarge).

Abuja (Fides News Agency) – At least nine people have been killed and another 25 kidnapped in the last three months in various attacks against parish communities in Kurmin Dangana, Kaduna State, in north-central Nigeria. This was reported by Father Christian Okewu Emmanuel, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Kaduna, in a letter sent to the Catholic General Secretariat in Abuja.
“I write to notify you of the incessant terrorist attacks on some communities and outstations under the pastoral care of Saints Peter and Paul parish in Kurmin Dangana District of Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State,” the letter reads.

“The latest attack took place on Thursday, May 21, at Kurmin Bongo station.”The Terrorist struck between 10:00pm and 1:00am, during a heavy rainfall. In spite of the efforts of the vigilante group, five persons were killed, while ten others were abducted, out of which two were rescued through the efforts of the vigilante group.”

The Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Kaduna also recalled that there had already been two other attacks in the outstations of Kasaru-B on the 2nd of March, and Sabon Gari on the 1st of May. During the attack on Kasaru-B, one person was shot dead, another sustained several gun-shot injuries, while eight others including the Mai Wa’azi  (Lay-Preacher), were abducted. Although they later regained their freedom, two of them were killed in the terrorists’ den.”

“The attack in Sabon Gari outstation took place barely two weeks after victims from Kasaru-B were released, two persons sustained gunshot injuries, while ten others were abducted. One of them was also killed while still in the camp of the terrorists.” The repeated attacks have also led to the displacement of numerous residents from the affected communities. The Archdiocese has asked the government to intensify efforts to protect lives and property in the besieged areas. The serious insecurity affects several states in the Federation and impacts communities of different religious affiliations, not only Christian ones. Even an association of Fulani herders, sometimes considered among the attackers of settled communities, has denounced the insecurity in Kogi State. The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), an informal pressure group that promotes the interests of Fulani herders, denounced the murder of eight of its members in the Ankpa Local Government Area, in Kogi State. In response to increased security threats, an aide to President Bola Tinubu has asked residents of Kwara and Kogi states to temporarily suspend religious celebrations in mountainous and forested areas. Finally, the 37 worshippers captured on Easter Sunday, April 5, in the community of Ariko, in the Kachia Local Government Area, remain in captivity (see Fides, 8/4/2026). The kidnappers are demanding 1 billion naira (approximately €628,000) and 35 motorcycles for their release, threatening to kill the hostages if their demands are not met. (L.M.) (Fides News Agency, 26/5/2026)

Saturday 23^rd of May was a big day in the OLA and SMA calendar. The 46^th SMA Pilgrimage to Knock took place and it was also the Feast of Our Lady of Apostles. 

SMA’s, OLA Sisters, along with supporters and friends, gathered at Knock Shrine for an occasion that, as usual, marked the end of the annual Novena in honour of Our Lady. This year the Pilgrimage was also special as it was part of the 2026 triple Jubilee Celebrations marking:
– the 200^th anniversary of the founder of the OLA Congregation, Fr Augustine Planque SMA.

– the 170^th Anniversary of the SMA.

– the 150^th anniversary of the founding of the OLA.  

Here, through photographs (click on photos to enlarge)  and videos we give a flavour of our day in Knock where the traditional rites of the Pilgrimage, including Stations of the Cross, Rosary, Mass and Novena Prayers were observed.  The Mass concelebrated by thirty-five priests, was led by Fr Paddy O’Rouke SMA, Vice Provincial and the homily was delivered by Fr John Kilcoyne SMA, Provincial Councillor.  Music, provided by the Choir of Castlebar Parish greatly enhanced the liturgy as did the Offertory Procession of the Loreto House Spiritual Formation Group. This added a vibrant and much appreciated African touch to the celebration. Our thanks to all who attended and to those who helped organise and run events in Knock.

The first video is an address delivered by Sr Mary Crowley the OLA District Leader as symbols of the OLA Congregation’s missionary journey, were brought to the altar. CLICK HERE The second is the homily preached by Fr John Kilcoyne SMA, Provincial Councillor during the Mass.  CLICK HERE

Vatican City (Fides News Agency) — By dating his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on May 15, Pope Leo XIV deliberately places himself within a well-defined tradition: that of the great social encyclicals, and in particular Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, published on May 15, 1891.
The “industrial revolution” to which his concern refers is that of artificial intelligence (AI). However, Magnifica Humanitas is not intended to be an encyclical “about” artificial intelligence (although the topic is central), but rather an encyclical about our “magnificent humanity,” shaken by the ongoing revolution.

From the very first words of the text — presented today in the Vatican, in the Synod Hall in the presence of the Pontiff himself — the framework of the reflection is set out clearly: “Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together.” [n. 1]
The reflection that follows seeks to challenge humanity and decision-makers to a genuine examination of conscience. It is not necessarily a frontal condemnation. “Technology,” the Pope writes, “should not be considered, in itself, as a force antagonistic to humanity. On the contrary, it has formed part of our history since the beginning as ‘a profoundly human reality, linked to the autonomy and freedom of man.’” [n. 4]
Rather, the goal is to establish an ethical and moral framework prior to the use of AI, using the pursuit of the “common good” as its epistemological criterion.

In the current context, Leo XIV shows how the principles of Social Doctrine are of great help for discernment. “In a world where data, computational resources and regulatory influence remain in the hands of a few, to speak of the common good means exposing this new form of epistemic, economic and political asymmetry and naming the new monopolies of AI.” [n. 109]
What is at stake, he says, is the need to “disarm AI” “means freeing it from the mentality of “armed” competition, which today is not limited simply to the military context, but is also an economic and cognitive phenomenon. This entails a race for ever more powerful algorithms and larger datasets, driven by the desire to secure geopolitical or commercial dominance.” [n. 110]
“To disarm,” he adds, “means discrediting the assumption that technical power automatically confers the right to govern. To disarm does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity.” [n. 110]

AI is not “neutral”
One of the most relevant points of discernment is that AI is not “neutral,” because “it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate and use it.” [n. 9]
The heart of the reflection appears in paragraph 104: “We cannot consider AI to be morally neutral,” the Holy Father insists. “In reality, every technical tool embodies choices and priorities through what it measures, ignores and optimizes, and how it classifies people and situations. If a system is designed or used in a way that treats some lives as less worthy, or excludes them without the possibility of appeal, then it is not merely a tool “to be used well,” since it has already introduced criteria that contradict the inalienable dignity of the human person. For this reason, ethical discernment cannot be limited to asking whether we are using a system for good or bad purposes; it must also examine how that system is designed and what vision of the human person and society is embedded in the data and models that guide it.” Therefore, Leo XIV explains, “the primary choice is not between a “yes” or “no” to technology, but rather between constructing Babel or rebuilding Jerusalem; between a power that claims to dominate the heavens and a people who work together in the presence of God to rebuild the walls of fraternal coexistence.” [n. 9]

Digital Neocolonialism
The text denounces a contemporary “colonialism” that “assumes new forms,” and “no longer dominates only bodies, but appropriates data, transforming personal lives into exploitable information.” “Entire regions, especially those marked by structural fragility and limited geopolitical relevance, are currently subjected to a new mindset of extraction: that of health data, epidemiological profiles, genetic maps and demographic information. These have become the new “rare earths” of power: vital data which, once aggregated and analyzed, can be used to train predictive models, guide investment strategies, anticipate crises and, above all, determine who and what is deemed to matter.” [n.178]
The evident risk is that of new forms of domination and worsening inequalities, because “those who control the health data of entire peoples — often collected under the pretext of aid, research or innovation — possess a structural leverage over the future, for they can shape needs and markets.” Likewise “they can also decide, before others, to whom medicines, investments and protections will be allocated.” For the Pope, here lies “one of the most urgent moral challenges of our time: to ensure that shared knowledge becomes a true common good rather than an instrument of dominance. This requires restoring to individuals not only the data that describes them, but also the ability to decide how it is used, by whom and for whose benefit. Otherwise, the digital age will not be post-colonial, but colonial in another form.” [n. 178]

Immense power in the hands of a few
The Pope stresses that “in many cases within the digital context, control over platforms, infrastructure, data and computing power does not rest with States, but with major economic and technological actors. These entities effectively set the conditions for access, determine the rules of visibility and shape the very possibilities for participation.”
This problem is immense because “when such power is concentrated in the hands of a few, it tends to become opaque and evade public oversight, increasing the risk of distorted forms of development that give rise to new dependencies, exclusions, manipulations and inequalities.” [nn. 95–96]

The New Gnosis of transhumanism
If Magnifica Humanitas appears more as a warning than as a condemnation of AI, its tone becomes much harsher regarding transhumanism and posthumanism currents “that interpret progress as surpassing the human condition.”
Leo XIV compares them to “an archipelago of different conceptual islands, distinct yet connected by a common “sea” of assumptions, namely the central role of technology and the aspiration to transcend the limits of the human condition.” [n. 116]
He explains that transhumanism “envisions the enhancement of human beings through technologies — such as biomedicine, body engineering, devices and algorithms — with the aim of increasing performance and capabilities. Posthumanism, especially in its more radical forms, goes further: it challenges anthropocentrism and envisions a hybridization of human beings, machines and the environment, even anticipating a threshold where humanity surpasses itself in a new evolutionary stage.”
Although the Pope acknowledges that “such ideas remain largely speculative,” he nonetheless sounds the alarm because “they gain relevance by altering the collective imagination and thereby influence social, economic and political choices.” [n. 116]
Faced with these ideological tendencies, all the more dangerous because, like wolves in sheep’s clothing, they can disguise themselves as good intentions and already constitute for some an almost mystical horizon, a new gnosis that despises the human body in its limited form and dreams of rejecting its limits, Christianity possesses a precious experience. “Our relationship with life seems to be in crisis today. Everything that appears as a “limit” — incapacity, illness, old age, suffering, vulnerability — tends to be seen primarily as a defect to be corrected, rather than as a reality through which our humanity matures and opens itself to relationship. And yet we must remember that humanity flourishes not despite limitations, but often through them.” [n. 118]
“In the promises of transhumanism and some posthumanist currents of thought, which seek an enhanced and almost disembodied humanity, we recognize a yearning that is of concern to us, namely the need for a fuller life, less exposed to limitations and suffering. Yet the Incarnation opens a different pathway. On the one hand, old and new ideologies alike urge humanity to overcome limitations through technology, and to rise above others by asserting dominance. Contrary to this, the mystery of the Son of God entering into our human condition promises something quite different. The living God descends into our history in order to free us from all forms of slavery. He takes upon himself our weakness and transforms it into a setting for salvation. There is no moment or human situation that is not worthy of God.” [232]

The wounds through which grace can enter
Leo XIV here develops a magnificent reflection on the human condition, in which limitation becomes the breach through which the light of grace can enter. “It is precisely within our limitations that the following find a place: compassion, as well as a sincere concern for the needs of others; a generosity that can emerge even in the midst of darkness and failure; spiritual experience and the worship of God. We see this at many moments when our limits become tangible: when we face rejection, when we suffer the illness or loss of a loved one, when we encounter our own weakness or failure. Mysteriously, it is precisely in such moments that we can discover a new wisdom, tangibly experience the closeness of others and encounter the presence of the Lord.” [n. 119]

“Even when limitations are experienced as inner suffering, human wisdom teaches us not to deny or suppress it, but to integrate it. To eliminate suffering entirely would mean, in the end, extinguishing love and desire as well. Those who love and desire cannot avoid passing through trial and suffering; and over the years, we carry within us lessons that leave their mark like scars, the memories of a journey shaped by freedom and failure, dreams and disappointments.” [120]. He continues, “the moral corruption of our limitations as created beings — namely the evil that clearly agitates the human heart — ruins society and life, at times reaching extreme forms of inhumanity. Yet even these painful expressions of our limitations leave openings for the good. Even when persons dehumanize themselves and bring about tragedy, a small light continues to shine within humanity, one that can be rekindled, with God’s grace, along paths of conversion and reconciliation.” [n. 121]

For all these reasons, Magnifica Humanitas ultimately becomes a hymn to critical thinking, freedom, and the beauty of the human being, to humanity’s infinite capacity to rise again, with its wrinkles and scars, carrying the inestimable treasure of a flesh promised not to an “enhanced” body, but to a glorified one. (ML) (Fides News Agency, 25/5/2026)

The SMA Plenary Council 2026 began on Monday, 18 May 2026, at the EHJ Domus Fidei in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. Participants received a warm welcome from the Nigerian SMA Province, under the direction of the Provincial Superior, Fr Emmanuel Dim.  The Irish participants at this meeting are Frs Malachy Flanagan SMA, Provincial Superior and Damian Bresnahan SMA, Vicar General.  

At this international meeting SMA Superiors from around the world have gathered to discuss the current state of the congregation and the direction of our mission in the coming years.  The meeting began with a welcoming ceremony that included traditional dances and the exchange of symbolic gifts as signs of welcome and hospitality. A welcome address was also delivered by Fr Emmanuel Dim SMA, Provincial Superior of the Nigerian Province during which he expressed the joy of the Province in hosting the Meeting and also the deep missionary roots of the SMA in Nigeria.

Following the welcoming ceremony, the Council moved into its first working session.  The meeting will continue until the 30^th of May and then from the 31^st of May until the 3^rd of June a series of events and celebrations marking the triple SMA – OLA Jubilee celebrations, of the 200^th Anniversary of the birth of Fr Augustine Planque, the 150^th anniversary of the founding of the OLA Congregation and the 170^th Anniversary of the founding of the SMA.

We wish all the participants at the Plenary Council, Lagos 2026 well and pray that they will be guided by the Holy Spirit in their discussions and in the decisions they make.

 (Fides News Agency) – “Since September, over 98,000 people, including 16 priests, have been displaced due to the ongoing violence in the southern part of Taraba State (in northeastern Nigeria), while 217 churches have been completely destroyed,” reports Msgr. Mark Maigida Nzukwein , Bishop of Wukari in a statement released following the diocese’s third General Assembly. “The homes of eight priests were also ransacked, and it is estimated that over 100 people have been killed,” the statement reads. Among the most recently attacked churches is Saint James the Great Catholic Church in Adu, Takum District (see Fides, 25/3/2026). A fire severely damaged the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Wukari on March 4 (see Fides, 6/3/2026).

The violence is primarily affecting areas such as Chanchanji District in the local government area of Takum, as well as Ussa and Donga.
These attacks on rural communities are most likely perpetrated by Fulani herding gangs, who predominantly target Christian villages, often inhabited by the Tiv ethnic group. After destroying houses, churches, and other buildings, the attackers often illegally occupy the land of the displaced residents. The herding raids exacerbate the centuries-old land conflict between the Tiv and the Jukun (see Fides, 7/11/2023).

On February 12 of this year, the clergy from the dioceses of Wukari and Jalingo took to the streets demanding immediate government intervention to stop the wave of murders, kidnappings, and destruction affecting Christian farming communities, particularly the Tiv people in southern Taraba (see Fides, 13/2/2026). On that occasion, the diocese of Wukari reported: “To date, more than 80 people have been killed, many more injured, over 200 communities and churches destroyed, and over 90,000 Christians forced to flee.”

Nearly three months later, despite urgent appeals to the authorities to restore safety to the population in the affected areas, these figures have continued to rise. (L.M.) (Fides News Agency, 11/5/2026)

This year’s Novena of Prayer to Our Lady takes place from Friday 15th to Saturday 23rd May.   Mass and Novena Prayers will take place at 10am each morning in St Joseph’s Church Wilton, Cork. If you are unable to attend the daily Mass please join us via the Wilton Parish WEBCAM  https://www.smawilton.ie/live/     

The closing Mass of the Novena, on Saturday 23rd May, will take place during the 46th annual SMA Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine, where members of the OLA Sisters and the SMA, together with friends and supporters will gather to praise God and honour Mary His Mother.
The Mass in Knock will take place at 3pm (see programme below).  Those who cannot join us on the Pilgrimage can view the Mass via the Knock Basilica Webcam at  https://www.knockshrine.ie/ 

Today, millions of people continue to suffer from hunger. This threatens the dignity of the most vulnerable and questions the way we live and share our resources.

In his prayer intention for this month, Pope Leo invites us to pray that no one might lack the food they need and that we might learn to live more responsibly, recognizing that the earth’s resources are a gift for everyone. He also encourages us to awaken a new awareness—one capable of gratitude, sharing and caring for others, thus promoting a culture of solidarity.

You are not alone. By praying, you join the millions of people who belong to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network who, from every corner of the world, are praying for the challenges of humanity and the Church’s mission. Take a moment, pray with the Pope.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord of creation, You gave us the fertile earth and, with it, our daily bread, as a sign of Your love and providence. Today we recognize with sorrow that millions of brothers and sisters continue to suffer from hunger, while so many goods are wasted at our tables. Awaken in us a new awareness: that we learn to thank for every food, to consume simply, to share with joy, and to care for the fruits of the earth as a gift from You, destined for all, not just a few. Good Father, make us capable of transforming the logic of selfish consumption into a culture of solidarity. May our communities promote concrete gestures: awareness campaigns, food banks, and a sober and responsible lifestyle. You who sent us Your beloved Son Jesus, broken bread for the life of the world, give us a new heart, hungry for justice and thirsty for fraternity. May no one be excluded from the common table, and may Your Spirit teach us to see bread not as an object of consumption, but as a sign of communion and care.

^{PRODUCED BY: Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network: https://www.popesprayer.va/ In collaboration with Vatican Media www.vaticannews.va}

Fr Denis Slattery SMA was born in 1916 in Fermoy, County Cork.  He was ordained in 1939 and spent 55 years as a missionary in Nigeria.  He passed away in 2003 and is buried in the SMA Cemetery in Wilton Cork.

Between the basic facts in these few sentences is a long story of the remarkable achievements of a missionary who as an educator, a journalist, sportsman and pastor has left a lasting and fruitful legacy.

The appreciation of the work of Fr Denis Slattery SMA is not something that is history or forgotten.  His legacy is very much alive and appreciated in the hearts of many Nigerians, some of whom took the trouble to travel from afar for an event that took place in the SMA Parish in Wilton at the end of April 2026.  The seeds of this event hark back  seventy years, to 1956 when Denis Slattery SMA opened the first secondary technical school in Nigeria at Akoka, Lagos.  In recognition of his Cork roots, he called it St Finbarr’s College. 

Today, this college is still recognised as one of the best schools in Nigeria.  On Sunday on Sunday 26 April 2026 a group of about thirty past pupils, members of the St Finbarr’s College Old Boys Association, along with their wives and members of Fr Slattery’s family, gathered at the SMA Cemetery in the grounds of St Joseph’s Parish Church, Wilton, Cork.  They came to pray at his grave, to honour his memory and to give thanks for the formation and education that they and many generations of students received at St Finbarr’s College.  This, they made clear, allowed them to become productive members of society, professionals such as doctors, engineers, lawyers and, accountants as well as good parents who could hand on the values instilled in them at St Finbarr’s College to their own children.   

Some of the Association members now live in Ireland but others had come from Nigeria, Europe and the USA to be present in Wilton, to show their respect and to celebrate the life of Denis Slattery on the occasion of the 70^th Anniversary of St. Finbarr’s College.

After visiting the grave, the group joined the Parish Community at the midday Sunday Mass.  This was concelebrated by SMA Fathers, including the SMA Provincial Council, led by Fr Malachy Flanagan the Provincial Leader.  In his homily, Fr Eamonn Finnegan SMA outlined the service and achievements, in journalism, education, sport and pastoral work made by Denis Slattery during his 55 years in Nigeria. This commitment and dedication was acknowledged by the people of Nigeria when he was honoured with two traditional Chieftaincies and he also received the national honour of the Order of the Niger from President Olusegun Obasanjo in recognition of outstanding service to the country and people of Nigeria.  Fr Finnegan thanked the group for their visit to Wilton, to the SMA and for sustaining the legacy of Fr Denis Slattery SMA though the on-going work of the Old Boys Association which supports the education of students at St Finbarr’s College.

Memorial of Saint Athanasius

Readings: Acts of the Apostles 13:44-52; Psalm 97:1-4; Gospel of John 14:7-14

 Today’s first reading – from Acts of the Apostles – gives an account of the activity of the early church and what they were up against. In spite of their experience of ‘dungeon, fire and sword’ ‘Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly’. Pope Francis brought ‘boldly’ back, not into fashion but in the need to proclaim the Gospel in season and out of season. We hear in today’s reading that ‘it made the pagans very happy to hear that [God’s] salvation may reach the ends of the earth and they thanked the Lord for his message’. Paul and Barnabas found the freedom to shake the dust of both begrudgers and bullies from their feet and turned their steps towards more welcoming and receptive audiences. The latter half of the last line – ‘but the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit’ – finds a powerful echo in the exhortation by Pope Francis’, ‘Rejoice and Be Glad’ (Mt 5:12), Jesus tells those persecuted or humiliated for his sake’.[1]

Today’s Gospel reading is about the relationship between Jesus and God. This relationship was at the root of the Arian crisis which rejected the divinity of Christ so that, for example, the line ‘so that the Father may be glorified in the Son’ did not mean equality between the ‘Word made flesh’ and God the Father. Today the church celebrates the memorial of Saint Athanasius, called contra mundum – ‘against the world’, on account of, like the apostles above, the aggravation and aggression he endured in his lifetime. Thus the ‘Opening Prayer’ of today’s Mass addresses ‘Almighty ever-living God who raised up the Bishop Saint Athanasius as an outstanding champion of your Son’s divinity’ and the ‘Prayer after Communion’ asks ‘Almighty God that the true divinity of your Only Begotten Son, which we firmly profess with Saint Athanasius, may, through thus Sacrament, ever give us life and protection’.

In his “General Audience” of June 20^th 2007, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed that ‘Athanasius was undoubtedly one of the most important and revered early Church Fathers…[he] was also the most important and tenacious adversary of the Arian heresy, which at that time threatened faith in Christ, reduced to a creature “halfway” between God and man’, adding that ‘the fundamental idea of Athanasius’ entire theological battle was precisely that God is accessible’.[2]

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA

[1]Apostolic Exhortation,  Evangelii Gaudium – The Joy of the Gospel, 2013.

[2] See ‘St. Athanasius’, The Pope Benedict XVI Reader, Word on Fire Institute, 2021, 250-254, here 250.

(Fides News Agency) The recent erection of the ecclesiastical province of Berbérati and appointment of metropolitan archdiocese.

 The Holy Father has erected the ecclesiastical province of Berbérati, with the suffragan dioceses of Bouar, Mbaïki, and Bossangoa, and has appointed Bishop Dennis Kofi Agbenyadzi, S.M.A., until now bishop of Berbérati, as metropolitan archbishop of the same province.
Archbishop-elect Dennis Kofi Agbenyadzi, S.M.A., was born on 9 October 1964 in Kadjebi-Akan, diocese of Jasikan, Volta Region, Ghana. After carrying out his national civil service, he entered the Society of African Missions. He then studied philosophy in the diocesan seminary of Accra, Ghana, and carried out the year of spirituality in Cavali, Benin, and his pastoral apprenticeship in Bèlèmboké in the diocese of Berbérati. He went on to complete his studies in theology at the interdiocesan major seminary of Anyama, Cote d’Ivoire, and gave his perpetual vows on 29 June 1996.
He was ordained a priest on 12 July 1997.
He has held the following offices: parish vicar in Berbérati (1997-1999), parish priest in Berbérati and director of development projects for the Pygmy People; member of the Episcopal Council and head of the management of pharmaceutical products, and assistant to the regional superior (1999–2005); superior of the Formation House in Bangui and member of the diocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants, as well as regional superior of the Fathers of the Society of African Missions, re-elected in 2010 for a second term (2007–2012). He was appointed bishop of Berbérati on 14 May 2012 and received episcopal consecration on the following 22 July. (Fides News Agency, 25/4/2026)

https://www.fides.org/en/news/77616-AFRICA_CENTRAL_AFRICA_Erection_of_the_ecclesiastical_province_of_Berberati_and_appointment_of_metropolitan_archdiocese  

The Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Rubén Darío Ruiz Mainardi, presided over the blessing and inauguration of the “Ahonhon” Neuropsychological Centre (“brain” in Ewe), a new facility dedicated to the care of neurological and psychological disorders, intended to serve both Togo and the wider West African region.

This article is taken from the SMA International website https://smainternational.site/

(Readings : Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7; Psalm 32: 1-2,4-5,18-19; John 6:16-21)

In the English speaking world the name of Raymond Brown will always be associated with the Gospel of John. In his commentary he divided it into two parts – the Book of Signs and the Book of Glory. Today’s reading is taken from the first Book, set between the signs of feeding the five thousand and healing the man born blind. Though it appears to have been a brief episode without the drama on the part of the disciples depicted in the Gospel of Mark, it is significant for the following reasons : the sight of Jesus ‘walking on the lake and coming towards them frightened’ those in the boat followed by the statement of Jesus simply identifying himself – ‘It is I’.

This is significant – for as well as 7 signs there are 7 statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John – and today’s declaration is the basis for these – for example, ‘I am the bread of life, I am the good shepherd’.  Here Jesus is simply content to announce himself which at the same time is an assurance that he will come to the aid of the disciples at any time of danger and distress. The presence of Jesus on the water and in the boat is already a promise of the peace proclaimed later in the same Gospel: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid’ (14: 27).

A Prayer For Peace
God our Father, peace is the environment in which you exist in heaven, the effect of your eternal glory. This state of supreme serenity is like a space where your light shines permanently, without any shadow or subtraction. This atmosphere attracts us always, answering our deepest desire to be drawn into the depths of your peace and dwell there. Teach us how to discern the presence of your peace amidst the distractions and demands, difficulties and dangers of daily life. Father, your peace is not a private possession, preserved within the precinct of heaven: so we can pray, pour out peace upon and between us, taking away from us all anxiety and anger, avarice and aggression.

Lord Jesus, the prophet’s promise that ‘a child has been born for us’ who is ‘named Prince of Peace’ (Isaiah 9:6) is made present, personified in you. The Reign of God you reveal is a relationship representing the love of God and leading people to the hope of eternal peace in heaven. However, humanity’s peace is the huge price paid by the  privation, pain and penalty of death experienced in your Passion. Yet, despite their failure, flight and fear, the first words to your disciples following your Resurrection were ‘Peace be with you’, words  you repeated to reinforce their feeling of being forgiven (John 20: 19, 21). Our prayer for  others (_____) is that ‘the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds, in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:7).

Holy Spirit, you are the channel and communicator of the peace of God the Father in the name of Christ His Son. In our contemporary world characterised by so much confusion, lack of civility and conflict we come seeking a peace that only the confirmation of truth and celebration of love can confer. We pray particularly for (______), couples, communities and countries, hoping in the confidence of Paul the ‘Apostle of Peace’: ‘Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways’ (2 Thessalonians 3:16).

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA

In this month’s intention, the Holy Father thinks especially of priests “when loneliness weighs heavily, when doubt clouds their hearts, and when exhaustion seems stronger than hope.” He prays that they might rediscover that “they are not mere functionaries or lonely heroes, but beloved sons…and pastors sustained by the prayer of their people.” Likewise, he invites the entire community to care for them through being near, sincere listening, and constant prayer, recognizing that they too need to be supported on their journey.

By praying this prayer, you join the millions of people who belong to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network who, from every corner of the world, are praying for the challenges of humanity and the Church’s mission.

TEXT OF THIS MONTH’S PRAYER
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd and companion on the journey, today we place in your hands all priests, especially those going through moments of crisis, when loneliness weighs heavily, when doubt clouds their hearts, and when exhaustion seems stronger than hope. You who know their struggles and wounds, renew in them the certainty of your unconditional love. Let them feel they are not mere functionaries or lonely heroes, but beloved sons, humble and cherished disciples, and pastors sustained by the prayer of their people. Good Father, teach us as a community to care for our priests: to listen without judging, to give thanks without demanding perfection, to share with them the baptismal mission of proclaiming the Kingdom in word and deed, and to accompany them with closeness and sincere prayer. May we support those who so often support us. Holy Spirit, rekindle in our priests the joy of the Gospel. Grant them healthy friendships, networks of fraternal support, a sense of humour when things don’t go as expected, and the grace to always rediscover the beauty of their vocation. May they never lose trust in You, nor the joy of serving your Church with a humble and generous heart. Amen.

(Vatican News)  Pope Leo welcomes the news of a ceasefire in the Middle East and asks that all parties engage in prolonged dialogue to reach an end to the conflict. He also invites men and women of goodwill across the world to join him in prayer for peace on Saturday 11 April.

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-04/pope-leo-xiv-appeal-ceasefire-middle-east-audience-8-april.html  

The script in this video is from “The Dromantine Stations of the Cross”, written by Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA.  It is voiced by Mr Paul O’Flynn and uses images provided by Frs Kevin O’Gorman, Des Corrigan SMA and Margaret O’Hare. Video footage used was recorded by David O’Flynn. 

“The Stations of the Cross are seen in cathedrals, churches and convents all around the world. The setting of this set of Stations is in the grounds of SMA (Society of African Missions) House Dromantine, Co. Down, where they invite us to walk, literally or imaginatively, with Jesus the via dolorosa of his suffering and sacrifice for our sake.”  Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA. 
   

The Article below from Agenzia Fides and written by Cosimo Graziani gives an overview of the world arms trade and highlights Africa’s unclear place in it. 

Stockholm (Agenzia Fides) – On March 9, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published its report on the development of the arms market for the five-year period 2021–2025.
The report is considered one of the most important tools for analyzing the international arms market and its changes over the years. In particular, the current edition reflects the changes resulting from the wars in Ukraine, Sudan, and the Middle East, thus providing an overview of the deterioration of international relations in recent years.
According to the report, the arms market grew by 9.2% in the five-year period 2021–2025 compared to the previous five years, confirming an upward trend that began in the five-year period 2001–2005.

The continent with the strongest increase in imports during the period under review is Europe, with a rise of 210%, driven by the conflict in Ukraine and the rearmament of European countries. Elsewhere, the trend is negative: Imports fell by 41% in Africa, by 20% in Asia and Oceania, and by 13% in the Middle East. Only the Americas saw an increase, at 12%.

As for individual countries, Ukraine has been the world’s leading importer, accounting for 9.2% of the total, while the United States has remained the leading supplier with 42%.

Washington has increased its share by almost a third in recent years: compared to 2016-2020, its exports grew by 27%. France and Russia follow, with 9.8% and 6.8% of exports, respectively, representing increases of 21% and -64%. Among the top ten exporters, five are European countries: in addition to France and Russia, these include Germany, Italy, which has registered the largest increase in exports at 157% over five years, the United Kingdom, and Spain.

China, Israel, and South Korea are also among the leading exporters.

Among the countries that have most increased their exports is Poland, which accounts for only 1% of global exports, but whose arms sales have grown by 4,387% compared to 2016-2020, with Ukraine as the main destination, reflecting the new security stance of its foreign policy.

Looking at importing countries, the top ten include Ukraine, Poland (whose imports increased by 852%, illustrating the downside of its security-oriented foreign policy), the United States, four countries in Asia and Oceania, and three Middle Eastern countries. Interestingly, two of these countries are currently involved in conflicts: Pakistan with Afghanistan, and Qatar and Saudi Arabia with Iran. In these cases, the increase in arms imports was a sign of the deteriorating regional security situation.

It is striking that Africa is absent from both categories, even though a war has broken out in Sudan in the last five years, a civil war is raging in Tigray, the internal conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo has intensified, and the security situation in the Sahel region is tense.

The only African countries among the largest importers are Morocco (ranked 28th – with a 12% increase between the two periods analyzed) and Algeria (ranked 33rd – with a 78% decrease).

The problem highlighted in the report regarding the African arms market is the secrecy surrounding agreements between suppliers and importers, which makes precise calculations impossible. This is clearly evident in the deliveries to Algeria, which in recent years has concluded a supply agreement with Russia, the terms of which are unknown, as well as to the warring parties in Sudan. Secrecy surrounding the arms market in Africa makes it possible to predict the coming years: wherever political crises prevail, the possibility of new wars cannot be ruled out. (Agenzia Fides, 16/3/2026)

Readings: Jeremiah 11:18-20; Psalm 7:2-3, 9-12; John 7:40-52.

There is a sense of impending doom in today’s Liturgy of the Word. Jeremiah sets the ball rolling as it were and it will roll all the way to Calvary and the crucifixion of the Christ of God. The cynicism of the ‘schemes they were plotting’ is pronounced powerfully in the vicious verdict, ‘Let us destroy the tree in it’s strength’. The felling in 2023 of the so-called Sycamore Gap Tree in Northumberland, which won the 2016 Tree of the Year award in England, was an act of arboreal vandalism which aroused widespread condemnation.  By putting the image of a felled tree with the symbol of the slain lamb the prophet uncannily underlines the sacrifice undertaken by Jesus. The Psalmist underscores the pain which will be undergone and the prayer uttered by the prophet of God’s Kingdom in the passion of Jesus – ‘Lord God, I take refuge in you. From my pursuer save me and rescue me’.

The Gospel reading – taken from John – expresses the enormous gap between the people/police on the one hand and the chief priests/ Pharisees on the other about Jesus. The proclamation of the security service that ‘There has never been anybody who has spoken like him’ is in complete contrast to the put-down of their religious masters who, protecting their patch as the so-called guardians of the Law, have no interest in the revelation of the Gospel of grace by a Galilean. The scene is set for a titanic struggle between light and darkness; the search for truth about Jesus is supported in the statement of Nicodemus who, we are told earlier, ‘came to Jesus by night’ (John 3:2) and who will reappear with ‘a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about fifty kilograms’ (John 20:39) to anoint the body of the crucified Jesus. Nicodemus’ intervention on behalf of Jesus for a fair hearing to ‘discover what he is about’, is greeted again with the dismissive denigration of Galilee, greeted by the prophet Isaiah and quoted in the Gospel of Matthew  as ‘Galilee of the nations’ (Matthew 4:15). (Isaiah goes on immediately to give the lyrical line which appears as a leitmotif of the Advent season and is picked up  by the evangelist– ‘the people that sat in darkness have seen a great light; on those who lived in  a country and shadow of  death, a light has dawned’  (Matthew 4:16).[1]

This has a strong resonance in the Gospel of John who makes the most of the metaphor of light in its majestic manifestation of the ‘Word [who] became flesh’, for ‘through him all things came into being…What has come into being in him was life, life that was the light of all people, light that shines in darkness, and darkness could not over overpower it’ (1:3-6).In the opening of his encyclical Lumen fidei Pope Francis proclaimed ‘The light of Faith: this is how the Church’s tradition speaks of the great gift brought by Jesus…Conscious of the immense horizon which their faith opened before them, Christians invoked Jesus as the true sun “whose rays bestow life”. To Martha, weeping for the death of her brother Lazarus, Jesus said: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40). Those who believe, see; they see with a light that illumines their entire journey, for it comes from the risen Christ, the morning star which never sets’.[2] The conflict of light and darkness courses through the Gospel of John not as a competition between two cosmic principles but as a revelation of the Christ, ‘the true light that gives light to everyone’ (John 1:9).

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA

[1] The Gospel text is slightly different to that of Isaiah 9:1 in the Revised New Jerusalem Bible

[2] Pope Francis, Lumen fidei – The Light of faith, Dublin, Veritas, 2013, Par. 1.

A short poem reflecting on the Season of Lent written by the American poet Ann Weems.  This video was filmed, produced and voiced by Paul O’Flynn. 

In the March edition of the SMA Journal we remember the events of 20 years ago in Kontagora, Nigeria.  We hear about a significant birthday celebrated in Wilton Cork.  With sadness, we report the recent death of Fr PJ Gormley SMA, may he rest in peace.  This month’s edition ends with a poetic reflection fitting for this Lenten period.  

In his prayer this month, the Holy Father invites us to pray that “every kind word, every gesture of reconciliation, and every choice for dialogue be seeds of a new world.” You are not alone. By praying, you join the millions of people who belong to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network who, from every corner of the world, are praying for the challenges of humanity and the Church’s mission. Take a moment, pray with the Pope.

TEXT OF POPE LEO’S PRAYER 
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lord of Life, you shaped every human being in your image and likeness. We believe you created us for communion, not for war, for fraternity, not for destruction. You who greeted your disciples saying, “Peace be with you,” grant us the gift of your peace and the strength to make it a reality in history. Today we lift up our prayer for peace in the world, asking that nations renounce weapons and choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy. Disarm our hearts of hatred, resentment, and indifference, so we may become instruments of reconciliation. Help us understand that true security does not come from control fueled by fear, but from trust, justice, and solidarity among peoples. Lord, enlighten the leaders of the nations, so they may have the courage to abandon projects of death, halt the arms race, and place the lives of the most vulnerable at the center. May the nuclear threat never again dictate the future of humanity. Holy Spirit, make us faithful and creative builders of daily peace: in our hearts, our families, our communities, and our cities. May every kind word, every gesture of reconciliation, and every choice for dialogue be seeds of a new world. Amen.

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

 Getting older I find that I need to take greater care in walking, for fear of falling on stairs and slipping on escalators, having to keep an eye on the elevation of the ground, especially on paths that are not even and broken in parts. Scripturally speaking pathways and steps, the state of the ground are familiar images for the spiritual life. Perhaps the most familiar form is found in the Psalm which proclaims – ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’ (119:105). The importance of walking and the way that is walked are hardly surprising given the centrality of the metaphor of journey in the Bible. Beginning with Abram’s departure from home and the journeys of Israel, through Mary’s trip to the hill country to rejoice with Elizabeth and Zechariah and announce her own good news and Paul’s many journeys throughout today’s Mediterranean, travel is a theological motif for mission.

In the Preface to the Lenten retreat he preached to Pope John Paul II in the presence of the Roman curia in 1983 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) stated ‘In preparing the retreat I endeavored to assemble all the components of the liturgical texts which suggest the theme of a journey, of being on the way’. He also stated that the ‘readings are taken from the Cycle for Year C’, the Gospel for which is Luke with its leitmotif of journey, especially that of Jesus to Jerusalem. Not surprisingly the title of the collected Lenten talks is Journey to Easter.[1] (A fuller theological treatment of the theme of journey would take into account Jesus’ self-identification in the Gospel of John : ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life’ (14:6). Michael Taylor’s commentary on this verse is both magisterial and majestic: ‘To say that Jesus is the Way and that he is the Truth means his words and deeds truly reveal the Father. Jesus has also been sharing with believers that which he reveals: life was given, light was given; soon love will be given. This indicates that Jesus is sharer as well as revealer; he is thus the Way to Life as well as the Way to Truth.’[2]

Hosea makes great headway with the metaphor of journey, of travel. Yesterday we heard ‘Provide yourself with words and come back to the Lord’, ‘For the ways of the Lord are straight, and the virtuous walk in them’. Today we read ‘Come. Let us return to the Lord’, the constant call to conversion which is paralleled by the promise ‘we shall live in his presence’. God’s going out is never in doubt, his coming ‘as certain as the dawn’, for the mission of God is mercy, manifest in the hope that the Lord ‘will bandage our wounds’. This is the mission of the church, to be a field hospital, Pope Francis’ proposal put to the church in his teaching and travels.

The Gospel reading from Luke presents ‘two men who went up to the Temple to pray’. There they adopt different attitudes and articulate two different approaches, one praying to himself and the other asking for God’s mercy. Their travel to the Temple, their journeys there reflecting how their fundamental options could not be further apart, one relying on himself and his hubris, the other relying on God and revealing his humility. The response of the tax-collectors resembles the return of the prodigal son earlier in the Gospel of Luke – ‘So he set off and went to his father’. Having broken away in his earlier departure, his descent into penury brought him through grace that he would be better off at least by heading home, where he was received with open arms and a celebration which exceeded even his greatest expectation. Both the tax-collector and the younger son repent, reversing their refusal and rejection of covenantal relations. The Liturgy of the Word in Lent provides us with words to look at how we are going and where we hope to get to.

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA

[1] Pope Benedict XVI, Journey to Easter – Spiritual Reflections for the Lenten Season, New York, Crossroad, 1987, 10.

[2] Michael J. Taylor, S.J., JOHN the different GOSPEL –  A Reflective Commentary, New York: Alba House, 1983, 170-171.

A short poem by Fr Flor McCarthy SDB suitable for this time of Lent.  Before looking out, look in.  Filmed, produced and voiced by Paul O’Flynn. 

This year marks a remarkable milestone — 100 years of the Society of African Missions (SMA) in Dromantine. Since 1926, Dromantine has stood as a place of faith, learning, and welcome — its doors open to all who seek peace, purpose, and connection. For almost fifty years, generations of SMA seminarians lived, studied, and prayed here before setting out to serve communities across Africa and beyond. Their dedication and spirit of service still echo in the life of Dromantine today.

Following the seminary years, Dromantine entered a new and vibrant chapter as the Dromantine Retreat and Conference Centre — a place of spiritual renewal, dialogue, and hospitality. Though times have changed, the mission remains the same: to be a place of welcome, reflection, and peace.

As we celebrate a century of SMA presence in Dromantine, we give heartfelt thanks for all who have contributed to its story — priests, staff, volunteers, and visitors — and for the continuing spirit of mission, hospitality, and hope that defines this special place.

You may view the full programme of Retreats and Workshops by clicking in the link below.  It also contains booking and contact details. 

Click here 2026 PROGRAMME OF RETREATS AND WORKSHOPS

On the night of 23^rd February 2006, in Kontagora, Niger State, Nigeria, a mob attacked the Churches and private premises of many Christian denominations including our own St. Michael’s Catholic Church and Presbytery (Mission House).   I was one of three priests and a German lay worker living in the house at the time.   The house was completely gutted and a number of vehicles belonging to the church personnel and workers plus a set of three school busses were all torched.  The mob had been mobilised as a protest by a section of the Muslim population in response to the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper.  For a fuller account of the events of that evening, I refer you to an article titled ‘Kontagora McCauley Report’ (click on this link to view) written in the immediate aftermath of the attack on our website. You will also find a second article titled ‘Ten Years Ago in Kontagora’  (click on this link to view) which is a reflection on these events written ten years after the riot in Feb. 2016.

2006-2016   I write these lines as the 20^th anniversary of the incident approaches (23^rd Feb.) i.e. two decades later.  For most of the first decade I continued working in the Vicariate until I departed Nigeria finally for Ireland, my homeland, in May 2015. I had already handed over the ‘keys’ of the Apostolic Vicariate of Kontagora to the newly appointed leader, Bishop Bulus Yohanna, after his episcopal ordination on 3rd May 2012.  I had been the acting leader of the jurisdiction for two years as Apostolic Administrator (2010-2012). This came about due to  Bishop Tim Carroll SMA having had to retire back to Ireland for health reasons in 2010.  The youthful Bishop Bulus wholeheartedly set about the task of continuing the growth and development of the Catholic Church in the Vicariate of Kontagora, begun by the missionaries of the SMA and SPS (St. Patrick’s Missionary Society).

2016-2026   Looking back over this decade, I observe that one of its main features is the continued development and growth of the Vicariate of Kontagora with the steady increase in the number of priests, religious sisters and number of parishes.  The outcome of this growth led to the announcement by the Vatican of the promotion of the jurisdiction from the rank of Vicariate to that of a Diocese on 2nd April 2020 with Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna continuing as its leader. However, the official Inauguration Mass could not take place until 16^th June 2022 due to the restrictions of the Covid 19 pandemic.  The journey since the first announcement of the creation of Kontagora as a new jurisdiction, in the care of the Society of African Missions, by the Vatican in December 1995 was now complete.   I, together with my SMA colleagues, OLA Sisters and members of other Congregations are proud to have been a part of that journey.                  

However, a sad feature of the recent decade is that the Diocese of Kontagora and its people have had to face the challenge of increasing lawlessness and insecurity.  The scourge of banditry and kidnapping has led to a climate of fear and the disruption of economic, agricultural, educational and family life.  For me, a painful example of this was the kidnapping of over three hundred schoolchildren and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri village on 21^st Nov. 2025.  This school is in the parish I served from 1995 till 2001.  Fr. Donal O’Cathain SMA, the Cork priest who spearheaded the growth and development of this school over the past twenty years is now residing for safety in the Bishop’s House in Kontagora town as, for now, it is too risky for him to return to his remote parish of Kigbera. Thankfully all the kidnapped children and staff were eventually released but the ‘bandits’ continue to wreak havoc among the villagers that remote area at the time of writing.

Looking back over the past two decades since the attack on Kontagora mission, I have mixed emotions. I rejoice that the Diocese has grown from its first announcement in December 1995 to its current position as one of the fifty-five Catholic Dioceses of Nigeria.  Then, 1995, it was solely in the hands of missionaries (mainly Irish) i.e. SMA and SPS.  Nowadays, it is led by a native of the Diocese, Bishop Bulus Yohanna assisted by around sixty priests (Nigerian) and a few missionaries, only one of whom is Irish, Fr. Donall O’Cathain SMA. I also enjoyed working at close quarters with the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (Papiri and Kwimo communities), the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (Kontagora community). In addition, I also worked with the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena (Zuru and Yauri communities), the Sisters of Charity (Tungan Gero community).

On the other hand, it is with a heavy heart that I receive news of the increasing tension and insecurity in the Diocese of Kontagora. Stories abound of ‘bandit’ attacks, kidnapping and destruction in the villages     A mixture of religious, economic, ethnic and demographic expansion factors contribute to this climate. But I have confidence in the strong faith of the Christian community of Kontagora Diocese and its leader, Bishop Bulus that they will withstand and overcome these challenges to their way of life and worship.  I hope and trust that the current wave of unrest will end and that the villagers will be able to go with confidence to their churches, schools, markets and farms.    May God bless and protect the People of God in the Diocese of Kontagora.

Dan McCauley SMA    22^nd Feb 2026.

Lent arrives like a soft whisper on a February morning,
calling the heart to slow its pace and listen again for God’s voice.
It is the season when winter’s quiet meets the first hints of spring,
and the soul, still half‑asleep, is gently stirred awake.

These forty days invite a holy turning— from noise to stillness,
from excess to simplicity, from self‑reliance to surrender.

Prayer becomes a lantern guiding us through the dim places.
Fasting becomes a clearing where new life can take root.
Charity becomes a river carrying God’s mercy into the world.

Each Lenten Sunday offers a new step on the path: a beginning in repentance,
a strengthening in faith, a return to God’s embrace,
a burst of joy in the desert, a renewed resolve to love,
and finally, palms raised high as we walk with Christ into His Passion.

Then comes the Triduum— the quiet table of Maundy Thursday,
the shadowed hill of Good Friday, the waiting silence of Holy Saturday,
until dawn breaks open the tomb and Easter light pours over the earth.

Lent is not a burden but a gift, a 
sacred invitation to let God remake us from within.
May this season soften what has hardened,
heal what has fractured, and awaken what has grown weary.

And when Easter morning arrives,
may we rise with Christ renewed in hope,
restored in love, and ready to live the Resurrection.

This short  video reflection, its just about two and a half minutes long, from Fr Michael McCabe SMA explores the meaning of Lent.  In this brief message he gives us food for thought, relevant to this season and to living our lives in this busy world.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Lent is a time in which the Church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life.

Every path towards conversion begins by allowing the word of God to touch our hearts and welcoming it with a docile spirit. There is a relationship between the word, our acceptance of it and the transformation it brings about.  For this reason, the Lenten journey is a welcome opportunity to heed the voice of the Lord and renew our commitment to following Christ, accompanying him on the road to Jerusalem, where the mystery of his passion, death and resurrection will be fulfilled.

Listening

This year, I would first like to consider the importance of making room for the word through listening. The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into relationship with someone. 

In revealing himself to Moses in the burning bush, God himself teaches us that listening is one of his defining characteristics: “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry” (Ex 3:7). Hearing the cry of the oppressed is the beginning of a story of liberation in which the Lord calls Moses, sending him to open a path of salvation for his children who have been reduced to slavery.

Our God is one who seeks to involve us. Even today he shares with us what is in his heart.  Because of this, listening to the word in the liturgy teaches us to listen to the truth of reality. In the midst of the many voices present in our personal lives and in society, Sacred Scripture helps us to recognize and respond to the cry of those who are anguished and suffering. In order to foster this inner openness to listening, we must allow God to teach us how to listen as he does. We must recognize that “the condition of the poor is a cry that, throughout human history, constantly challenges our lives, societies, political and economic systems, and, not least, the Church.” [1]

Fasting

If Lent is a time for listening, fasting is a concrete way to prepare ourselves to receive the word of God. Abstaining from food is an ancient ascetic practice that is essential on the path of conversion. Precisely because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we “hunger” for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance. Moreover, it helps us to identify and order our “appetites,” keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency. Thus, it teaches us to pray and act responsibly towards our neighbor.

With spiritual insight, Saint Augustine helps us to understand the tension between the present moment and the future fulfilment that characterizes this custody of the heart. He observes that: “In the course of earthly life, it is incumbent upon men and women to hunger and thirst for justice, but to be satisfied belongs to the next life. Angels are satisfied with this bread, this food.  The human race, on the other hand, hungers for it; we are all drawn to it in our desire. This reaching out in desire expands the soul and increases its capacity.” [2] Understood in this way, fasting not only permits us to govern our desire, purifying it and making it freer, but also to expand it, so that it is directed towards God and doing good.

However, in order to practice fasting in accordance with its evangelical character and avoid the temptation that leads to pride, it must be lived in faith and humility. It must be grounded in communion with the Lord, because “those who are unable to nourish themselves with the word of God do not fast properly.” [3] As a visible sign of our inner commitment to turn away from sin and evil with the help of grace, fasting must also include other forms of self-denial aimed at helping us to acquire a more sober lifestyle, since “austerity alone makes the Christian life strong and authentic.” [4]

In this regard, I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor. Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves. Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace.

Together

Finally, Lent emphasizes the communal aspect of listening to the word and fasting. The Bible itself underlines this dimension in multiple ways. For example, the Book of Nehemiah recounts how the people gathered to listen to the public reading of the Law, preparing to profess their faith and worship through fasting, so as to renew the covenant with God (cf. 9:1-3).

Likewise, our parishes, families, ecclesial groups and religious communities are called to undertake a shared journey during Lent, in which listening to the word of God, as well as to the cry of the poor and of the earth, becomes part of our community life, and fasting a foundation for sincere repentance.  In this context, conversion refers not only to one’s conscience, but also to the quality of our relationships and dialogue. It means allowing ourselves to be challenged by reality and recognizing what truly guides our desires — both within our ecclesial communities and as regards humanity’s thirst for justice and reconciliation.

Dear friends, let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us. Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others. Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love.

I impart my heartfelt blessing upon all of you and your Lenten journey.

From the Vatican, 5 February 2026, Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

LEO PP. XIV

____________________________________________________

^{[1] Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te (4 October 2025), 9.
[2] Augustine The Usefulness of Fasting, 1, 1.
[3] Benedict XVI, Catechesis (9 March 2011).
[4] Paul VI, Catechesis (8 February1978).}

As Ash Wednesday approaches, Christians around the world prepare to enter Lent 2026—a sacred 40‑day journey marked by renewal, repentance, and deep reflection. This season has long been understood as a spiritual “spring cleaning,” a time to clear away what distracts us from God and to cultivate habits that draw us closer to Christ. Through prayer, fasting, and acts of charity, believers are invited to rediscover the heart of their faith and embrace a more intentional, grace‑filled way of living.

Lent is not merely a tradition; it is a pilgrimage of the soul. The Church offers these weeks as a time to prepare for the joy of Easter, encouraging us to pause, look inward, and allow God to transform us. In quiet moments of prayer, in the discipline of fasting, and in the generosity of almsgiving, we remember Christ’s sacrifice and open ourselves to His renewing love.

Walking Through the Sundays of Lent
Each Sunday of Lent carries its own spiritual rhythm, guiding us step by step toward Easter.

• February 22 – First Sunday of Lent The journey begins with a call to repentance and conversion. We are invited to take our first intentional steps toward spiritual renewal.
• March 1 – Second Sunday of Lent A moment to reflect on God’s promises and strengthen our trust in His faithfulness.
• March 8 – Third Sunday of Lent A reminder to turn away from sin and return wholeheartedly to God’s mercy.
• March 15 – Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) A joyful pause in the penitential season, offering a glimpse of Easter’s light and the reassurance of God’s enduring compassion.
• March 22 – Fifth Sunday of Lent A renewed commitment to prayer, fasting, and service as we draw nearer to Holy Week.
• March 29 – Palm Sunday The triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem marks the beginning of Holy Week, inviting us to walk with Him through the mystery of His Passion.

The Paschal Triduum: The Heart of Our Faith
The holiest days of the Christian year unfold in the Paschal Triduum, drawing us into the profound mystery of Christ’s love.

• April 2 – Maundy Thursday We remember the Last Supper, the gift of the Eucharist, and Christ’s command to love one another.
• April 3 – Good Friday A solemn day of remembrance, honouring Christ’s Passion and His sacrificial death on the cross.
• April 4 – Holy Saturday A quiet day of waiting, prayer, and hope as we prepare for the glory of the Resurrection.
• April 5 – Easter Sunday The celebration of Christ’s victory over death—a radiant proclamation of life, hope, and salvation.

A Call to Renewal
As we journey through Lent 2026, we are invited to open our hearts to God’s transforming grace. This season offers a sacred opportunity to reflect deeply, repent sincerely, and renew our love for Christ. In his message for Lent 2026 Pope Leo XIV says:  “Dear friends, let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us. Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others. Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love.”  By embracing these days with intention and faith, we prepare ourselves to celebrate Easter not only with joy, but with hearts made new.

May this Lent be a time of genuine spiritual growth, a season that leads us closer to God and fills us with hope, peace, and renewed purpose.

Reflection for the Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius

Readings: Acts of the Apostles 13:46-49; Psalm 116; Gospel of Luke 10:1-9

Two themes stand out from today’s readings and they both turn on the word ‘light’. The Opening Prayer of Mass (in the Roman Missal) begins ‘O God, who enlightened the Slavic peoples through the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius’ and in The Weekday Missal (1998) ‘Father, you brought the light of the Gospel’. Rooted often in the scriptural readings, the ‘light of faith’ is regularly referenced in the prayers of the liturgy.

The image of light – and its opposite – are also often used to symbolize secular situations and state(s) of affairs. President Catherine Connolly, in the course of her recent visit to Queen’s University, Belfast, ‘told staff and students’ that ‘Northern Ireland, without exaggeration, now represents a beacon of light to a world in how decades-long conflict can be resolved and reconciliation fostered and continued’.[1] In his America Letter Keith Duggan, writing about recent cutbacks in staff numbers at The Washington Post (newspaper), stated ‘that doggedness and fearlessness entitled the Post to its gallant motto: “Democracy Dies in Darkness”.[2] Adopting the method of distinguishing between what Pope Saint John Paul II described as ‘bright spots and shadows’ calls for ethical and evangelical discernment.

Apart from the identification and invitation of Jesus in the Gospel of John – ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life’ (8:12), the half line from today’s first reading – ‘a light for the nations’ – reveals a very rich scriptural and salvific seam from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah (42:6) which runs through to the sacramental and spiritual significance of the opening line of Vatican II on the church (known by its Latin title Lumen gentium): ‘Christ is the light of the nations and consequently this holy synod, gathered together in the Holy Spirit, ardently desires to bring to all humanity that light of Christ which is resplendent on the face of the church, by proclaiming his Gospel to every creature’.[3]  

The second sense of ‘light’ is reflected in the reading Gospel text and, put simply, it is about ‘travelling light’. Are the words ‘Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals’ a recommendation or an obligation? Are they to be taken absolutely? The experience of, for example, taking up a post teaching theology in a country where there is little or no access to books and periodicals calls for the prudence of a portable basic reference and required reading library! Luke Timothy Johnson called ‘the connection between being a Christian and the way we own and use things one of the knottiest questions imaginable’.[4] If material possessions, (including publications) get in the way of freely proclaiming the Gospel, they are not optional but obstructive. Therefore, if wealth gets in the way of witnessing to the Gospel it should be given away, preferably to the poor, otherwise it ends up like, ‘But when the young man heard these words he went away sad, for he had many possessions’(Matthew 19:22).

Pope John Paul II dedicated his fourth encyclical to today’s saints, Slavorum Apostoli – The Apostles of the Slavs. This extolled their efforts in evangelizing ‘the Slav nations’, enriching the ‘Church, the Continent of Europe and the whole world’, expanding the spiritual and cultural treasure of the church and expressing its communion, ending on a deeply personal note, ‘The Pope of Slav origin in a special way thanks you for this’.[5]

Kevin O’Gorman SMA

^{[1] The Irish Times, 5th February 2026. 
[2] The Irish Times, 7th February 2026.
[3] ‘Dogmatic Constitution on the Church’, in ed. Austin Flannery O.P., Vatican Council II – Constitutions, Decrees, Declarations, Dublin, Dominican Publications, 1996, par. 1. 
[4] Sharing Possessions – What Faith Demands, Eerdmans, Cambridge, U.K., 2011, 1. 
[5] Slavorum Apostoli, 1985, par. 32. (Available at Vatican.co.za)}

Welcome to the February 2026 edition of the SMA Journal.   We celebrate the 90^th Birthday of Fr Eddie Deeney SMA and also the launch of his latest book.  In a piece prepared by the SMA Wilton Parish, Folklore Group, we hear about the Feast Days of Saints in the February Calendar.  In the final part of this month’s Journal we remember Fr Michael McGrath SMA who died recently and hear of how he dedicated most of his 61 years of Missionary life to the training of Catechists.

Let us pray that children suffering from incurable diseases and their families receive the necessary medical care and support, never losing strength and hope.

By praying with Pope Leo (see the text below), you join the millions of people who belong to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network who, from every corner of the world, are praying for the challenges of humanity and the Church’s mission.  

PRAYER TEXT  (Please pray this text) 
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus, who welcomed the little ones in your arms and blessed them tenderly, today we bring before you the children living with incurable illnesses. Their fragile bodies are a sign of your presence, and their smiles, even in the midst of pain, are a testimony of your Kingdom.

We ask you, Lord, that they may never lack proper medical care, human and compassionate attention, and the support of a community that accompanies them with love. Sustain their families in hope, in the midst of weariness and uncertainty, and make of them witnesses of a faith that grows stronger through trial. Bless the hands of doctors, nurses, and caregivers, so that their work may always be an expression of active compassion. May your Spirit enlighten them in every difficult decision, and grant them patience and tenderness to serve with dignity. Lord, teach us to recognize your face in every suffering child. May their vulnerability awaken our compassion, and move us to care, accompany, and love with concrete gestures of solidarity.

Make of us a Church that, animated by the feelings of your Heart and moved by prayer and service, knows how to uphold fragility, and in the midst of suffering, becomes a source of comfort, a seed of hope, and a proclamation of new life. Amen.

(Agenzia Fides) – “Mr. President, this is a desperate appeal to you to put an end to the relentless attacks against the population living in the local administrative areas of Agwara and Borgu, both located in the Emirate of Borgu.” In a video released on social media, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna of Kontagora, President of the Niger State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), urged Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to establish a military base in the Agwara local administrative area. 

This is the area where, on November 21, 265 students from St. Mary’s Catholic primary and secondary school in the community of Papiri were kidnapped by armed bandits (see Fides, 24/11/2025). In addition to the video, Msgr. Yohanna reiterated his request for a greater military presence in a statement shared with Fides. “Our people are helpless and we are crying for help,” the text reads. “This is a passionate appeal to you to finally curb the incessant attacks in Agwara local government area of Niger state. We want you to beef up security in Agwara and especially in Papiri town where we have the St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary schools which serves over fifty (50) communities in Agwara and Borgu LGAs by establishing a military base that will ensure security presence at all times.”

“Agwara and Borgu LGAS have always been peaceful areas where anyone could travel at anytime and return safely until men of the underworld infiltrated our communities,” the Bishop of Kontagora emphasized. However, today, “the insecurity challenge has continued to cripple education, agriculture and community life as these terrorists now move about freely. They roam about freely both at night and day without being challenged.”

In his appeal to the Nigerian president, Bishop Yohanna stated that “these terrorists are gradually turning Borgu Kingdom into what I can call “Terrorists Kingdom” by killing our people at free will, forcing others to flee, and compelling some to become their informants and If the insecurity challenge is not tackled urgently, very soon our farmers who are traditionally known as the “Breadbasket of the Northwest, could soon become dependent on Government’s relief,” the bishop warned. Among the requests submitted by Bishop Yohanna are: to establish a fully equipped military base in Agwara LGA that will include a mobile and armoured detachment capable of pursuing and neutralising armed groups whenever they emerge from their hideouts in the game reserve; to deploy adequate security personnel, provide necessary resources, and work with local stakeholders to restore peace; to fortify Police station and checkpoints without delays; and posting of more Policemen to the Police station and Agwara LGA in general with vehicular mobility. 

Niger State is just one of the 36 states in the Nigerian Federation affected by violence from armed gangs and jihadist groups. On February 7, three people were killed and eleven others kidnapped during an attack on the Holy Trinity Parish Church in Karku, in the Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, in the northwest of the country. Among those kidnapped, according to the Diocese of Kafanchan, is the parish priest, Father Nathaniel Asuwaye (see Fides, 8/2/2026). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 9/2/2026)

(Agenzia Fides) – Several towns in the Agwara Local Government Area (LGA) in Niger State, in north-central Nigeria, have been the target of armed attacks. According to a statement from the Diocese of Kontagora, on Sunday, February 1, armed gangs carried out “coordinated attacks” against the LGAs of Agwara and Mashegu. “In the Agwara LGA, the attackers began their assault in the main town by setting fire to a police station, which was severely damaged,” reads the statement signed by Father Matthew Stephen Kabirat, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Kontagora.

Subsequently, the bandits attacked the home of a village resident, Ahmed Burade, kidnapping his wife, sister-in-law, and three of his children. “Eyewitnesses reported that Mr. Burade narrowly escaped the kidnapping when police officers attempted to repel the attackers,” states the document sent to Fides.

The assailants then turned their attack on the UMCA (United Missionary Church of Africa) church in Agwara, setting it on fire. “As a result of the attacks, several residents have fled their homes and sought refuge in the jungle and nearby areas for fear of further violence,” reports the Diocese of Kontagora. “Similarly,” the statement continues, “what was once a peaceful community in Tugan Gero, in the Mashegu Local Government Area, was transformed into a scene of terror around 2:00 a.m. that same day, when armed criminals launched a coordinated attack, targeting primarily the convent attached to the Tugan Gero clinic, both belonging to the Diocese of Kontagora.”

The nuns managed to escape in time, but the bandits looted and vandalized the clinic, stealing and severely damaging medical equipment and facilities. Later, the attackers targeted several passing vehicles, killing one passenger and kidnapping an unknown number of people. They then headed toward the UMCA church in Tugan Gero, where they kidnapped more people. “Eyewitnesses have reported that the bandits acted freely for several hours before withdrawing, leaving the residents with fear, destruction, and deep sorrow,” said Father Kabirat, who concluded, “These attacks have raised new concerns about the security of religious communities, healthcare facilities, and rural settlements.”

The Niger State Police Command confirmed the attack on the Agwara police station, which occurred at approximately 3:40 a.m. on Sunday, February 1. According to police, tactical teams responded to the attackers, but the assailants managed to overpower the officers and used dynamite to blow up the station. Authorities have confirmed the kidnapping of at least five people in Agwara. To assist the authorities in Abuja in confronting armed groups, particularly jihadists, a small contingent of US military personnel has arrived in Nigeria. The American soldiers will be tasked with providing intelligence support to their Nigerian counterparts. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 4/2/2026)

Welcome to this Special edition of the SMA Journal featuring the late Séan Ó Sé who died on the 13^th of January 2026. 

In an interview recorded over a year ago in SMA House Wilton Cork, he spoke about his memories of the great Cork hurler, Christy Ring, the composer Seán Ó Riada and about his own connection with the SMA.  

May he Rest in Peace – Ar dheis lamh De go raibh a anam dílis.

^{(This article was first published in the African Missionary No.46 Autumn-Winter 2025)} 
In this reflection Fr Moses Katabawa, a Zambian SMA missionary, looks back on this first year as a priest, and expresses his gratitude to the many people, including members of the Family Vocations Community (FVC), who have helped and supported him.  Fr Moses is 36 years old. He was Ordained on the 17^th of August 2024 and is working in Zambia with Fr Martin O’Farrell SMA in Divine Mercy Parish, Ndola.

 As I reflect on my first year as a priest, my heart is filled with gratitude, first to God for His grace, and also to all of you, who have supported me through your prayers, generosity, and encouragement. The last year has been a journey of grace, humility, and spiritual growth. I came into ministry after being ordained, knowing that being a priest requires complete self-giving and daily purpose renewal.

SMA Ordinations 2025.   Eight new SMA Priests were Ordained, two from The Central African Republic, two from Tanzania, two from Ivory Coast and one each from Zambia and Kenya. In addition, twenty-three young men, studying in SMA Seminaries in Nairobi, Kenya, Ibadan, Nigeria and in Ebimpe, Ivory Coast became Deacons and will, with God’s help, be Ordained Priests in 2026.

Moments of Joy and Fulfilment: The celebration of the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and Reconciliation, have been some of the year’s most joyous events. It has been exciting and humbling to stand at the altar and offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. There have also been moments of great joy at baptisms, the blessing of marriages, visiting the sick and elderly. Such are moments where heaven profoundly affects the earth.

Pastoral Challenges and Growth:  Alongside the happy moments came difficulties – guiding bereaved families, negotiating parish dynamics, or resolving spiritual difficulties. There have been challenging moments, difficult conversations, pastoral responsibilities, and the weight of spiritual leadership.  All these have taught me to rely on God’s grace rather than on my own strength. I have found that one of the priest’s most effective tools is listening. Accompanying people through their struggles, sharing in their celebrations, and simply being present has been a rewarding experience.

Community and Brotherhood: I am grateful for the fraternity I experienced among my fellow priests and the support of the lay faithful. Sharing experiences, praying together, and receiving encouragement has helped me to remain grounded, especially during low moments.

Personal Prayer and Interior Life: Perhaps the greatest realization during the past year was the importance of maintaining a strong personal prayer life. Amid the hustle and bustle of the parish, it has become clear to me that, without daily communion with Christ in prayer, my ministry would lose its depth. Silence before the Blessed Sacrament has become my strength. 

Looking Forward: As I reflect on this first year, I am filled with hope. Priesthood is service, a journey and not a destination. I pray that, in the years ahead, I may grow in holiness, humility, and love.

Your support has played a pivotal role in making this possible. The formation I received, the vestments I wear, the books that continue to nourish my faith—all were made possible through your generous hands. Please know that I carry you with me each time I approach the altar. You are remembered in my prayers and in my Masses.

We ask you to remember Fr Moses in your prayers. Let us pray that he, and all young and newly ordained SMA Missionaries, may experience fulfilment, peace and joy in their pastoral and missionary work. AMEN 

Using information provided by the International Crisis Group  (ICG) on ten conflicts likely to continue in 2026, Netzwewrek Afrika Deutschland, the German antenna of the African Faith and Justice Network published the information below.  This provides a summarized overview of these conflicts located in Africa, i.e. conflicts affecting Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as Mali and Burkina Faso.   

SUDAN

• April 2023 – Civil war – triggered by a power struggle within the junta.
  On the one hand: the Sudanese army together with a number of Islamist militias and former rebels. On the other hand: the RSF (Rapid Support Forces) under Mohammed Hamdan Daglo (‘Hemedti’), which is allied with other former insurgents and supported by foreign mercenaries.

• The RSF captured most of Khartoum and, with the support of the United Arab Emirates, advanced into the river basin of Sudan.
  Abu Dhabi is close to the RSF and believes that supporting the RSF will strengthen its position in Africa.
• By the end of 2024, Egypt, Turkey and Iran had increased their arms sales to the military. Saudi Arabia provided greater support to the army.
• March 2025 – Recapture of Khartoum and pushing back the RSF to Darfur and the Kordofan region. However, the RSF attacks as far as Port Sudan in the east. RSF sets up a parallel government in Nyala in southern Darfur.

The idea of peace negotiations is meeting with fierce resistance within the army leadership and among its allies. Powerful Islamists from the Bashir regime and former rebels from Darfur fear that a ceasefire would consolidate the RSF’s power in western Sudan. Hemedti is more willing to negotiate but continues to fight even after the official acceptance of the ceasefire. The tense relations between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates pose another obstacle: in early December 2025, forces supported by the Emirates captured territory in Yemen from their Saudi-backed rivals, further exacerbating tensions between the two countries over Sudan.

MALI AND BURKINA FASO

2012 – Rebellion against the central government: Ag Ghaly, leader of the Islamist group Ansar Dine, formed a coalition with Tuareg associations and other groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda. He succeeded in driving the Malian army out of the north of the country.

• It is the birth of the jihadist militia jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa-l-Muslimin (JNIM). In March 2017, Ag Ghaly announced that JNIM had allied itself with al-Qaeda.
• Today, Ag Ghaly is at the helm of one of the most successful jihadist offshoots of al-Qaeda. Between 6,000 and 7,000 fighters are said to belong to JNIM, who are mainly active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. In Burkina Faso, JNIM is now said to control 50% of the country. JNIM has also gained a foothold in Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.
• Since September 2025, jihadists have partially blockaded Mali’s capital, Bamako, ushering in a new phase of the war in the Sahel. But in both Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso, the risk of regime collapse and further chaos is growing.
• Attacks on key infrastructure, army bases and checkpoints, and most importantly, supply lines.
• Disruption of connections with Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, whose ports handle most of the trade of the landlocked country of Mali.
• The Malian army and Russian forces are trying to protect the main roads.
• Goal of the JNIM – seizure of power

ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA

• 1993 – Eritrea becomes independent from Ethiopia after 30 years of war  This will make Ethiopia a landlocked country with no direct access to the sea.
• 1998 – 2000 Eritrean-Ethiopian War  12. Dec. 2000 Signing of the ‘Algiers Peace Agreement’ – remains a meaningless document.
• 2018: Peace Treaty 2.0 War from 1998 to 2000 formally ended.
• Autumn 2020 – Outbreak of war between the regional government in Tigray and the Ethiopian central government.
• More than 600,000 people are killed, more than 120,000 women are raped and almost two million people are displaced.
• 2022 – „Pretoria Agreement” – Peace treaty between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
• Agreement: to cease hostilities.
• Since this agreement, Addis Ababa has been waging a shadow war against both Eritrea’s capital Asmara and the Amhara region in Ethiopia.
• On 1 September 2025, President Abiy declares that Ethiopia’s ‘mistake’ of giving up access to the sea will be ‘corrected’.

Hope and Options:

“Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, which were all pivotal in securing the Pretoria agreement, should shuttle between the two capitals, emphasizing the dangers if they should come to blows. Others with influence in Addis Ababa and Asmara – the U.S. especially but also China, the European Union, Gulf Arab countries, Türkiye and the UN – should reinforce that message. A new confrontation, this time between two states and their powerful armies, would be ruinous for a region already devastated by the Tigray conflict and now Sudan’s war.” Quelle: International Crisis Group

Network Africa Germany (NAD)               [email protected]               www.netzwerkafrika.de

In this, the first chapter of the SMA Journal for 2026 we visit Fr Patsy Lynch SMA at St Brendan’s Church, Ballinskeilligs, Co Kerry to hear about stained glass windows there. Next we are informed about important OLA and SMA Anniversaries that take place in 2026. We hear a seasonal greeting received from the Tanga Project in Tanzania and finally, information about a new book, a collection of stories, written by Fr Eddie Deeney SMA.

With the first prayer intention of the year, Pope Leo XIV invites us to rediscover the transforming power of God’s Word, the Word in which “we find the light that guides our steps.” Along with the Holy Father, we turn to prayer, asking that we might be a Church that “prays with the Word, that is built upon it and shares it with joy, so that in every person, the hope of a new world may be born again.”

TEXT OF POPE’S MESSAGE
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lord Jesus, living Word of the Father, in You we find the light that guides our steps. We know that the human heart lives restless, hungry for meaning, and only your Gospel can give it peace and fullness. Teach us to listen to you each day in the Scriptures, to let ourselves be challenged by your voice, and to discern our decisions from the closeness to your Heart. May your Word be nourishment in weariness, hope in darkness, and strength in our communities. Lord, may your Word never be absent from our lips or from our hearts— the Word that makes us sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, disciples and missionaries of your Kingdom. Make us a Church that prays with the Word, that is built upon it and shares it with joy, so that in every person the hope of a new world may be born again. May our faith grow in the encounter with you through your Word, moving us from the heart to reach out to others, to serve the most vulnerable, to forgive, build bridges, and proclaim life. Amen.

PRODUCED BY: Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network: https://www.popesprayer.va/ In collaboration with Vatican Media www.vaticannews.va

Rome (Agenzia Fides) – Even the hope of missionaries and pastoral workers who are killed is “a hope filled with immortality because their witness lives on as a prophecy of the victory of good over evil.”
This is one of the phrases of Pope Leo XIV chosen to introduce the usual report published at the end of the year by Fides on Catholic missionaries and pastoral workers killed around the world. It suggests in a simple way the source of Christian hope, the pledge of a life that does not die.
The news about the lives and circumstances of their deaths shows once again this year that the missionaries killed were not in the spotlight for spectacular deeds. They bore witness to Christ in their everyday life, even in contexts marked by violence and conflict.

Some data
According to data verified by Fides, 17 missionaries were killed worldwide in 2025, including priests, women religious, seminarians, and lay people.

The breakdown by continent shows that the highest number of pastoral workers killed in 2025 was in Africa, where ten missionaries (six priests, two seminarians, and two catechists) were murdered. Four missionaries were killed in the Americas (two priests and two nuns), and two in Asia (one priest and one layperson). One priest was killed in Europe.

In recent years, Africa and America have alternated at the top of this tragic ranking.

In detail, among the 10 pastoral workers killed in Africa, five lost their lives in Nigeria, two in Burkina Faso, one in Sierra Leone, one in Kenya and one in Sudan.
Among the four missionaries killed in America, two nuns were murdered in Haiti, one priest was killed in Mexico and another priest of Indian origin was killed in the United States.
Of the two priests killed in Asia, one was brutally murdered in Myanmar and the other was killed in the Philippines.

The only priest killed in Europe lost his life in Poland.

Among the pastoral workers killed in 2025 is the young Nigerian seminarian Emmanuel Alabi, who died during a forced march imposed on him by his captors, who had attacked the minor seminary in Ivianokpodi and, after wounding him, they had kidnapped him along with two of his companions. Sister Evanette Onezaire and Sister Jeanne Voltaire were also murdered by members of one of the armed gangs that hold Haiti in their grip; there is also Donald Martin, the first Burmese Catholic priest killed in the civil conflict that is bloodying Myanmar, whose lifeless body, mutilated and disfigured, was found by some parishioners in the parish complex.

From 2000 to 2025, 626 Catholic missionaries were killed worldwide.

«These brothers and sisters may also 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, liturgical feast of St Stephen Protomartyr).
(Agenzia Fides, 30/12/2025)
LINK
Missionaries and Pastoral Workers killed in 2025 -> https://www.fides.org/it/attachments/view/file/Dossier_Operatori_pastorali_uccisi_2025_-_ENG.pdf 

Copyright © Dicastery for Communication – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

The Holy Se

Adverts announcing the ‘magic of Christmas’ alert us – starting earlier every year it seems – to the markets and merchandise of the mid-winter season. For Christians it is the mystery of Christmas that counts. As Advent announces the coming of ‘a child who has been born for us, a son given to us’ (Isaiah 9:6), Christmas literally confirms the prophecy with the arrival of the Christ child born in Bethlehem. For Christian faith the message and meaning of Christmas are not mercantile but missionary, revealing that the feast is not about retail transactions but the tender relationships between God the Father and Son, between Mary and her newborn son.

The Incarnation is neither illusory nor an abstract proposition, neither the product of psychological projection or philosophical speculation but a proclamation that announces the actual presence of the Son of God, proceeding from the Father and entering into human existence with the goal of glorifying God through the people who have ‘walked in darkness’ (Isaiah 9:2), waiting for ‘the dawn from on high to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide [their] feet into the way of peace’ (Luke1:79). In the Incarnation (from the Latin, entering into/taking flesh) both faith and fact are fused in the figure of ‘the Word made flesh’ (John 1:14), integrating the immensity and immediacy of God’s presence in the infant Jesus, born of Mary, ‘the child conceived in her from the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20).

From creation to conception the first fourteen verses of the Gospel of John are centered on Jesus Christ, called the Word, his relationship with God and the world through the truth of his life and light. Raymond Brown wrote that the church uses this [the Prologue] at the third Mass of Christmas in order to bring out the fullest meaning of what that feast reveals’.[1] From eternal to earthly, the existence of the Word is evident, explored and expressed endlessly by the church on earth in its mission of evangelization and eschatological hope.  

The Nativity is neither a fiction nor a fantasy but an event, celebrated at – the aptly named – Christmas with the human birth of One whose origin is beyond, before history began. Recorded in scripture, remembered in hymnody, represented in art, the birth of Jesus is a reminder of the dignity, beauty and sanctity of all human life. Where words run out before the wonder of Christ’s Nativity, a space is opened for wisdom, the innocence to imagine a world without woe and war, where ‘the peace of God which is beyond all understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:7).                                                                                                 

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA

^{[1] Christ in the Gospels of the Liturgical Year, (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2008), p. 416.}

In this, the final chapter in the SMA Journal for 2025, we begin by travelling to Kenya to hear about the recent celebrations marking the 30^th Anniversary of the SMA House of Formation in Nairobi, a place where many Irish SMAs have work and served down the years.

Next, a report from Fr Thierry Aimade SMA, a priest from the Republic of Benin, who is now working with us here in Ireland as the Assistant Parish Priest in the SMA Parish in Wilton, Cork.  Then we hear about some Irish traditions in the Christmas season and finish off with a look-back at SMA activities in 2025.  

Pope Leo XVI ‘s papacy began in a time of many wars, growing International division and tension.  Adherence to humanitarian and Christian values respecting human dignity, truth, justice, and equality are in decline. In this situation the opening words, spoken from the balcony of St Peters Basilica by Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, were:

“Peace be with you all! Dear brothers and sisters, these are the first words spoken by the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for God’s flock….I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts…. Peace be with you!”

He then continued by repeating words spoken last Easter by his predecessor, the late Pope Francis:

“God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail! All of us are in God’s hands. So, let us move forward, without fear, together, hand in hand with God and with one another other! We are followers of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him as the bridge that can lead us to God and his love. Help us, one and all, to build bridges through dialogue and encounter, joining together as one people, always at peace.”

Pope Leo XIV also emphasised that the Church needs to be constantly moving forward, “a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close, above all, to those who are suffering.”

These words of Pope Leo XVI are guidance for us all. They call us to “move forward without fear” – “to build bridges”– to be people who bring peace and who work for peace – “in your families, among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world”.

This inaugural message from St Peter’s Square reflects this urgent need of our time. It is a call to us, and to all believers, to be counter-witnesses to the violence, greed, lack of truth and self-centeredness we see around us. Let peace begin with us. Let the choices we make each day be choices for truth, for tolerance, for compassion – all the things that build peace. Let our lives and actions show love and care for others and for God’s creation. Peace is the fruit of loving one another, of doing God’s will in our lives. Peace is at the core of the Christ’s message and at the heart of Christian mission.

We are reminded each time we go to Mass that we are entrusted with this mission, when, at the end of the liturgy, we are called to give Christian example and witness in our homes,  communities or wherever we are. Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.

Holy Spirit, once again You have spoken. 
Through the voices of human beings
You have chosen Pope Leo XIV to guide us.
We pray that You will guide him.
Help him in his service to You, the Church, and the world.
Help him offer a beacon of love
To those searching for hope
Amidst the chaos of our changing planet.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
_{(Source: Laudato Si Movement)}

^{This article was first published in the African Missionary Magazine, No. 46, Autumn – Winter 2025}

Following his visit to Türkiye and Lebanon, the Pope invites us to pray for Christian communities who live in war-torn or conflict zones. 

He asks all Christians in the world “to not fall into indifference” and to be “builders of unity.”

Let us pray that Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation and hope.

God of peace,
who through the blood of Your Son
has reconciled the world to Yourself,
today we pray for Christians
living amidst wars and violence.

Even surrounded by pain, may they
never cease to feel the gentle kindness of your presence
and the prayers of their brothers and sisters in faith.

For only through You, and strengthened by fraternal bonds,
can they become the seeds of reconciliation,
builders of hope in ways both small and great,
capable of forgiving and moving forward,
of bridging divides,
and of seeking justice with mercy.

Lord Jesus, who called blessed
those who work for peace,
make us Your instruments of peace
even where harmony seems impossible.

Holy Spirit,
source of hope in the darkest times,
sustain the faith of those who suffer and strengthen their hope.
Do not let us fall into indifference,
and make us builders of unity, like Jesus.

Amen.

December 2025 – Pope Leo XIV

Readings: Eccles (Sir) 48:1-4, 9-11; Psalm 79: 2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Mathew 17;10-13

There is a lot of violence in today’s readings – the fulminations of the prophet Elijah and his return in the Gospel where Jesus mentions his mistreatment which the disciples take to refer to John the Baptist. The reason for Jesus’ mention of Elijah is twofold – firstly, as we read ‘to see that everything is once more as it should be’. We remember that Matthew was writing to and for a Jewish community which naturally wondered about the relation between the Gospel and the Law & the Prophets. This accommodation between them is not appeasement but rather an assurance. Secondly, Jesus’ reference to the fate of the Son of Man, which, we are told, ‘the disciples understood then’ was about John the Baptist. The use of ‘then’ here is important, as it refers to the time spent travelling around Galilee and to Jerusalem. The disciples were later to realise, in light of his passion and resurrection, that Jesus was speaking about himself.

The words of Edward Schillbeeckx are both clarifying and comforting: ‘In the resurrection God authenticates the person, the message and the whole career of Jesus. He puts his seal on it and speaks out against the human judgment on him. Through and in this Christian faith in the resurrection of Jesus, the crucified but risen Jesus remains active in our history’.[1]

The Liturgy of the Word in Advent is a school for formation in the Word of God. It is through this Word that we come to know the way and the will of God, the will of the Father that forbids warfare, the way of Christ that leaves no root or room for violence.

In his homily during Mass at ‘Beirut Waterfront’ on December 2^nd just passed Pope Leo called for

‘a transformation of the heart, a conversion of life and a realization that God has made us precisely to live in the light of faith, the promise of hope and the joy of charity. As a result, we are all called… to not be discouraged, to not give in to the logic of violence and the idolatry of money, and to not resign ourselves in the face of the spreading evil’.

In his Appeal at the end of Mass he added

‘The Middle East needs new approaches, in order to reject the mindset of revenge and violence, to overcome political, social and religious divisions, and to open new chapters in the name of reconciliation and peace. The path of mutual hostility and destruction in the horror of war has been travelled too long, with the deplorable results that are before everyone’s eyes. We need to change course, we need to educate our hearts for peace’.

Kevin O’Gorman SMA

[1] The Church with a Human Face, London, SCM Press, 1985, 33.

Thanks to Fr Hugh Harkin SMA for bringing this to our attention and for providing the information here, which is suitable for this time, as we look towards Christmas. 

The poem below is obviously inspired by the character Tiny Tim, from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, a novel that also made famous the characters of Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim’s much maligned father.   The poem was written by an unknown person who signed themselves as T.J.P.  It was published, 86 years ago, in the December edition of the 1939 African Missionary Magazine.  

He was a little feeble child,
and full of care and pain,
But yet with blithesome heart he sang
His simple Christmas strain.
God Bless us all, cried Tiny Tim
God Bless us, every one:
So too, we pray, this holy day,
God bless us, every one.

The sat around their humble board
In Christmas mirth and glee;
In every truth, though low their lot,
A pleasant group to see.
And Tiny Tim’s poor pallid face
With light and beauty shone,
And looking at them all he cried,
God bless us, every one.

Another Christmas Day came round,
And Tiny Tim lay dead;
Yet as they deck’t his simple bier,
They scarce could think him fled,
Upon them still the little face
With kindly presence shone,
For still they seemed to hear him pray,
God bless us, every one.

Though many a place be vacant now,
Though dim be many an eye,
Which erst the Christmas chimes might greet,
In gladness flitting by;
A golden light comes gleaming down
From dear ones who are gone,
As pray we now, with Tiny Tim
God bless us, every one.            T.JP

Last month we celebrated the feasts of All Saints and All Souls,  a time when we prayed for and recalled those who have gone before us and those who gave great witness to faith and inspiring examples of faith lived.  As Christmas approaches, we remember and give thanks to God for the happy times we had with family and friends who are now gone.  Christmas is also the time of new life, Christ’s birth, God becoming man and the gifting of eternal life to those marked with the sign of faith. 

In these weeks of Advent, as we prepare to celebrate this great time of family and friends, may we use our time well.  Let us remember with thanks for those gone before us and, among those we live with, may we be bringers of kindness, peace, joy and blessing.  God Bless us, every one.

Tomorrow, 12th December, will be a special day in the life of the SMA Kenya Province as one of the main occasions in a year-long series of events, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the SMA House of Formation in Nairobi takes place.  A special Anniversary Mass, presided over by Fr. Damian Bresnahan Vicar General of the Society of African Missions, will be celebrated.  Current residents, former students and staff of the House as well as friends and associates of the SMA will attend the celebration. 

The Nairobi SMA House of Formation, opened on the 3rd of November 1994, was established to provide a place for SMA Seminarians from Kenya and Tanzania to undertake Philosophy studies and for East African and SMA seminarians from other parts of Africa, India, and Poland to stay while undertaking their Theology Studies at Tangaza University in Nairobi.

The SMA House was built with the support of the Irish Province of the SMA and donations from supporters here in Ireland. Among those attending the event tomorrow are Irish SMA’s, Fr. Tom Curran and Fr. John Dunne, both of whom served as Rectors in the House and also Fr. James Clesham who served as Bursar in the early years of the House.  Other Members of the SMA Irish Province, including Frs Sean Lynch, Tom McNamara, Anthony Kelly, Michael McCabe and Hugh Lagan, have also been involved in the Formation House in Nairobi over the past 30 years.

As part of the day’s activities, a fundraising event will also take place to support renovation works and the construction of new facilities at the House.

Abuja (Agenzia Fides) – “The 100 freed children and young people are on their way from Minna, the capital of Niger State, to Papiri to return to their families,” reports Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna of Kontagora, the diocese where, on November 21, 315 students and school staff were kidnapped by an armed group that attacked St. Mary’s Catholic School (see Fides, 24/11/2025 and 26/11/2025).

“Their release was announced by the military authorities, but without specifying the circumstances under which it took place. The freed children and young people were taken

to Minna and are now on their way back to Papiri to finally be reunited with their families,” the bishop said. A little over one hundred hostages remain in the hands of the kidnappers. Around fifty young people managed to free themselves at the time of the abduction (see Fides, 24/11/2025), but we are confident that we will soon be able to embrace them again,” said Bishop Yohanna.

In a statement from the Diocese of Papiri, sent to Fides, Bishop Yohanna thanks Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his commitment to the students’ release. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 9/12/2025)

One of the most beautiful texts read in Advent is in continuity with the above moral-theological trajectory, involving the coming of the messianic king: ‘For a son has been born for us, a son has been given to us and dominion has been laid on his shoulders; and this is the name he has been given, ‘Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace’. His rule will be great and there will be no end of peace for the throne of David and his kingdom, secure and established in fair judgement and righteousness’. (Isaiah 9:5-6) Hearing this prophecy of ‘Immanuel – God with us’, we hang on to the hope that the justice and peace of God’s reign will be extended throughout the earth. Christmas proclaims ‘Immanuel’, the presence of God in the infant Jesus, whose mission embodies the ‘Reign of God’, empowering the church to extend its promise of peace to embrace all peoples in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Saint Paul attributes the hope of universal peace to Christ, uniting Jews and Gentiles: ‘For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into a single unit, in his flesh dissolving the dividing wall of enmity…so that by making peace he might form the two into one new Man in himself…remember that you were without Christ, alien to the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise, But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far off have been brought close, by the blood of Christ…so that by making peace he might form the two into one new Man in himself’…By his coming he proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near’ (Ephesians 2:14-18).The repetition of ‘by making peace’ between both the personification and proclamation of peace in Christ, the fivefold reference to ‘peace’, reinforces our hope in the reassurance of Christ’s words, ‘Peace I leave to you, my own peace I give you, not as the world gives do I give to you’ (John 14:27).

In his ‘Encyclical’ Fratelli Tutti – On Fraternity and Social Friendship, Pope Francis wrote: ‘In many parts of the world, there is a need for paths of peace to heal open wounds. There is also a need for peacemakers, men and women prepared to work boldly and creatively to initiate processes of healing and renewed encounter’.[1] He went on to assert that ‘there is an “architecture” of peace, to which different institutions of society contribute, each according to its own area of expertise, but there is also an “art” of peace that involves us all.’[2]

 A Prayer for Peace 
God our Father, peace is the environment in which you exist in heaven, the effect of your eternal glory. This state of supreme serenity is like a space where your light shines permanently, without any shadow or subtraction. This atmosphere attracts us always, answering our deepest desire to be drawn into the depths of your peace and dwell there. Teach us how to discern the presence of your peace amidst the distractions and demands, difficulties and dangers of daily life. Father, as Jesus your Son showed us, your peace is not a private possession, preserved within the precinct of heaven: may the Holy Spirit pour out peace upon us, make peace between us, taking away all anxiety and anger, avarice and aggression.

Kevin O’Gorman SMA

[1] Fratelli Tutti, Dublin, Veritas, 2020, Par. 225.

[2] Ibid., Par. 231.

Below is the first part of an Advent Reflection by Fr Kevin O’Gorman.  Part two will be published next Sunday.    

October 4^th this year marked the 60^th anniversary of Pope Saint Paul VI’s historic address to the United Nations where he proclaimed his protest and plea, his prophecy and prayer to put an end to war(s) on earth, putting it ‘first of all negatively. These are the words you are looking for us to say and the words we cannot utter without feeling aware of their seriousness and solemnity: never again one against the other, never, never again!’,  repeating this later ‘never again war, never again war!’ Sadly, over sixty years later our screens, on televisions and digital devices, again and again show us the awful effects of wars around the world.

Today the call for an end to war is not confined to battlefields. Another war is being waged around the globe, not with weapons but with words, the war against truth. Globalisation has given birth to the capacity to communicate almost anywhere, anytime. Tragically such global media can generate lying at any level, individual or institutional, leading to a loss of truth. So-called ‘alternative facts’ erode confidence in communications, both interpersonal and international. In an age with an unrivalled access to and amount of media, both personal and professional, the challenge to truth is unprecedented with the risk of reducing trust to transactional affairs, with the danger of even former friendship and other relationships being reduced to deal-making. Transactions deal with things; truth testifies to respect for other people, recognising their equal and transcendent dignity as persons. There is no justice without truth-telling; there is no peace among peoples without trust.

Advent is the season for hoping in the truth of God’s Word, a word of justice and peace proclaimed by the prophets of the Old Testament. For them the link between faith and justice was indivisible: ‘The prophets as a movement were the social conscience of Israel. They attacked the rich’s exploitation of the poor because Yahweh’s covenant demanded not sacrifice but interhuman justice’.[1] The promise of justice will be delivered by the coming of the new shoot in the line of David: ‘A branch will spring from the stock of Jesse, a shoot will grow from his roots. On him will rest the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom and insight, the spirit of counsel and power, the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord: his delight will be in fear of the Lord. His judgement will not be by appearances, his verdict not given on hearsay. He will judge the weak with righteousness and give fair sentence for the poor of the land’.(Isaiah 11:1-4)[2]

While making just demands on the people of God in the present, the prophet  foretold a period of messianic peace: ‘The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard lie down with the kid, calf, lion and fat-stock beast together, with a little boy to lead them. The cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like the ox. The infant will play over the hole of the adder; the baby will put its hand into the viper’s lair. No hurt, no harm will be done on all my holy mountain, for the land will be full of knowledge of the Lord’. (Isaiah 11:6-9). Thus true ‘knowledge of the Lord’ knits together faith and justice, love of God and neighbour.

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA

_{[1] L. John Topel, The Way to Peace – Liberation through the Bible, Dublin; Gill & MacMillan, 1980, 68.}

_{[2] This and subsequent scriptural texts are taken from New Revised Jerusalem Bible.}

St Mary’s school in Papiri was constructed by an SMA missionary with financial support from many donors especially St Mary’s secondary school, Newry. This school continues to support the running and other costs for the school. Other donors included the SMA Irish province and Apostolic Work Societies in Ireland, particularly in the archdiocese of Armagh.  

(Agenzia Fides) Prayer chain for those abducted from Catholic schools in Papiri: the Superior General of the SMA Fathers in a sign of missionary unity with the OLA Sisters

 “We stand with them, we grieve with them, we pray with them,” is the call to prayer from the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostle for the 265 hostages of St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, who have been held captive since November 21.

This anonymous prayer very succinctly captures the spirit of Advent and expresses the deep spiritual longing and anticipation that lies at the heart of this time. It echoes the ancient Christian prayer Maranatha” (“Come, Lord!”), which is traditionally associated with Advent, the season of waiting for Christ’s coming.  It also reflects Christian hope in the coming of Christ at the end of time.  Added to this the words of the prayer express hope on a personal level, of Christ coming into one’s heart, of being a real presence in one’s daily life influencing our thoughts, actions and how we relate to others. Finally it expresses the hope of Christ bringing light to the world in these troubled times.

Our Advent prayer is “Lord, come!”
Lord, come — into our world!
Lord, come — into our lives!
Lord, come — and purify our longings!
Lord, come — to free us from our compulsions and sins!
Lord, come — into our relationships!
Lord, come — into our work! 
Lord, come — into our sufferings! 
And into the darkness of our troubled world

We hope you will take time to meditate on this heartfelt prayer in this time of expectant waiting and hope in God’s coming to heal and renew all things.  

As Advent begins, this Poem by Patrick Kavanagh sets the scene and is a good introduction to some of the themes of this season of waiting for the coming of the Christ child. Like much of Kavanagh’s work, this poem celebrates the beauty and spirituality found in the commonplace.  It also rejects the prevailing materialistic and intellectual mindset, where people are consumed by knowledge and pleasure.  Instead true fulfilment lies in embracing the ordinary and mundane. There is a need to rediscover the childlike innocence and the sense of wonder, dulled by worldliness and indulgence.  A need to see God in the bits and pieces of every day. 

We have tested and tasted too much, lover-
Through a chink too wide there comes in no wonder.
But here in the Advent-darkened room
Where the dry black bread and the sugarless tea
Of penance will charm back the luxury
Of a child’s soul, we’ll return to Doom
The knowledge we stole but could not use.

And the newness that was in every stale thing
When we looked at it as children: the spirit-shocking
Wonder in a black slanting Ulster hill
Or the prophetic astonishment in the tedious talking
Of an old fool will awake for us and bring
You and me to the yard gate to watch the whins
And the bog-holes, cart-tracks, old stables where Time begins.

O after Christmas we’ll have no need to go searching
For the difference that sets an old phrase burning-
We’ll hear it in the whispered argument of a churning
Or in the streets where the village boys are lurching.
And we’ll hear it among decent men too
Who barrow dung in gardens under trees,
Wherever life pours ordinary plenty.
Won’t we be rich, my love and I, and
God we shall not ask for reason’s payment,
The why of heart-breaking strangeness in dreeping hedges
Nor analyse God’s breath in common statement.
We have thrown into the dust-bin the clay-minted wages
Of pleasure, knowledge and the conscious hour-
And Christ comes with a January flower.

by Michael McCabe SMA

This coming Sunday the Church begins a new liturgical year with the season of Advent: four weeks of preparation for the great feast of Christmas. This is a long tradition in the Church going back to the ninth century. Like Lent, Advent is a season with particular hymns, readings, antiphons, and responses each day, both in the Eucharist and in the Liturgy of the Hours. Advent also has its own  special  symbols: the wreath and the four candles. 

What is the purpose of all this build-up to the feast of Christ’s birth?  It is certainly not to engage in a game of pretence, as if we were still waiting for Christ’s first coming. Christ has come. He has lived among us and, once and for all, changed the course of human history. And he will not come in the flesh again. Moreover, Christ is with us now.  He lives on in us (the members of his Church) through his Spirit. Nor is the purpose of Advent to teach us something new about Christ, something we don’t already know. No!  Advent is designed to help us to appreciate more fully the significance of Christ’s first coming, and to make more room for him in our hearts now.  Its purpose is to help us ‘see Christ more clearly, love him more dearly and follow him more closely’ (St Richard of Chichester).

For this to happen we need to take Advent seriously. Unfortunately we live at a time, and in a culture, that tends to make us leapfrog Advent and launch into Christmas immediately. No sooner have the macabre celebrations of Halloween ended than we begin arranging Christmas parties and shopping for presents till we drop. By the time Christmas arrives we are so exhausted  we long for it to be over.  Because we have not taken Advent seriously, because we have not slowed down and given ourselves a chance to respond to the special grace of this beautiful season, we lose out on the grace of Christmas as well, and all the wonder it  should evoke in us.   

In his poem, Advent, Patrick Kavanagh has the striking line: ‘Through a chink too wide there comes in no wonder’. When we are saturated with a surfeit of material things– as easily happens today with the relentless commercialisation of Christmas –  we lose our capacity for wonder.   We may even get to the stage where we are unable to feel anything but boredom and exhaustion.  How could it be otherwise? Our senses were made for our hearts, not the other way round. We need to draw back from the commercial forces launching themselves at our senses, and give our hearts a chance to cope, to focus, to rest, to slow down. Advent is a time for such slowing down and focusing: taking in less, but learning to appreciate more.  The season of Advent should have a certain quality of retreat. It is a time for us to attune ourselves to what the Lord is saying to us through the  scripture readings, hymns, antiphons and symbols of this  beautiful season. If we do this, and take Advent seriously, perhaps we may, to quote Kavanagh again,  ‘charm back the luxury of a child’s soul’, and ‘return to doom the knowledge we stole but could not use.’ .  And Christ may come to meet us ‘with a January flower’.

As more information becomes available the true extent of the the abductions in Kontagora is becoming more apparent. Here we link to an article from the Our Lady of Apostles website. 

It contains additional information and also links to a Press Release from Kontagora Diocese, to information from Vatican News, RTE and also a statement from Sr Mary T Barron, the OLA Congregational Leader

Click here to read: /www.olaireland.ie/africa/abduction-at-st-marys-schools-papiri-a-call-to-prayer-and-solidarity/  

It is with great sadness that we bring you this news from Agenzia Fides which reports on the abduction of students during an attack on Catholic schools run by Kontagora Diocese, Nigeria.  SMA Missionaries have worked in this area for many years and Bishop Tim Carroll SMA was the first Bishop of the Diocese.  Recently his successor Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna visited us in SMA House, Blackrock Road and a video interview recorded by him is published in the November SMA Journal.  We ask your prayers for all those who have been kidnapped, for their families, for the OLA Sisters who manage the schools, Diocesan Priests, Bishop Bulus and for SMA Fathers who work in Kontagora.  

During the Sunday Angelus Prayer in the Vatican, Pope Leo expressed his great anguish for the children and their parents.

(Agenzia Fides) – A Catholic school in Nigeria was attacked and around 100 students were kidnapped. In the early hours of November 21 an armed group on 60 motorcycles and in cars stormed St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in the community of Papiri, Niger State, in north-central Nigeria.

A statement from the Diocese of Kontagora, signed by Diocesan Secretary Jatau Luka Joseph, further stated that a member of the security personnel was seriously injured in the attack. The attack reportedly took place between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. “The Diocese of Kontagora strongly condemns the attack and expresses deep concern for the safety of the kidnapped children and their families,” the statement sent to Fides reads. “The security authorities were immediately informed and have launched coordinated efforts to ensure the safe return of the hostages.” (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 21/11/2025)

This article from Agenzia Fides gives a synthesis of the Church’s view of Artificial Intelligence (AI)  

by Marie Symington

Roma (Agenzia Fides ) – On Monday September 29 2025, the Dicastery for Communication announced the theme chosen by the Holy Father Leo XIV for the 60th World Communications Day: Preserving human voices and faces . In the face of the rapid expansion of AI technology along with the risks it entails, it is no wonder that the Catholic Church senses the urgency to respond to these potentially dangerous developments. This topic has evidently been on Pope Leo’s mind since the outset of his papacy, as his choice of papal name points to a deliberate parallel with the papacy of his predecessor Pope Leo XIII. Indeed, Leo XIV compared this “industrial revolution” in the age of AI to that during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII, who “in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution”. Today, according to the present Pope Leo, the Church faces another industrial revolution “in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour.”

The Holy Father has not shied away from expressing vigilance with regard to AI. During an interview with senior Cruz journalist, Elise Ann Allen, the Pope revealed that an authorisation to create an artificial version of him had been sought “so that anybody could sign onto this website and have a personal audience with the Pope”. Pope Leo adamantly refused the idea. He stressed the importance of organic human connection, explaining that “Our human life makes sense not because of artificial intelligence, but because of human beings and encounter, being with one another, creating relationships, and discovering in those human relationships also the presence of God. It’s going to be very difficult to discover the presence of God in AI. In human relationships, we can find at least signs of the presence of God” .

That does not mean to say that one should deny the value of technology in spreading the Gospel. The recently beatified Carlo Acutis used technology as a means to evangelise. In 2005, the young teenager developed a website to document the various Eucharistic miracles from around the world, convinced that the scientific evidence in favour of these miracles would call people back to the Catholic faith. Carlo Acutis is a great example of how technology should be used, that is, as a means to do good. However, one should be aware of the limits of AI and take note that it is simply a tool, a tool that cannot and never will replace human beings through which God works. As the Dicastery for Communication pointed out “while these tools offer efficiency and reach, they cannot replace the uniquely human capacities for empathy, ethics and moral responsibility. Public communication requires human judgment, not just data patterns. The challenge is to ensure that humanity remains the guiding agent. The future of communication must be one where machines serve as tools that connect and facilitate human lives, rather than erode the human voice” .

Some AI enthusiasts would argue that due to the rapid evolution of AI, it could become intelligent enough to explain Catholic doctrine and to respond to typical objections, by referring to Doctors of the Church, provided that it is programmed with the adequate data to do so. However, to understand the Church’s mission in spreading the Gospel as a matter of feeding information in the form of computed speech would be to bypass the meaning of the Gospel completely. Communicating the Truth is certainly essential to the Church’s mission, in that it brings people to God, but this must be done out of and through Love, for God is Love. God the Father manifested His Love for His creation by becoming incarnate in human flesh, as the Gospel of John reminds us: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14); “God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting.” (John 3:16). One can learn from the Incarnation to better understand the mission of the Church.

Saved through Christ’s humanity

In his work Summa Theologiae, Saint Thomas Aquinas poses the question of the fitness of Incarnation: is it fitting for God to become incarnate and was it necessary for the restoration of the human race? Aquinas answers that “It would seem most fitting that by visible things the invisible things of God should be made known” (III, qu.1, a. 1). In other words, due to human nature being both body and spirit, Man acquires knowledge of the “invisible things of God” through what is visible. Thus, by incarnating Himself, God makes his Love for humanity manifest, serving as the perfect model for human beings to imitate in loving God and their neighbour. Indeed, as Aquinas notes, among other reasons listed, God’s Incarnation was necessary for Man “with regard to well-doing, in which He set us an example” (III, q.1, a. 2).

Just as Jesus did not only proclaim the Truth but lived accordingly in Love, missionaries must spread the Gospel through both their words and their actions. For, as Aquinas points out in his work Summa Contra Gentiles, “nothing induces us to love any one so much as the experience of his love for us. Nor could God’s love for man have been more effectually demonstrated to man than by God’s willing to be united with man in unity of person: for this is just the property of love, to unite the lover with the loved” (Book IV, Chapter 54, a. 4).

Proclaiming the Gospel through the dynamic of the Incarnation

God’s Incarnation was the most effective way to express His Love, highlighting the importance of the human voice and action in spreading the Word. God the Father did not stop at the stone tablets given to Moses to reveal Himself and his Law but made Himself incarnate among His children, just as Christians should not substitute in-person relationships with others for an AI robot to spread the Word. Relationships can only be formed between individuals, not with machines, and God’s Incarnation clearly demonstrates His desire to form a relationship with His creation. Indeed, as Aquinas writes “To promote familiar friendship then between man and God, it was expedient that God should become man, that while we know God in visible form, we may thereby be borne on to the love of His invisible perfections” (Book IV, Chapter 54, a. 5).

An intelligence that knows neither how to love nor how to give thanks

Just as God sought a relationship of love and friendship through his Incarnation, Christians should seek love and friendship with their neighbours. Yet AI cannot love, it cannot bear witness to the Truth through its computed functions. God works through human beings to touch hearts, not AI, and if the latter serves to spread the Gospel, it is only to the extent that its use is governed by Man’s reason and good will.

Therefore, the preservation of human voices and faces is essential in the Church’s mission to spread the Good News, in that God’s Love is best expressed through our relationships with others, as the Incarnation demonstrates. Yet, moreover, it is worth noting that God incarnated Himself also “with regard to the full participation of the Divinity, which is the true bliss of man and end of human life; and this is bestowed upon us by Christ’s humanity” (Summa Theologiae III, q. 1, q. 2).
As Saint Athanasius said “[God] was made man that we might be made God” (On the Incarnation of the Word, a. 54). For the same reason, God acts through human beings, as Aquinas puts it “this is not from the insufficiency of God’s power, but from the immensity of His goodness, whereby He has wished to communicate His likeness to creatures, not only in point of their being, but likewise in point of their being causes of other things” (Summa Contra Gentiles, Book III, Chapter 70, Reply 2). Thus, the preservation of human voices and faces stands all the more necessary not only so that souls may be loved and saved, but also so that Christian missionaries may embrace God’s loving desire and purpose for them.
(Agenzia Fides, 17/11/2025)

In this month’s SMA Journal we are informed of the publication of the latest edition of the SMA Magazine and the SMA Calendar for 2026.  We also hear about the new online availability of our Missionary Association Cards through the SMA website.  Next, we talk with Bishop Bulus Yohanna of Kontagora Diocese, Nigeria, an area in which many SMA’s served and contributed to the establishment of the diocese.  We hear how Newry, Northern Ireland, honours the memory of Archbishop Francis Carroll SMA and finally in this November, the month of the Holy Souls, a report about the Blessing of graves in St Finbarr’s Cemetery, Cork.

This letter from Fr Michael O’Rourke SMA to the African Missionary describes his experience in Nigeria a few months after his arrival.  He was born Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin in April 1893 and ordained priest in June 1924.  After arriving in Nigeria, he was appointed to Lokoja, in the Vicariate of Western Nigeria.  He served there from December 1924 to 1929. He was incardinated into to Archdiocese of Cardiff in 1934.  He died in August 1975.

The letter was published in the African Missionary Magazine of September – October 1925 and given this introduction by Fr John Francis Lupton SMA, the Editor at the time.

“The following letter from the Mission Front will help our readers to visualise the Missionary, as he pursues the “even tenor of his ways” beneath the tropic skies.  We are sure they will congratulate the writer on the hard-fought victory which the latter portion of his letter describes, and their prayers will go out to him, and to his fellow Missionaries, for the many smaller victories in a long and fruitful apostolate.”

Lokoja, Western Nigeria

After a long journey up the Niger, I arrived here on December 14th, having dropped my companions, one by one, along the way as their respective destinations were reached.  Lokoja is one of the hottest stations on the banks of the Niger. My arms are already mahogany colour, and my face, well, I don’t know what that is like, as I have no looking-glass.  So far, thank God, I have enjoyed good health. I am not fatter, certainly, but, I believe, not much thinner, either.  Lokoja is chiefly a Mohammedan town, with a sprinkling of Catholics. The school is fairly good, but the attendance is not all that could be desired. The numbers are ever rising and falling, just like the Niger. High water, more pupils.  Low water, numbers decrease. This is due to the fact that the people travel up and down trading or visiting their native districts. 

The little children are wonderful, they seem to be at home at music, they can go right through a Gregorian Mass, and are very proficient at plain chant, especially when they delve into a word having several notes on it.  Many of their native refrains savour very much of this style, all their verses ending on suspension notes.

In catechism, they are, in truth, well ahead of Europeans, their knowledge being more reasoned.  Of course, this is due to their teaching. At home, children memorise their catechism, and having the faith, little explanation is needed.  But here, dark souls have to be illuminated, and many explanations must be given.

So far, I have been privileged, have had the privilege of baptising four children, and there are a dozen others on the list for the end of the month.  No candidate can be baptised unless he has at least a preparation of one year, a knowledge of Christian doctrine that would secure him Confirmation.  In that way we are fairly sure of our boys.

Now, to leave missionary topics and come nearer home.  I have been alone for a little while past and my first fever has arrived.  It came just like a tornado, as insidiously, as quickly, and from goodness knows where, as do all things in the tropics.  Sufficient to say that I am Victor, though I must admit it was a tester.

At first, I found it difficult to perspire, while the temperature increased by leaps and bounds.  When the thermometer registered 104 degrees, I was not alarmed, but I knew I should sweat. When at 105 I said it was time to be anxious and so as a last resort, I told the boy to boil a flannel.  This I wound around my body and still the pores remained stubborn while temperature rose to 106 degrees. At this point I said to myself well you must either perspire or expire. and I rather enjoyed the joke just then the first beads came out, and soon I was flooded in perspiration all of this happened in the space of two and a half hours. At a temperature of 104 I took the precaution of sending for a doctor but alas he was absent – away up river. He got my note long afterwards and came to see me to find me alive and crowing. Now I  am quite all right again.   M. O’R

Fr Hugh Harkin SMA

For many years the SMA has through its Missionary Association Cards provided people with  a meaningful way to remember a deceased loved one, to celebrate an occasion –  or to let family or friends know that they are in the thoughts and prayers of the person who sent them a card and, that they will be remembered during the Mass and Prayers of SMA Priests. 

Those for whom prayers have been requested are remembered and prayed for during the daily community Mass, offered for donors’ intentions in SMA Houses. The donations given for the cards are an important means of supporting  and sustaining our Mission work in Africa.   

Up to now people obtained cards either by visiting or telephoning their nearest SMA House.   Now, in a new initiative, Mass Association Cards can be ordered online via the SMA Website.   Just click on the Cards in the menu on the top of  this page.  The cards you order will be posted to you promptly.  You can of course still use the more traditional means of visiting or phoning your nearest SMA House to request prayers and get cards. 

Cards for various times and occasions are available

•    With Sympathy
•    Prayer for You
•    Get Well
•   Thinking of you as you begin your treatment
•   Birthday
•   Anniversary Remembrance
•   Thank You
•   Success in Examinations
•   Ordination Jubilee
•  St Patrick’s Day
•  Easter Remembrance
•  Christmas  

Click HERE  or on Cards in the menu above to view cards available.  

CHRISTMAS CARDS AND PACKS OF 10
As Christmas is approaching – there are 20 different cards available that can either be chosen individually (donation €2) or in two different packs, each containing a variety of ten cards (donation €20). Postage is free for ten cards or more.  The names and intentions of those for whom prayers are requested will be remembered during the SMA Community Mass on Christmas morning in Blackrock Road.   Click to view Christmas Cards and Packs of Cards.   

Let us pray that those who are struggling with suicidal thoughts might find the support, care and love they need in their community, and be open to the beauty of life.

TEXT OF POPE LEO’s MESSAGE

Lord Jesus,
You who invite the weary and burdened to come to You and rest in Your Heart,
we ask You this month for all the people who live in darkness and despair,
especially for those struggling with suicidal thoughts.

May they always find a community that welcomes them, listens to them,
and accompanies them. Give all of us an attentive and compassionate heart,
capable of offering comfort and support, also with the necessary professional help.

May we know how to be close with respect and tenderness, helping to heal wounds,
build bonds, and open horizons. Together may we rediscover that life is a gift,
that there is still beauty and meaning, even in the midst of pain and suffering.
We are well aware that those who follow You are also vulnerable to sadness without hope.

We ask You to always make us feel Your love so that, through Your closeness to us,
we can recognize and proclaim to all the infinite love of the Father
who leads us by the hand to renew our trust in the life You give us.

Amen.

November 2025 – Pope Leo XIV

Thanks to Fr High Harkin SMA for providing the information that allows us to present these paragraphs that were first published 100 years ago, in the African Missionary Magazine of July-August 1925.

Under the title, “From Day to Day”,  the editor of the time, Fr John F Lupton SMA, introduced this short piece written by the young, but clearly wise Fr Kelly stating:    

“Rev Fr PJ Kelly gives us a glimpse into the Missionary’s day-to-day life in W. Nigeria in the following:”  

I am sure you would like to know how I am faring out here in Eku.  Well, the health is all right, thank God. And that means a good deal.  Of course, there are always a few small fevers from time to time, but they only put a person out of form for a day or two at the time.”

“Then, as regards the flock, to look after them is the art of arts.  If you insist on too many principles, they will find things to hard and fall away; while if you insist on none, it will be hard to draw the line between the Christian and the Pagan standards of morality.”

“The big drawback here is the fact that as yet we are but feeling our way. There is no tradition as in the older Mission Stations, and, above all, not Christian public opinion. To establish any good customs among them – those customs that are practically necessary to preserve a little Christian community in the midst of the Pagan surroundings – is very difficult.  Hence it is that patience and perseverance are most essential to the Missionary.  He must keep on day after day, always remembering that Pagan traditions, with the devil himself in the background, are up against him.

Solemnity of All Saints

Readings: Apocalypse 7:2-4, 9-14; Ps 23:1-6; 1 John 3:1-13; Matthew 5:1-12

We are familiar from the Apostles’ Creed with confessing our faith ‘in the communion of saints’. (Interestingly, this article is not included in the longer Nicene Creed.) ‘Communion’ is central to the church’s self-understanding, its synodal way and sacramental life, especially in and through the Eucharist. The readings for today’s Solemnity focus on the criteria for those recognized as saints, the so-called canonised. Three reflections …

Firstly, from the Book of Revelation, we read about the ‘people dressed in white robes’ who are those ‘who have been through the great persecution and have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb’. While we might think in this part of the world that persecution of the church is a thing of the past, the reality of martyrdom is for many Christians a ‘sign of the times’. Pope Leo XIV recently received a document entitled ‘Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church’ which ‘lists 1,010 reports ranging from assaults on clergy to attacks on sacred spaces’.[1]

Secondly, the Gospel lists the Beatitudes which read like a litany, looking at the moral and spiritual characteristics of the blessed. Informed and inspired by the holy men and women who lived these qualities in suffering, service and solidarity, we are invited again and again, on hearing the Word of God especially in the Liturgy of the Word on their feast days, to imitate their example. I recently reflected on the Dromantine Altars[2] – located in the chapel there –named in honour of the saints for their holy lives at home and abroad. There are thirteen altars – eleven named for Saint Therésè, Saint Augustine (‘Special Patron’ for the SMA), Saint Peter Claver (‘Principal Patron’ for the SMA), Saint Colmán of Dromore, Saint Joseph, Saint Patrick, Saint Colmcille, Saint Francis Xavier (‘Patron’ for the SMA), Saint Brendan, Saint Paul, Saint Peter alongside altars for Our Lady and the Sacred Heart – to which another is added, the African Saint Josephine Bakhita, canonised in 2000 by Pope John Paul II, who has since then joined this litany of virtuous and venerable men and women.

Thirdly, Pope Francis reminds us to remember ‘The Saints Next Door’, writing: ‘Nor need we think only of those already beatified and canonized. The Holy Spirit bestows holiness in abundance among God’s holy and faithful people…I like to contemplate the holiness in the patience of God’s people…Very often it is a holiness found in our next-door neighbours, those who, living in our midst, reflects God’s presence’.[3]

Kevin O’Gorman SMA  

^{[1] The Tablet, 11th October 2025, p. 28. 
[2] A Dromantine Prayerbook, Cork, 2025.
[3] Gaudete Et Exultate/Rejoice and Be Glad, Dublin: Veritas, 2018, par. 6.}

(Agenzia Fides) – “In Sokoto, we do not have a problem with persecution, but we do observe restrictions on our freedom,” says Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto, in northern Nigeria, in an interview with Fides.

Sokoto, the capital of the State of the same name, is a predominantly Muslim area where coexistence with the Christian minority is threatened by the violence from jihadist groups.
Despite this, Bishop Kukah offers elements of reflection that allow us to go beyond the narrative of a “clash between religions.”

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, what is the situation in your diocese?

In Sokoto, we do not have a problem with persecution. Since we live in a predominantly Muslim environment, we rather have problems with restrictions on freedom. However, these do not concern religious freedom. For example, we have no problem holding a procession with the Blessed Sacrament on the streets of Sokoto. The only areas where there are restrictions concern the teaching of the Catholic religion in public schools and permits for the construction of new places of worship. These are obstacles that arise primarily at the bureaucratic level. I believe we can resolve these issues through dialogue and negotiations. So, in general, we can say we do not have any serious problems. We have friendly relations with Muslims. I myself have good friends who are Muslims. We work closely with the state governor, who is Muslim.

What do you believe are the roots of jihadist violence in northern Nigeria?

In my opinion, there are two causes. Before the emergence of modern Nigeria in the 19th century, there was a Muslim caliphate in what is now northern Nigeria, extending over large parts of what are now Mali, Chad, Niger, and Burkina Faso. British colonialism destroyed this Islamic empire and left a legacy of resentment that persists among the local Islamic population to this day. With the British came the Christian faith. Today, ignorance of our country’s history leads many Muslims to associate Christianity with colonialism. Yet the missionaries did not come to conquer, but to help the local population, while the colonialists came with the intention of extracting resources from our land.
The second factor, related to the first, is the determination of Muslims in northern Nigeria to receive a Western-style education. This attitude is encouraged by the federal government, which since the 1960s has insisted on taking measures to ensure that every Nigerian child has access to education. Nevertheless, there are currently approximately 20 to 25 million children and young people in Nigeria who do not have access to school. Ninety percent of these children live in northern Nigeria, where many poor families fear that their children will convert to Christianity if they attend school. This is happening while the children of the Muslim elite in the north receive an excellent education; however, this elite fails to consider the general problem of providing a proper education to the entire population of the region. The problem thus arose here, where people have been instilled with many untruths about the Christian faith. This leads to sections of the Muslim population venting their anger and frustration on the Christian minority during turbulent events, for example, by setting fire to a church. This situation was exploited by “Boko Haram” (which means “Western education is forbidden”) to recruit fighters from among the population in the north. However, I would like to emphasize that jihadist violence has claimed more lives among Muslims than among Christians. The statistics tell us this.

In the United States, there are efforts to introduce federal legislation to impose sanctions against the Nigerian government, which is accused of failing to protect Christians. What do you think about this?

What I can say is that they are adopting a narrative that Christians are persecuted. We cannot deny this, but it must be emphasized that the worst situation occurred between 2014 and 2023 during the presidency of Muhammadu Buhari, who did not respect the traditional balance between Muslims and Christians in high offices of state and, above all, placed high-ranking Muslim officers at the head of the various security apparatuses. This led the jihadists to feel that Islam was the dominant religion in the country. They felt encouraged to intensify their violent struggle. Since 2023, a noticeable change has taken place with the new President, Bola Tinubu, a Muslim married to a pastor of a Pentecostal church, as he appears much more determined to preserve democracy and to protect the human rights of all Nigerians. I am confident that we can restore peaceful coexistence among all the Country’s populations. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 23/10/2025)

By Fr Hugh Harkin SMA

Throughout the summer and autumn of 2025, commemorations have been taking place in many parts of the world to mark the 80^th Anniversary of the end of World War Two (WW2). VE Day (Victory in Europe) was 8^th May 1945, and the global end in Asia, Japan and USA was 2 September 1945.

 In the early 1940s, as the World War intensified there was a request made to SMA Superiors and Bishops by the British Forces and the West African Forces for Catholic Chaplains. In response several priests volunteered most serving with the West African Brigade or the British Air Force.

We should not forget the role played by members of the Irish Province of the SMA who volunteered to serve as Military Chaplains during these war years.  

Fr Thomas Donoghue from Terryglass, Borrisokane, Co Tipperary volunteered at the beginning of the war as a chaplain and served with the British Forces in the Middle East.  He served with the 8th Army of the Egyptian and North African campaigns.  Later, after the war, he was to become the Head Chaplain in the Middle East, a post which brought him to the troubled centers of Palestine, Iran, Lebanon and Jordan.  Subsequently he served as chaplain in Northern Ireland, Germany and England. He died in Cork on 16 October 1980, aged 82.

Fr Patrick Dorr from Foxford Co Mayo volunteered for the West African Brigade in early 1942 serving in Nigeria, Burma and India.  Demobilised in 1946 he returned to Nigeria in 1947. He died in Belfast 19 August 1971, aged 64.

Fr Joseph Hilliard born in Kilcullen, Co Kildare and later resided in Fermoy, Co Cork joined the West African Force in July 1942.  He served in Zaria, Nigeria and Ibadan, Nigeria for a year before accompanying the 81^st West African Division to India for three months and to Burma for eight months where he participated in two campaigns in the Arakan Province.  He was the Senior Chaplain with the 81^st Division in India and Burma. Demobilised in June 1946 he returned to Benin City Diocese to resume his missionary work. He died in the Mater Hospital, Dublin on 24 June 1971, aged 57.

Fr Louis Kinnane from Belfast responded to the Bishop’s request for volunteers.  In 1943 he became a Chaplain with the Royal Air Force.  First serving in the UK and then in the Far East until 1947.  He died in Cork on 6 November 1985, aged 74.

Fr John Lupton from Newry was a missionary in Cairo, Egypt.  He also served as Officiating Chaplain visiting the Military Hospitals and ministered to the wounded and dead in Cairo.  Fr John also served as an Army Chaplain during World War I in the Near East.  He died in Cork on 23 April 1969, aged 81.

Fr Patrick McAnally from St Patrick’s Parish, Belfast served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) from February 1944 to June 1949.  During that time, he served in Singapore, Batavia, Burma and England.  After being demobilised he returned to his Nigerian mission. He died in Manchester on 29 June 2001, aged 92. 

Fr John O’Doherty from Castleknock, Co Derry responded to Archbishop Taylor request for volunteers to the West African Division in May 1943.  He served in Nigeria for a year and was then posted to Northern Ireland.  Six months later he was assigned to Sierra Leone and later to the Gold Coast (Ghana) and then back to Nigeria again.  After demobilization and a rest at home he returned to his Nigerian mission.  He died in Cork on 22 March 1970, aged 70.

 Fr Edward Rice from St Colmcille’s Parish, Belfast volunteered and became Chaplain with the Royal Air Force serving in England from 1942 to 1949.  He returned to Nigeria then. He died in Bangor, Co Down on 5 August 1972, aged 61.

Fr Henry Russell from Belfast volunteered and became a Chaplain in the Royal Air Force serving in England and Ireland until 1944.  He resumed his mission in Nigeria.  He died in Albuquerque, USA on 30 March 1992, aged 79. 

25^th October 2025

Readings Romans 8:1-11; Ps 23:1-6; Luke 13:1-9

The phrase ‘in Christ Jesus’ appears dozens of times in the Letters of Paul that we hear in the first line of the today’s reading. For Paul it was a statement of his own standing before God, a status that he desired to share with those he proclaimed the Gospel to, the Gentiles who were outside the Law of Israel. Paul is assuring his audience that ‘the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death’. The language of law has largely disappeared from contemporary church life as moral theologians have devoted a lot of their energy in dropping the lexicon of laws from their discourse. An example of this is Bernard Haring, the renowned Redemptorist moral theologian who wrote a three-volume work in the 1950s entitled The Law of Christ; in the wake of the Second Vatican Council he replaced it with Free and Faithful in Christ.

While law has largely disappeared from theological discourse, people are drawn to the description of Paul that ‘the spiritual are interesting in spiritual things’. Such ‘things’ sit side-by-side on the shelves in many bookshops today, showing titles on such topics as self-help and mindfulness, awareness and angels, New Age and Eastern religions. The increasing involvement in spirituality indicates a personal interest and identity in interiority alongside a social/cultural signaling of transcendence. The reason for this is reflected in Paul’s half-line, ‘life and peace can only come with concern for the spiritual’.  

Addressing his Roman audience (and readers down to our time) Paul reminds them that their ‘interests are …in the spiritual since the Spirit of God has made his home in you’. Paul specifies that this is ‘the Spirit of Christ’, combining the image of ‘home’ with belonging to, being in Christ. This indwelling is the basis of Christian spirituality, the source of God’s grace. It is also the hope of bearing fruit as today’s Gospel holds out, as proclaimed by the Psalmist: ‘The person with clean hands and pure heart, who desires not worthless things, who shall receive blessings from the Lord and reward from the God who saves’.

Kevin O’Gorman SMA

Vatican City (Fides Agency) – As every year, in view of World Mission Sunday, which this year celebrates its 99th anniversary on Sunday, October 19, 2025, on the theme “Missionaries of Hope Among all Peoples”, Fides News Agency offers some statistics chosen to give a panorama of the Church in the world.

All the data in this dossier, and the subsequent processing of tables, are taken from the latest edition of the «Church’s Book of Statistics» and regard members of the Catholic Church, church structures, healthcare, welfare and education.
The data in the volume relating to the total world population and the number of baptized Catholics are updated to June 30, 2023. The other data are updated to December 31, 2023.

The Catholic Church in the World: Summary of data

To June 30, 2023 the world population was 7.914.582.000, with an increase of 75.639.000 units compared to the previous year. The positive trend is confirmed for all continents, including Europe.

To June 30, 2023, Catholics in the world numbered 1.405.454.000 units with an overall increase of 15.881.000 Catholics compared to the previous year. Even in this case, the increase affects all five continents, including Europe. A decrease in Europe was registered in 2022 compared to 2021.

As in previous years, increases were registered above all in Africa (+8.309.000) and in America (+5.668.000). Followed by Asia (+954.000), Europe (+740.000) and Oceania (+210.000).

The world percentage of Catholics increased slightly (+0,1) compared to the previous year, reaching 17,8%. The Continents register slight variations.

The total number of Bishops in the world increased by 77 units compared to the previous year, reaching 5.430. The number of diocesan Bishops increased (+84) and Religious Bishops decreased (-7). Diocesan Bishops number 4.258, while that of Religious Bishops is 1.172.

The total number of priests in the world continues to decline, reaching 406.996 (-734 in the last year). Once again, it is Europe that shows a consistent decrease (-2.486), followed by America (-800) and Oceania (-44). Like last year, significant increase were registered in Africa (+1.451) and in Asia (+1.145). Compared to last year, diocesan priests in the world decreased by 429 units, reaching 278.742. Compared to last year there is also a decrease of religious priests, reaching 128.254 (-305).

Permanent deacons in the world continue to increase (+1234), reaching 51.433. The increase was registered in America (+1257), and in Oceania (+57). A slight decrease was registered in Asia (-1) in Africa (-3) and in Europe (-27).

The number of non-religious priests decreased by 666 units compared to the previous year, reaching 48.748. A decrease was registered in Europe (-308) in America (-293) in Asia (-126) and in Oceania (-46) while an increase was registered only in Africa (+107).

Even this year there is an overall decrease in the number of women religious, reaching 589.423 (-9.805). An increase was registered, once again, in Africa (+1.804) and in Asia (+46), while a decrease was registered in Europe (-7.338), America (-4.066) and Oceania (-251).

The number of major seminarians, diocesan and religious decreased this year, they are globally 106.495 (they were 108.481 in the previous year). An increase was registered only in Africa (+383), while a decrease was registered in America (-362), in Asia (-1331) in Europe (-661) and also in Oceania (-15) where last year saw a slight increase (+15).
The total number of minor seminarians, diocesan and religious decreased by 95.021 (-140). In detail, the trend in Africa has reversed, moving from the increase recorded in the previous annual statistics (+1.065) to the decrease recorded in the latest statistics (-90). A decrease was registered in Europe (-169) and Oceania (-31), while a significant increase was registered in Asia (+123) and a slight increase in America (+27).

In the field of education, the Catholic Church runs 74.550 kindergartens with 7.639.051 pupils; 102.455 primary schools with 36.199.844 pupils; 52.085 secondary schools with 20.724.361 pupils. Furthermore, 2.688.615 pupils study in secondary schools and 4,468,875 in university institutes affiliated with the Catholic Church.

Charity and healthcare centres run in the world by the Church are 103.951 and include: 5.377 hospitals and 13.895 dispensaries; 504 Care Homes for people with Leprosy; 15.566 Homes for the elderly or the chronically ill or people with a disability; 10.858 creches; 10.827 marriage counselling centres; 3.147 social rehabilitation centers and 35.184 other kinds of institutes.

Ecclesiastical circumscriptions (Metropolitans, Archdioceses, Dioceses, Territorial Abbeys, Apostolic Vicariates, Apostolic Prefectures, Missions sui iuris, Territorial Prelatures, Apostolic Administrations and Military Ordinariates) dependent on the Dicastery for Evangelization are 1.130 (+7). Most of the ecclesiastical circumscriptions entrusted to the Dicastery based in Piazza di Spagna are in Africa (530) and in Asia (483). Followed by America (71) and Oceania (46).

(SOURCE: Fides Agency, 17/10/2025)

Let us pray that believers in different religious traditions might work together to defend and promote peace, justice and human fraternity.

 TEXT OF POPE LEO’s MESSAGE
Lord Jesus,
You, who in diversity are one
and look lovingly at every person,
help us to recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters,
called to live, pray, work, and dream together.

We live in a world full of beauty,
but also wounded by deep divisions.
Sometimes, religions, instead of uniting us,
become a cause of confrontation.

Give us your Spirit to purify our hearts,
so that we may recognize what unites us
and, from there, learn again how to listen
and collaborate without destroying.

October 2025 – Pope Leo XIV

Today, “a new missionary age opens up in the history of the Church.” It is time to recognize and proclaim anew, “with joy” and “at the tomb of the Apostle Peter,” that “the entire Church is missionary” and that, as Pope Francis repeatedly emphasized, it is time “to let ourselves be ‘permanently in a state of mission’.”

This is the powerful message that Pope Leo XIV reiterated in the square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica during the homily at the Mass for the Jubilee of the Missions and of Migrants. Many pilgrims from all over the world, who filled the entire square and much of Via della Conciliazione, gathered for the Mass despite the rain that accompanied the first part of the celebration.

The missionary vocation, the Pope explained, “arises from the desire to bring the joy and consolation of the Gospel to everyone, especially those who are experiencing difficult and painful situations.” He is thinking especially of “the migrant brothers and sisters, who have had to depart their homelands, often leaving their loved ones behind, enduring nights of fear and loneliness, experiencing discrimination and violence firsthand.”

The Church’s Mission and “the salvation that does not delay”

It is the Holy Spirit – said Pope Leo, referring to the source of every authentic apostolic work – who “sends us to continue the work of Christ in the world’s peripheries, marked at times by war, injustice and suffering. Faced with these menacing situations, the cry that so often in history has been raised up to God has re-emerged,” as is recalled in the first reading of the day from the book of the prophet Habakkuk. This question resonates in the face of the silence of God, who seems absent from those who invoke him in the face of evil. “God is silent,” said Pope Benedict XVI, in a catechesis quoted today by Pope Leo, “and this silence pierces the soul of the person praying, who ceaselessly calls but receives no answer … God seems so distant, so forgetful, so absent” (Catechesis, 14 September 2011).
On the contrary, the Lord’s response, already evoked by the prophet Habakkuk, continued Pope Prevost, is, “that all of this will end, will cease, because salvation will come and it will not delay.”
There is, therefore, “a life,” a “new possibility of life and salvation that comes from faith.” This faith “not only helps us to resist evil and to persevere in doing good, but it transforms our lives so as to make of them an instrument of the salvation that even today God wishes to bring about in the world.” Faith, the Bishop of Rome emphasized, is “a lowly force” and “does not impose itself by means of power and in extraordinary ways. Indeed, it is enough to have faith the size of a mustard seed in order to do unimaginable things (cf. Lk 17:6), because it carries within it the strength of God’s love that opens the way to salvation.” This salvation is fulfilled when “we take responsibility and, with the compassion of the Gospel, care for the suffering of others; it is a salvation that slowly grows when we become “unworthy servants”, namely when we place ourselves at the service of the Gospel and of our brothers and sisters, not seeking our own interests but only bringing God’s love to the world.”

“Departing” and “Remaining”

“It is our responsibility,” Pope Paul VI, also quoted by Leo XIV, wrote in 1971, “to proclaim the Gospel in this extraordinary period of human history, a time truly without precedent, in which, at the heights of progress never before reached, there are also accompanying depths of perplexity and desperation equally without precedent.” “A time – added the current Bishop of Rome – truly without precedent, in which, at the heights of progress never before reached, there are also accompanying depths of perplexity and desperation equally without precedent. If for a long time we have associated with mission the word “depart”, the going out to distant lands that did not know the Gospel or were experiencing poverty, today the frontiers of the missions are no longer geographical, because poverty, suffering and the desire for a greater hope have made their way to us.”
This is evidenced by “the story of so many of our migrant brothers and sisters, the tragedy of their flight from violence, the suffering which accompanies it, the fear of not succeeding, the perilous risk of traveling along the coastline, their cry of sorrow and desperation.” “So mission is not so much about “departing”, but instead “remaining”, to look upon those who arrive from lands that are distant and violent; to remain and open our arms and hearts to them, welcoming them as brothers and sisters, and being for them a presence of consolation and hope.”

Opportunity for an “exchange” in missionary cooperation

With a view to the “new missionary era” that awaits the Church, Pope Leo called “to promote a renewed missionary cooperation among the Churches. In the communities of ancient Christian tradition, such as those of the West, the presence of many brothers and sisters from the world’s South should be welcomed as an opportunity, through an exchange that renews the face of the Church and sustains a Christianity that is more open, more alive and more dynamic.”

At the same time, “all missionaries that depart for other lands are called to live with respect within the culture they encounter, directing to the good all that is found true and worthy, and bringing there the prophetic message of the Gospel.”
The Pope also recalled “the beauty and importance of missionary vocations,” addressing in particular the Church in Europe, where its numerical decline is particularly evident: “Today,” the Pope stated, “there is a need for a new missionary effort by laity, religious and priests who will offer their service in missionary lands. We need new ideas and vocational experiences capable of sustaining this desire, especially in young people .”
At the end of his homily, Pope Leo imparted his blessing to the local clergy of the particular Churches, to missionaries and those discerning a vocation. He addressed the migrants: “know that you are always welcome! The seas and deserts that you have crossed, Scripture calls “places of salvation”, in which God makes himself present to save his people. I hope that you find this face of God in the missionaries that you encounter.” (GV) (Source: Agenzia Fides, 5/10/2025)

The article below, from Agenzia Fides, written  by Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, OFM Conv., Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan is long and not an easy read.  It is however, worth the effort as it gives a broad and lucid overview of the confusion, change and turmoil taking place in our world today. This is set against the solid ground of faith, Church teaching and the perspective that the Church is link between different communities of people and nations.  

In his “Prison Notebooks,” the Italian politician and writer Antonio Gramsci said in the 1930s: “The old world is dying, the new world struggles to be born, and in this twilight, monsters emerge.”

At some point, the distribution and balance of power among the dominant great powers of the world result in a “world order,” a vague and ambiguous term whose definition has never reached consensus. This gives rise to a status of exclusive managers of global affairs.
It is not the soul of peoples, races, or religions that is at stake, but the insatiable appetite of the powerful, which causes humanity to fall back into confrontation – an irreducible collision of values, driven by the hope of prevailing over others. This leads to crises and wars, the scale of which, depending on their scale, can cause global disorder, chaos.

Natural law demands the triumph of law over force, whether physical, military, economic, or political. In the framework of banning brute force, states are called to act to guarantee individuals, societies, and religious organizations the existence, freedom, autonomy, and development.

Although the signing of the United Nations Charter in 1945, for the first time in human history, made war illegal, war remains omnipresent in the world. The reason is simple: the pursuit by any existing or emerging power of global or regional dominance. The philosophy of international relations, based on state sovereignty and zones of influence, opposes the notions of humanitarian and democratic interference rights (sanctions). The madness of competition and suspicion among leaders often causes unnecessary suffering for populations.

Today, the world is undergoing a paradigm shift—a historic transition from unipolar hegemony, through disorder, toward an asymmetrical multilateralism. But as long as economic and financial resources are allocated to military power, they remain unproductive. Global stability is affected, and difficulties persist.

Ideals that seem good for some are not universal and should not be imposed on other peoples or countries. Working toward a global balance requires more wisdom and humility. It involves diplomacy, dialogue, a more universal respect for human dignity, and not war. This purifies the atmosphere from pessimism through realism, toward optimism driven by necessity.

The task of the pacifist who aspiring to a new world of peace involves a profound, simultaneous revolution of political federations and economic collectivization, as the pioneer of science fiction novels and political thinker Herbert George Wells wrote in 1940 in « The New World Order ». According to him, global collectivism—the only alternative to chaos and humanity’s degeneration —must be carefully designed and well thought out. Its achievement requires a heroic and unwavering goal.

Recently, Pope Leo affirmed that it must be recognized that decisions taken are sometimes more based on military power and economic interests than on human dignity and support.
Saint John Paul II, during the 2004 World Day of Peace, warned that “Peace and international law are closely linked: law fosters peace.” He believed that the current system does not reach enough objectives and called for a new world order to replace the one that emerged after World War II—the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. This new order should be capable of providing solutions to today’s challenges, based on human dignity, integrated societal development, solidarity between rich and poor nations, and the equitable sharing of resources and the extraordinary scientific-technological advances.

Robert L. Phillips speaks of the great vision of communitarianism and a New Global Order, as proposed by Saint John Paul II, which presents an encouraging notion of freedom – transcending unilateral positions of Marxism and liberal capitalism, promoting a vision of a unified human destiny.

“We can no longer accept complacently inequalities and environmental degradation. Humanity’s salvation lies in creating a new development model that unquestionably focuses on coexistence among peoples, in harmony with Creation,” Pope Francis reaffirmed in an interview published in Domenico Agasso’s book « God and the World to come». According to the pontiff, a major reset – moving from financial speculation, fossil fuels, and military accumulation to an inclusive green economy – is necessary. Building a new world order based on solidarity, requires innovative methods to eradicate intimidation, poverty, and corruption, working together, each according to their contribution, without delegating or passing by. Christians and people of good will should support initiatives based on four criteria proposed by Francis: “inclusion of the excluded, promotion of the least, the common good, and care for creation.”

The world must heal from the speculative mentality of (purported) unipolar dominance, causing planetary discord, so as to give it a « soul » of multipolarity, conducive to international harmony. This involves not only governments but also all citizens. Abandoning the person to the rising tides of authoritarianism by political leaders threatens human dignity.

Christians, while promoting the City of God, cannot neglect the city of man. They are essential contributors to establishing a more just, fraternal, and solidaristic global order, rooted in human dignity and the common good, aligned with the vision of a utopian Kingdom of God. To this end, their priorities are prayer, charity, and action. As Saint Paul encouraged in his letter to Timothy, they make requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving for all people, especially for heads of state and those exercising authority, so that we may lead quiet and dignified lives in piety.

The Catholic Church conceives of the global order as the expression of the Kingdom of God in the world. Its magisterium emphasizes that it can and must contribute to the spiritual and moral dimension of the structures that govern international life. In Pacem, Dei Munus Pulcherrimum, Pope Benedict XV exhorted that “all states… should unite in a single league, … a kind of family of peoples,” and presented the Church as a model of fraternity and peace.

The process of synodality, as an expression of global Catholicism, aims to lead the Church from the paradigm of an Occidental empire of the spirit to a truly global church, where the thought and practice of every baptized person, in all their worldwide diversity, matter. Baptism incorporates the believer into the body of Christ, which is the true “family of nations.” Gaudium et Spes, paragraph 42, reminds us that the Church is “universal in the sense that it is engaged in no particular culture or political, economic, or social system” and can thus serve as a “link between different communities of people and nations.” The principles of subsidiarity and solidarity ensure that global structures respect human freedom and the dignity of intermediate communities, avoiding a monolithic “world government” in conflict with Church teaching on liberty.

Although the United Nations played a central role in the decolonization process, based on the principle of self-determination of peoples, the Global South remains largely marginalized. The defense of oppressed and post-colonial peoples, and the preservation of democratic values, often oppose blocs of antagonistic interests, which benefit from the veto right to block decisions that could negatively affect their interests or those of their protégés. This constitutes the main issue causing the “paralysis” of the UN.

Offering a space for “listening” is commendable. Engaging in active listening helps establish trust and improves interpersonal communication and dialogue. Listening in the Spirit opens the individual’s heart to the living presence of God; synodality organizes the entire community to “hear” collectively the same Spirit. All are called to contribute to this forward movement for the good of peoples and God’s people. (Agenzia Fides, 30/9/2025)

Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan

(Agenzia Fides 30.09.25) 

Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi

Readings: Bar 4:5-12, 27-29; Ps 68, Luke 10:17-24.

The first week of October is remarkable for its litany of saints in the Liturgy –Thérèse of the Child Jesus and Francis. People’s fascination with them is found far beyond the precincts of the church. Within the church, Thérèse is treasured for her so-called ‘Little Way’, the life of love while Francis is feted for his love of life. Francis has found a new and greater audience through his namesake – the Jesuit Pope who chose to be called after the Franciscan Poverello, the poor, little man of Assisi.

There is a wonderful symmetry between the titles and openings of Pope Francis’ two major documents on ecology and the ‘Climate Crisis’ – the one beginning “LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”, the other “Laudate Deum” – “Praise God for all his creatures”. The laudatory link between these two documents is the bridge between Creator and creatures, the latter comprising the whole of nature, including humanity. A line from the Second Vatican Council links creation and Incarnation – ‘God, who creates and conserves all things by his Word, provides constant evidence of himself in created realities’.[1] This reflects the Franciscan theological tradition which sees the Son of God’s coming in the flesh as the crowning of creation, Christ as the cosmic head of – as the Gospel of John states – ‘all things that came into being through him’ (1:3).

A review of a recent book recorded that ‘Francis is a figure whose legacy continues to capture the popular imagination in 21^st century Europe’.[2] The title of the book under consideration Francis of Assisi: The Life of a Restless Saint communicates the appeal that the Poverello contains for people today which is not confined to the Western world. Like the creation that he loved and lauded which goes through its own restlessness  revealed in the passing of the seasons, ‘the almost continuous drama of his life’[3] conveys the call by God who brought him into being so that, in the concluding words of the reading from the book of Baruch today, ‘he [will] rescue you and give you eternal joy’. Francis of Assisi rejoiced in these words and the hope they retained for him throughout his life on earth.

[1] ^{‘Dogmatic Constitution on Dogmatic Revelation’, Par. 3.
[2] Andrew Roycroft, Ticket – The Irish Times, 29th March 2005.
[3] Adrian House, Francis of Assisi, Pimlico: London 2001, xvi.}

This article from Agenzia Fides tells of the visit of Bishop Martin Adjou Moumouni to the Parish of Saint Pierre de Kalalé following an attack by Jihadists from Niger on September 10. The Parish is under the pastoral care of SMA Missionaries. 

 “The hostages are still in the hands of the jihadists,” says Bishop Martin Adjou Moumouni of N’Dali, the diocese in Benin whose territory includes the village of Kalalé, which was attacked on September 10 by a jihadist group from neighboring Nigeria (see Fides, 11/9/2025). The jihadists have since returned to Nigeria, taking with them six villagers who are still in their hands (see Fides, 12/9/2025). The population of Kalalé is traumatized, and many residents have fled. For this reason, Bishop Adjou Moumouni explained, “I went to Kalalé last Sunday, September 21, to celebrate Mass with the few remaining faithful.” “I tried to reassure them by telling them that Jesus never abandons his flock,” he emphasizes.

According to the bishop, security conditions have improved since the government deployed a large military contingent to the area. “I must thank the government and the army, who have increased the military presence in the region. Now we are better protected,” the bishop affirms. Sisters who belong to the Society of Jesus the Savior, an order of Spanish origin, live in Kalalé. “What is dear to me now is the resolution of the issue of the school run by the sisters,” explains the Bishop of N’Dali. “It is a complex that includes a primary school, a middle school, and a vocational school, attended by hundreds of students, most of whom are Muslims. It is a strong presence to witness to Christ’s love for all people,” emphasizes Bishop Adjou Moumouni. “That’s why I am concerned because the sisters have decided not to reopen the school for the time being,” explains the bishop. “The nuns are rightly concerned that the jihadists could take some of the school’s students hostage in the event of another attack,” says Bishop Adjou Moumouni, who, however, expresses confidence that the issue can be resolved. “We are trying, in agreement with the civil and military authorities, to offer concrete security guarantees to the students and teachers. I am confident that we will be able to reopen the school soon,” he concludes. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 24/9/2025)

Readings: Zec 2:5-9, 14-15; Ps Jer 31:10-13; Lk 9:43-45.

The readings today are prophetic, proclaiming both the presence of God and the passion of Jesus. ‘For I am coming to dwell in the middle of you’ is a promise of God’s presence which we hear often in the Old Testament. This is Immanuel – God with us – which the evangelists will express in different ways, culminating in the Incarnation expressed in the Gospel of John  – ‘And the Word became flesh and lived among us’. The presence of God in the person of Christ is an assurance of what one theologian said ‘represented God’s absolute involvement with humanity’.[1]

In place of the Psalm today the reading is taken from Jeremiah. Here the prophet proclaims the protection which God affords His people – ‘The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock’. This image of God’s protective promise is found in many places in the scriptures, most famously in the Psalm (23) of the same name, ‘The Lord is my shepherd’. Indeed Jesus will take up this image to indicate his own mission and identity –‘I am the good shepherd’  – going further to finally ‘lay down his life for the sheep’.

The Gospel reading picks up on this paschal presence. The irony of the statement, ‘at a time when everyone was full of admiration for all he did’, is not lost on us when placed alongside Jesus’ assertion that ‘The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men’. This humble handing over by Jesus himself reveals a new presence and power of God, proclaimed ‘in his hour’ of departure from the earth, ‘it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you’ John 16:7). Christ’s presence and absence, dying and rising ‘opened up a way [and] if we follow this path, life and death are made holy and acquire a new meaning’.[2]

Kevin O’Gorman SMA

[^{1] Joseph Sittler, The Structure of Christian Ethics, Baton Rouge, 1958.  
[2] Vatican Council II, Church in the Modern World, Par. 22}

“Environmental justice can no longer be regarded as an abstract concept or a distant goal. It is an urgent need that involves much more than simply protecting the environment. For it is a matter of justice – social, economic and human. For believers it is also a duty born of faith, since the universe reflects the face of Jesus Christ, in whom all things were created and redeemed. In a world where the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters are the first to suffer the devastating effects of climate change, deforestation and pollution, care for creation becomes an expression of our faith and humanity”.   
^{From the Message of his holiness Pope Leo XIV for the 10th world day of prayer for the care of creation 2025.}

On Wednesday 10^th September the members of Wilton Justice Group joined with members of the local family of Parishes (Ballineaspaig, Curraheen Road, Sacred Heart and Wilton Parishes) in a Prayer Service to mark the Season of Creation.   The event, organised by Wilton Justice Group, took place on the grounds of SMA Wilton and the theme was “Peace with Creation”.   It moved between three different locations and consisted of elements such as Reflections, Prayers of Lamentation, Song and Poetry.

The Service, which lasted about an hour, was recorded by Mr Paul O Flynn.  As feedback from participants was very positive we wish to share with you some of the elements that made up this reflective and meaningful occasion.  To facilitate easy viewing, we split the recording into parts,  You can view them all or else pick those you want to see now or later. We hope you will take time to view listen, reflect on and enjoy what was a very prayerful event.   To view just click on the links below.

1 OPENING SEQUENCE –  A Welcome and introducing of the theme. Time:3:20
https://youtu.be/bsxctcmUuiI

2 GARDEN MEDITATION – a meditation on the beauty of creation led by Sr Alba.  11 mins https://youtu.be/ITimAcYvuOg

3 LAMENTATIONS – Prayers of lamentation on the misuse of creation by humankind. 3 mins
https://youtu.be/BOVUTEP2A5s

4 SONG: How I long for Peace.  3.19   https://youtu.be/bc95CtL6bTk

5 POEM: When the World has lost its mind by David Hollis.  1.05 https://youtu.be/dVbdBq6s8_M

6 LETTER FROM CHIEF SEATTLE to the President of the USA in 1854.  8.00 mins.  https://youtu.be/gIr3froRrkU

Readings: I Tm 6:13-16. Ps 99. Luke 8:4-15

The blurb for the New Collegeville Commentary on First and Second Timothy begins ‘If St Paul and his followers had sent these messages by email they long ago would have been deleted and now floating in cyberspace’.[1] The outcome that these Letters  would be lost in the vast digital library which at times looks like a long, dark cloud is depressing. However, as the commentator continues, ‘But they were painstakingly written and preserved so we twenty-first century Christians can still read about and reflect on life in the church at the end of the first century’.

Reading from Paul’s First Letter to Timothy this past week reminds us that Paul relied on ‘the grace of our Lord [which] overflowed for me with the faith and love that is in Christ Jesus’. Paul insists on God’s intervention in his life because of his prior identity as ‘a blasphemer and did all I could to injure and discredit the faith’. (1:13-14) In contrast to his own ignorance which caused injustice, casting ignominy and injury on those who followed ‘Christ Jesus our Lord’, in today’s final reading Paul speaks of Jesus ‘who spoke up as a witness for the truth in front of Pontius Pilate’. This historical fact – which Paul would have heard of from Peter and his fellow apostles – found its way into the Creed some centuries later and is confessed today, (though the focus here is on the fact that Pilate cowardly consented to the crucifixion of Christ). Paul commends his readers for how they have ‘spoke up for the truth in front of many witnesses’.

Paul reminds his readers that ‘I put to you the duty of doing all that you have been told, with no faults or failures, until the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (6:14). This duty has been detailed in previous parts of the Letter, some of which we have listened to in the Liturgy of the Word throughout the week. With his focus on the virtues, both moral and theological, including ‘righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness’, we are reminded that these values hold true as much for our time as they did twenty centuries ago. The Christian form of living, which Paul had condemned before his own conversion to ‘the living God’, looks to the ‘Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ who at the due time will be revealed by God’.

Thankfully, Paul’s Letter(s) to Timothy, like his other correspondence, has not disappeared or been deleted but remains aware and active in and through those who belong to ‘the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth’ (3:15). By bringing belief and behaviour together we can, in the prayer and praise of today’s Psalm, ‘Know that the Lord is God…Give thanks to him  and bless his name’.

Kevin O’Gorman SMA

[1] Terence J. Keegan, First and Second Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Liturgical Press, 2005.

ANGOLA/ Terreiro (Agenzia Fides) – “We are still in the middle of the dry season, even though we are waiting for the first rain, and we want to use the rain to fill the large cistern in Terreiro. We won’t let the first rain enter the cistern because it brings with it all the dust from the roof,” says Father Martino Bonazzetti of the Society of African Missions, who has been living in the northwest of the country for two years, specifically in Desvio da Barro do Dande, Diocese of Caxito, capital of the province of Bengo.

The missionary reports on the commitments, activities, and projects that animate the community of Terreiro.  The parish is centered in Desvio and has a dozen chapels, “some of which are easily accessible, while others are difficult (if not impossible) to reach in the rain. The area is vast, and to get to the chapels, as with many other things, people have to walk a lot,” emphasizes the missionary. “There’s no shortage of activities. In Terreiro, we celebrated baptisms and First Communions. And during the month of the ‘Ferias’ (Vacation), we organized a kind of summer camp with about eighty children and caregivers, some mothers, and a small group of young people.”

“It doesn’t take much to create a good atmosphere here,” adds Father Martino. “Games and activities, a packet of cookies, and a lunch a week before the big lunch on the last day. You don’t need much to celebrate. A balloon, some popcorn, music… and lots of joy.” “

I’ve added a new job to my various ‘roles: ‘banknote repairer,'” he explains. “If a banknote is torn here, it’s often rejected. I brought some non-yellowing tape from Italy, and after I repaired someone’s banknote, word must have gotten around, because every now and then someone comes to me and asks for help.”

“Finally, we are in the process of finalizing the purchase of a property in Zone 6,” the missionary continued. “The Christians of this community also told me about a possible literacy and pre-school initiative. They conducted a census of school-age children; the school is just a few kilometers away. I don’t think everyone is interested, but the number frightens me: more than 450 children. We need to find suitable premises, classrooms, and materials—I deliberately don’t say ‘teaching materials,’ because that’s a big word… and then also ‘teachers,’ that is, young people who attend high school. We will start with that…” Father Martino concludes confidently. (AP) (Source:Agenzia Fides, 16/9/2025)

The annual Novena in honour of St Thérèse will take place between
Tuesday 23rd September to Wednesday 1st October 2025. 
Daily Mass & Novena Prayers at 7.30pm each evening (7pm on Saturday).  

Due to St Joseph’s Church, Blackrock Road being closed for repairs, Mass & Novena Prayers will now take place in St Joseph’s Church, WILTON, Cork.

To view online click on the WEBCAMS link on the menu above and then click St. Joseph’s Church, Wilton.

This month we bring you news of the recent closure of the Church in  Blackrock Road due to  damage to its ceiling. We hear about a poem written by Fr Eddie Deeney and how it became a song. Next we move to SMA Parish Wilton, Cork and see how Indian Independence Day was celebrated there. Finally, Fr Patsy Lynch SMA tells us of a book of reflections that he compiled while working in his parish in Ballinaskelligs, County Kerry. 

In this the Season of Creation the Holy Father dedicates his message and intention for September to the relationship of the human person to creation.

Let us pray that, inspired by Saint Francis, we might experience our interdependence with all creatures who are loved by God and worthy of love and respect.

TEXT OF THE POPE’S MESSAGE
Lord, You love everything You have created,
and nothing exists outside the mystery of Your tenderness.
Every creature, no matter how small,
is the fruit of Your love and has a place in this world.

Even the simplest or shortest life is surrounded by Your care.
Like St. Francis of Assisi, today we too want to say:
“Praised be You, my Lord!”

Through the beauty of creation,
You reveal Yourself as a source of goodness. We ask You:
open our eyes to recognize You,
learning from the mystery of Your closeness to all creation
that the world is infinitely more than a problem to solve.
It is a mystery to be contemplated with gratitude and hope.

Help us to discover Your presence in all creation,
so that, in fully recognizing it,
we may feel and know ourselves to be responsible for this common home
where You invite us to care for, respect, and protect
life in all its forms and possibilities.

Praised be You, Lord!
Amen.

(Readings: Col 1:21-23; Ps 53; Luke 6:1-5)

If Saul had listened to Jesus speaking in today’s Gospel he would have been annoyed at what he heard and associated himself with the question asked by ‘some of the Pharisees, Why are you doing something that is forbidden on the sabbath day?’ Saul, the supremely zealous promoter and even prosecutor of the Law, would have had great difficulty deciding what to do after Jesus’ self-declaration – ‘The Son of Man is master of the sabbath’. There could have been only one ‘master of the sabbath’, the Messiah.

However, as Paul, we hear in today’s first reading from Colossians a very different take on Jesus and on Paul himself, now a herald of the Gospel to the Gentiles. In that role he reminds those who were outside the Law that ‘God has reconciled [them] by Christ’s death’. He exhorts them to remain firmly rooted in the faith, ‘never letting themselves drift away from the hope…which you have heard which has been preached to the whole human race’, of which Paul himself is a servant. This shows how far Paul himself has travelled, and as Pope Benedict XVI stated, why ‘He uses the term “servant”… to indicate a relationship of total and unconditional belonging to the Lord Jesus’[1]. As herald of the Gospel he encountered those who ‘not long ago were foreigners and enemies’, experiencing hostility and hassle, harm and even hatred.

Reference to ‘Christ’s death in his mortal body’ in today’s first reading is a reminder of how often Paul refers to the cross and crucifixion of Jesus. This event is salvific, not sadistic, the supreme sign of the humility of God which hollows out human hubris. This is proclaimed in Paul half-line to the Corinthians, ‘so that the cross of Christ may not be emptied of its power’ (1:17). The master of paradox, Paul perceives the futility and fatality of Christ’s death on the cross from a purely human and historical perspective and presents it as revealing the way, working and wisdom of God’s eternal plan.  

‘Ut crux Christi non evacuetur’, Latin for ‘so that the cross of Christ may not be emptied of its power’, is inscribed on the inside of the Altar in Holy Cross Abbey, (County Tipperary). Its annual Novena begins on Monday 8^th (September) and includes the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Sunday 14^th this year). With a Relic of the True Cross and its three Stations of the Cross in the Abbey, cloister and grounds, Holy Cross continues to be a place of pilgrimage and prayer.

Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA

[1] Homily at Vespers for Promulgation of “Pauline Year”, June 2008-June 2009 (available at Vatican.co.za).

Lusaka (Agenzia Fides) – “We are deeply concerned about pollution and environmental degradation, which cause suffering to vulnerable populations due to the predominance of political and economic interests that do not place human dignity and the common good at the center of national development,” write the Bishops of Zambia in a joint statement on pollution and environmental degradation”.
The statement was issued on August 22, shortly the World Day of Prayer for Creation, which is celebrated today, September 1. The bishops criticize “the negligence, particularly evident in the lack of monitoring of the application of environmental regulations,” calling this “a moral failure that directly contradicts our Christian duty to be stewards of God’s creation and to care for our fellow human beings, especially the most vulnerable.”
Zambia is rich in natural resources, from copper (where it is the seventh-largest producer in the world) and cobalt, as well as gold, silver, zinc, emeralds, and other precious stones. In addition, deposits of other minerals essential to the so-called energy transition, such as lithium, manganese, nickel, and uranium, have been discovered, but are not yet being mined.
Mining, meanwhile, causes severe environmental damage. The government in Lusaka therefore launched an investigation into river pollution in the Copperbelt region (where copper and cobalt are mined) earlier this year, following repeated incidents of contamination. The bishops recall that “in 2021, the Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) company settled a long-standing environmental pollution dispute with communities near the mining facility after toxic waste from the Nchabga mine contaminated rivers and destroyed agricultural land.” KCM’s activities have also caused severe environmental damage to the Mushishima River and other areas of the Copperbelt.
“These environmental violations have caused immediate and long-term health damage, destroyed ecosystems, and wiped out the livelihoods of those who rely on agriculture and fishing,” the bishops explain, adding that the national environmental agency (Zambia Environmental Management Agency, ZEMA) “must also be held accountable.”
But it is not only large mines with foreign interests that cause environmental damage. “The discovery of gold veins in various regions of the country has sparked a gold rush,” the statement reads. “In search of earning a living in a precarious economic situation, ordinary citizens, especially young people, embark on a search for fortune at their own risk,” the bishops explain. “Without adequate controls, these gold miners risk being buried by collapses in their makeshift mines and poisoned by mercury (used to extract gold from rock), not to mention the health risks of the local population.” The problem of artisanal gold mining also affects other African countries, such as Ghana (where the phenomenon is known as “galamsey,” see Fides 16/11/2022 and 8/5/2024).
The bishops conclude by calling on the government to tighten regulations, hold mining companies accountable for restoring degraded ecosystems, and create safe and regulated opportunities for citizens, especially young people, to benefit from the country’s natural wealth.  (Source: Agenzia Fides, 1/9/2025)

Below is an article written by Fr Dominic Wabwireh of the SMA International Media Centre in Rome.  It is based on an interview he conducted with with Fr John Kilcoyne during the recent SMA General Assembly which was published on https://smainternational.site/  All the photos below are also courtesy of the SMA International Media Centre. 

The ancient stones of the Eternal City have witnessed centuries of missionaries departing for distant shores. But inside the Society of African Missions (SMA) General Assembly 2025, a different narrative pulsed through the hallways, meeting rooms, and coffee breaks. Among the 55 delegates, only 11 hailed from the traditional “sending” nations of Europe and North America. The overwhelming majority – a resounding four-fifths – represented the vibrant, growing Church of Africa and Asia. Seated quietly amidst this sea of change was Fr. John Kilcoyne, an Irish priest whose nearly 30 years of leadership across Liberia, South Africa, and Tanzania embody this seismic shift. For him, this Assembly wasn’t just a meeting; it was the culmination of a lifetime witnessing mission turn full circle.

“It’s been an honour,” Fr. John reflects, his soft Irish lilt belying the steel forged in war zones and the warmth nurtured in countless African villages. Recently elected as an SMA Councillor in Ireland, the 64-year-old missionary is a living bridge between eras. As he prepares to hand over the leadership of the SMA District of Tanzania – the final chapter of his African service – His journey embodies the strength of faith, the perseverance of the heart, and the reciprocal love that fuels true missionary work.

From Mayo’s fields to Africa’s frontiers: the roots of a vocation
Fr. John’s journey began far from the equatorial heat, in the rain-washed, faith-steeped landscape of rural Western Ireland. Picture a young boy on a family farm, the rhythm of life punctuated by the Angelus bell and the nightly recitation of the Rosary. His father tilled the land; his mother balanced work in the local post office with farm duties. It was a world shaped by close-knit community and steadfast Catholic faith.

“What inspired me? Local men,” Fr. John states simply, recalling his decision to join the SMA 50 years ago in 1975. “Missionaries – SMA, Columbans, others. They were tangible proof of a life beyond our parish.” Vocation workshops in 1974-75 solidified the call, introducing him to SMA students and priests. Missionary magazines fueled a young imagination, painting vivid pictures of distant lands. “I found myself particularly drawn to Africa,” he recalls. Ordained in 1983, the pride radiating from his home parish remains a vivid memory. Little did they, or he, know the crucibles that awaited.

Liberia: from pastoral calm to the abyss of war
Landing in Liberia in 1983, the 25-year-old priest stepped into a world both challenging and exhilarating. His initial seven years were “ordinary” only by missionary standards: intense pastoral work and community development among the Bassa people in central Liberia. He learned the complex, tonal Bassa language, not just for sermons, but for confession, for intimate conversations, for life. He slept in villages, shared stories under starlit skies, celebrated Mass, and translated essential Catholic texts into Bassa – a labour of love ensuring the faith spoke in the people’s heart-tongue. The rewards were profound: “That sense of belonging, of being accepted… I once thought my mission was about evangelizing new areas, but I came to realize that the greatest joy was becoming part of the community.”

Then, in 1990, paradise shattered. Liberia plunged into a brutal civil war that would rage for seven years. Fr. John’s world became one of survival, displacement, hunger, and witnessing unspeakable suffering. “Civil war is terrible; it is always the innocent who suffer most,” he says, the weight of those years still palpable. With his colleague, Fr. Tony Jennings, and the Consolata Sisters, his mission pivoted to desperate relief efforts – feeding the hungry, offering shelter, providing solace amidst chaos. They were displaced multiple times, constantly navigating danger.

Yet, it was here, in the heart of darkness, that Fr. John witnessed the most luminous faith. “I will never forget the witness of the people – their strength, their refusal to take revenge, their commitment to Christian faith and values. They were willing to die for each other, and even for us.” His voice thickens. “That was one of the most intense and inspiring experiences of my life. Like Dickens said, ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’ The best because I never felt closer to people, and I saw real martyrs.” The war ended in 1997, leaving scars and a transformed priest. He left for studies in London, carrying Liberia forever in his soul.

South Africa: building bridges in the shadow of apartheid
By mid-1999, Fr. John found himself in a nation grappling with its own profound transformation: post-apartheid South Africa. Sent to the Diocese of Rustenburg, he faced a new linguistic hurdle: Setswana. “Without it, I would have found it impossible to minister,” he emphasizes, reiterating his lifelong conviction that language is the key to the heart. As a European in a land still raw from racial division, acceptance wasn’t automatic. “I had to learn the culture, of course, and to be accepted… But the people made me feel very welcome.”

For nine of his eleven years there (2001-2010), he served as Superior. Leadership here meant navigating the complexities of a society in flux, building trust, and fostering the SMA’s presence during a critical period. He speaks fondly of South Africa’s “culinary variety,” a small symbol of the nation’s rich tapestry, contrasting it with the Liberian staples of fufu and pepper soup that had sustained him through war.

Tanzania: nurturing a thriving future & the art of stepping back
Arriving in Tanzania in February 2012, after a sabbatical, Fr. John encountered a Church bursting with vitality. “28% of Tanzania’s 65 million people are Catholic,” he notes with evident pride. “The Church here is vibrant and confident.” He served as Vice-Superior from 2014 and took the helm as Superior in 2019 – the role that brought him to the Rome Assembly.

His leadership in Tanzania has been defined by strategic building for an African future. “It truly was a team effort,” he insists, deflecting personal praise towards his Tanzanian counsellors, James Shimbala (now elected to the SMA’s General Council) and Josephat Nzioka. Under his guidance, the SMA Tanzania District (a significant upgrade from a Region) blossomed: over 30 pastoral agents (priests, lay missionaries, religious sisters), a dedicated media and vocations team, a new formation house with a 200-seat chapel, and crucially, a surge in local vocations. “We now have about 24 priests… and a growing number of seminarians. We have worked hard in vocation promotion and recruitment.”

The challenges? “Change – especially change of personnel,” he admits. The constant movement inherent in a global society evolving its structures. “The second would be sustainability – trying to become more financially self-reliant.” Yet, his eyes light up discussing the future: “The biggest change will only truly manifest in the next three years… We are already approaching the numbers needed to become a Province… I can see Tanzania becoming a Province in a few years.”

The pivotal transition: why now is the time for Africa
Which makes his next decision profoundly symbolic. Fr. John will step down as Superior of Tanzania in October 2025. He will not be returning to Ireland permanently yet, but taking a break from Tanzania. The reason is clear and deliberate: “Reading the signs of the times, I believe it’s time for an African – and especially a Tanzanian – to be in charge… There are very capable young men… mature and more than capable.”

He chuckles softly, “I’ve been in leadership in Africa… for a long time… I’ve begun to feel that going to meetings is a bit like being the ‘white sheep’.” More seriously, he adds, “I feel that it is time for Tanzania… I have no sense that I should continue as leader.” Spiritually, he finds deep peace: “I feel at peace and happy with the idea that I have assisted the Tanzania unit to reach a stage where one of its local priests can be the next leader… I’m the last Irish member in Tanzania.”

This transition crystallizes the profound evolution he witnessed starkly at the Rome Assembly – the shift from the overwhelmingly European-led 2007 Assembly to the 2025 gathering dominated by African and Asian voices. “Africa, especially, has gone from being primarily a continent receiving missionaries to one that still receives missionaries but is also sending them out, even to re-evangelize former sending countries.” The era of “reverse mission” is not coming; it is here.

The heart of mission: reciprocity, humility, and fufu
Throughout his journey, Fr. John’s core understanding of mission has remained constant, yet deepened: “Mission has always been a reciprocal experience… I have learned at least as much from them, perhaps more, than they ever learned from me.” He invokes the Kiswahili word “mgeni” (visitor/foreigner): “An mgeni cannot work effectively in another country without the full support of the local community.”

This reciprocity demanded adaptation – not compromise, but immersion. Learning Bassa, Setswana, and Kiswahili wasn’t optional; it was essential for confession, counselling, and true connection. “In Tanzania, Kiswahili is absolutely essential… You simply cannot function… especially as a priest.” Learning language was learning culture, values, and the very rhythm of life. It meant savouring Liberian pepper soup, appreciating South Africa’s diverse cuisine, and sharing the simple, heartwarming chicken-and-rice meals after Mass in Tanzania – acts of communion as significant as any sacrament.

When asked for his greatest lesson, the answer comes swiftly: “Humility. I’ve learned that I could achieve very little without the support of the people I worked with… Missionary work is not an ‘I’ thing; it’s a ‘we’ thing.” He stresses the indispensable role of lay people – catechists and lay missionaries from Poland and the Netherlands – and the unwavering support from his Irish home community, a lifeline especially during the Liberian war.

Advice for the next generation: patience, presence, and letting go
To his successor in Tanzania and young missionaries everywhere, Fr. John offers hard-won wisdom: “We often speak of faith, hope, and charity. I believe a missionary should have a fourth quality: patience. Be patient – with yourself, with your leadership team, and with the people you serve.” He reframes leadership: “Leadership is not a position of authority but a position of service… Your main task is to build up the unit, empower its members… and care for their needs.”

He’d tell his younger self: “Remember you’re not superior to anyone. Respect the people you serve. Be patient. Learn the language, the culture, and the spirituality of the people. Work with them from the start.” The Africa of 2025, he notes, with its thriving local churches, is vastly different from the Africa of 1983.

What Africa teaches the world: faith unashamed
Fr. John’s perspective, forged over three decades, offers a crucial lens for a global Church sometimes wrestling with secularism and doubt. “What can the global Church learn from the African Church? More than the global Church, I’d say global society can learn from Africa,” he asserts. “In some societies, people focus only on caring for the body and forget to care for the soul. African people have not forgotten this.”

He paints a vivid picture: “In Tanzania, for example, politicians – whether Christian, Muslim, or of traditional faith – will always begin by thanking God. The African Church teaches us faith – a sincere, deep belief. When someone comes for healing prayers, they truly believe those prayers can help.” It’s a powerful counterpoint: “In parts of Europe and the West, faith has weakened. Africa reminds us that we cannot live meaningful lives on our own; we need God.”

The legacy: “helped someone along the way”
As he prepares for his next chapter – a break, then service on the Irish Council, still connected to the mission he loves – Fr. John Kilcoyne is characteristically modest about his legacy. “Simply that I have, in some way, helped someone along the way.”

But his legacy is etched far deeper. It’s in the Bassa translations still used in Liberian villages. It’s in the communities nurtured in South Africa during a fragile transition. It’s in the robust structures and thriving Tanzanian vocations poised to lead the SMA into an African future. It’s in the living testament of reciprocity – the proof that mission enriches the sender as profoundly as the receiver.

As the Rome Assembly concluded, Fr. John offered a final, heartfelt reflection, perhaps the truest summary of his 42 years as a priest and 50 years with the SMA: “I would just like to express my deepest gratitude… from home, through the different countries I’ve lived in and served in… We’ve had the occasional ups and downs… But overall, it has been a very, very good experience for me.”

The Irish farmer’s son from Mayo, who set out to change Africa, discovered instead that Africa irrevocably changed him. And in letting go of leadership, he embodies the most profound success of his mission: an African Church, confident, vibrant, and ready to send its own mgeni out into the world. The circle, witnessed in a Roman assembly hall, is complete. The mission continues, louder and more vital than ever, but now with a distinctly African voice leading the chorus. Father John Kilcoyne wouldn’t have it any other way.

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.