This article was first published in the African Missionary Magazine – Spring/Summer 2025
Since November 2023, Fr Fachtna O’Driscoll has been the Vice-Rector in the SMA House of Formation in Kabwe, Zambia. In this article, he begins with an overview of the very positive and thriving situation regarding the SMA’s education of missionaries worldwide.
SMA Worldwide
Currently, according to the latest statistics presented in preparation for General Assembly 2025, the SMA has 69 students in an initial orientation year, 162 seminarians taking philosophical studies, 46 in the Spiritual Year programme, 40 on Stage (year of pastoral training in parishes outside one’s own country or culture), 117 in the four years of theology. That gives a total of 434 seminarians. This compares favourably with the period of the 1950s and 60s, when there were high numbers of seminarians in Europe and the Americas.
Almost 400 of the above figure come from Africa itself. This is a remarkable fact, given that up until 1983, when the Society of African Missions made the momentous decision to invite African candidates to become SMA missionaries, the SMA did not have a single indigenous African candidate for SMA priesthood. The previous policy of not recruiting indigenous candidates was built on the inspired vision of our Founder, Venerable Melchior de Marion Bresillac, whose dream and aim was to build up a local church with its own clergy and leadership. For 120+ years, this vision served the African Church very well. In those countries where the SMA was the pioneering missionary agent, the local church is well established with its own leadership. The same cannot be said of all those countries evangelised by other Congregations, who began to recruit for their own community from an early stage.
Twenty-six of the 434 candidates come from India, 8 from Philippines, one from Spain and one from Italy.
SMA Seminarians and their lives in Zambia
Zambia has in the range of 20 students in the different stages of formation. The house for philosophical studies is located in the pleasant city of Kabwe in Zambia’s Central Province. A feature of the town is the high number of religious communities, male and female, and, indeed, the multiplicity of Christian denominations scattered throughout. Presently, we have eight seminarians, five in 1st philosophy and three in their 2nd philosophy year of studies. Staff and seminarians reside at Fr Bernard Weiggers Formation House, Dallas, Kabwe. The house is roughly five kilometres from the town centre, situated off what is known as the ‘Great North Road’, which heads to the Copperbelt, Democratic Republic of Congo and places further afield. The compound is pretty and very well maintained. Over the past year, the electricity supply from the national grid has been very erratic. Fortunately, through the generosity of some Irish benefactors, we have been able to install solar panels. This has resulted in a regular electricity supply and is a tremendous saving on 
diesel for the generator.
The seminarians cycle eight kilometers to Mpima Major Seminary for the academic courses in philosophy. Once students complete the two year philosophy programme, they move on to the next phase which is the Spiritual Year, followed by the year of Stage, and then they begin theology studies. SMA Zambian theology students study at one of our three centres: Ibadan (Nigeria), Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire) or Nairobi (Kenya).
At Dallas the seminarians follow a regular programme of spiritual formation, community activities such as sport and manual work, SMA studies and classes in the French language, to prepare them for the Spiritual Year programme which is conducted in francophone West Africa. The spiritual dimension at Dallas consists of daily Mass, communal Morning and Evening Prayer, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, 
a once weekly period of ‘creative prayer’ when the seminarians use their initiative and imagination to present creative prayerful liturgies, and a once-monthly Day of Recollection. Staff join the students for lunch and supper in the dining hall. Regular interviews with staff are conducted through the course of the year. A once monthly community meeting and once monthly social night are excellent opportunities for interaction between staff and seminarians. Presently, we are two members of staff, the Rector, Fr Benoit Mondji SMA and myself. Benoit is from Togo. He also teaches some courses in the philosophy programme at Mpima seminary.
Apart from reciting the Jubilee Prayer during Evening Prayer the Jubilee Year 2025 has not yet been noted in any formal way in the house. Nevertheless, the theme for the community year invites us all to be pilgrims of hope to other community members and to those who visit us from outside, for example during a once monthly community Mass that is open to visitors.
The very positive situation regarding the formation of SMA Seminarians described by Fr Fachtna in his article is greatly contributed to by donors and Family Vocations Community (FVC) members in Ireland, without whom the SMA could not provide our seminarians with the training they need. We are most grateful for this support.
If you would like to make a donation towards the education of SMA Priests or learn more about the FVC contact the SMA House in your area or donate online via www.sma.ie