From 24 to 28 June 2019 the Provincial Assembly of Strasbourg is held in Zinswald. After a recollection, Justin Kette, Superior, spoke in his opening remarks about the situation of our entity as an incentive for optimism. The Superior General Antonio Porcellato, invited to animate this assembly, preferred to leave this task while expressing his joy of participating in it once again. At this provincial meeting, participants agreed on a six-year term and a three-member council, the provincial superior and two councilors. André N’Koy (C) was elected provincial, Raja Lourdusamy (R) vice-provincial and Justin Inandjo (L) councilor.

Mission

The Provincial Assembly of Strasbourg 2019 reaffirms its pastoral collaboration with the dioceses of Strasbourg and Metz, empowering the laity and opening it up to the marginalized and the poor. Following the guidelines of Rome, the Assembly is invoked to make the missionary and vocational animation with a priority of province for projects for young people and for the not so young on our territories of the mission. For this, the Haguenau Middle School and African Space, the archives, the publication of Terre d’Afrique and Reference, calendars, and the SMA Strasbourg website are of paramount importance.

Spirituality and lifestyle

Recognizing that our apostolic and missionary spirituality is found in Sacred Scripture, prayer, meditation, and personal devotion, our Assembly emphasizes our international, intercultural and intergenerational lives. Retreats, ongoing formation, recollections and convivial meetings, in their intellectual, spiritual and human development. The well-being of the confreres of the province, especially the older ones, has been a major concern of the Assembly. In addition, it is recommended by the Provincial Council, with each community and each confrere to seek new sources of income. It encourages the province’s bursar to pursue transparent, prudent and fair management of financial resources, of which they do not report annually.

Collaboration

The Provincial Assembly expressed its willingness to collaborate with the young SMA entities and religious institutes by continuing to host confreres for higher education and pastoral service, as well as with the provinces of Lyon, Spain, and Italy in the field of missionary and vocational animation. Our Province is thus ready to promote meetings between the provinces of Europe during annual spiritual retreats. Finally, and always in this perspective, we wish to strengthen the ties of SMA Strasbourg with the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles and the Missionary Catechists of the Sacred Heart.

At the end of the work, the Superior General expressed his gratitude to the outgoing council for its work and wished the new team a good understanding with the confreres and the laity. He reminded us that Strasbourg has always played a leading role: proof of this is the composition of our new provincial council, which brings together a Congolese, an Indian and a Togolese. In questioning the future of our province, Antonio Porcellato encouraged us to hope, as our founder always did. We will then remain faithful to our mission charism ad gentes. The closing remarks of the new provincial superior reminded us of the return of our entity to the status of Province. Then, recalling the challenges and projects of our entity in the pursuit of the SMA adventure, he asked the Lord to give each one of us greater zeal in his missionary vocation.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Justin INANDJO