Rocca di Papa, Rome -June 8, 2025

Here we are at the end of this assembly, on this day of Pentecost! The disciples left the Cenacle to go on Mission. It is the same for us, but before leaving, we must first say thank you.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to our two angels who, like the angel Raphael with Tobias, led us along unknown paths that were not too steep.

Sister Tiziana, thank you for your smile, your competence and your flexibility. Today is the anniversary of your congregation — auguri! The spirit of Assisi has been very present during this assembly.

Brother Emili, thank you for your simplicity, your rigour and your ability to synthesise.

To both of you, thank you for your infinite patience! I know that you had to make an effort to understand our specificity: we who proclaim that we are not religious, that we are in assembly and not in chapter, that we have a federal system, etc… In spite of that, you listened to us with patience and sometimes a discreet smile to guide us and bring us together…

Thank you to Emmanuel, our General Secretary. He is in the tradition of the great secretaries that our society has known — capable of being in the thick of things, seeing what has been forgotten or what needs to be put in focus. Emmanuel, thank you for your availability and simplicity.

Thank you to our interpreters, Michel and John. In the survey at the end of the first week, you received the highest score — congratulations! Your service is important for everyone’s full participation.

Thank you to our media brothers, Brice and Dominic. The audience was great. You were able to express what was being experienced faithfully and seriously!

Thank you to our editors, Robbin and Bernardin. You have hardly slept in the last few days to get this text out, so that it is pleasant to read and well organised. You also wrote the message — it is a fine piece of work!

Thank you to our liturgy team: Edwin, Claude and Saturnino, you have enabled us to experience some beautiful and profound liturgies.

Thank you to the team at La Nocetta. You chose this isolated house in the countryside, where the sisters showed themselves to be flexible and able to adapt to our whims or particularities. And thank you to the staff of the house, admirable for their availability and dynamism.

Thank you to the outgoing council: Toni, François, Rozario and Krzysztof. You had the courage to take us off our known routes and out of our usual way of doing things. You were also very attentive to the smooth running of our day-to-day life, making life easier for everyone. A special thank you to Toni who accompanied and helped Eric at the hospital.

Thank you, all my brothers, participants in this Assembly. You have prayed for us and laid hands on us in Assisi. Many have expressed their availability and offered their support where needed. As we shoulder the burden of the whole SMA, this is a great consolation to this new Council.

Thank you also to all of you who have made this pilgrimage with us, following our work and praying for us — associates, friends of the Mission, benefactors, all of you who share our passion for the Mission and love of Africa, and of course our families and friends. Thank you for your interest and support. We know how close you have been to us. Let’s keep this closeness and friendship, so that it grows even more fruitful.

Like the Disciples on the Road to Emmaus

During these three weeks, we followed the disciples of Emmaus and identified with them. Today, Jesus sends us into the world of the 21st century as he sent the disciples at Pentecost.

We have experienced a special time of intimacy with the Lord and of brotherhood among ourselves. Two things struck me: the atmosphere of trust and shared joy that prevailed, and a great convergence of views among us, both on the difficulties we face and on the paths to take to overcome them.

Now we must return home joyfully and see how we can pass this on to our brothers, helping them to experience this renewal in their own way. Allow me to highlight two aspects:

• When we leave an assembly, we are bearers of decisions or recommendations that we must help to implement or study in the various assemblies of units.
• We must also pass on the new spirit that dwells within us: may it awaken each one of us and open us to the joy of being with the risen Lord and sharing with him the proclamation of the Good News.

To convey this message, I propose three words: trust, creativity, unity. I sincerely believe that the council you elected — Damian, Didier, James and myself — are well in tune with this.

Trust

We are often stuck in our past, blocked by our fears. And yet in the Gospel, there are many phrases such as ‘do not be afraid’. Let us not be afraid — neither of ourselves, nor of the future, nor of the world. Let us look at this with confidence, for the Lord has conquered death and all negative powers.

We have made courageous, even reckless decisions, some would say. We remain open to new geographical implantations and have agreed to embark on the adventure of a second spirituality centre. This is a decision that will have important consequences, first and foremost on a financial level.

I remember what Bishop Assogba of Parakou told us: ‘If you truly live according to the Gospel, you will find the necessary resources’. May this new commitment invite us — not to say “force” us — to live the Gospel more fully and more authentically in the service of the Kingdom.

Creativity

We must devise new ways of living the Mission. Sometimes, we simply need to revisit what our predecessors did but live it with greater enthusiasm and vigour.

Always and at all times, there is a foundational attitude of our missionary vocation: to be attentive to people, especially those who do not believe or are most abandoned — to be present at their side. This is our DNA!

But we must also look to geographical or cultural places and contexts where we can bring something that no one has yet thought of doing in order to make Christ present. This may involve the place, the method of approach or the means used, but let us remember that authentic and true witness of life is stronger than any technical skill.

Historical research would be needed to review all the attempts at new missionary approaches that have been made over the years in the SMA — some with some success, others forgotten — but at least we can say that ‘we tried’.

This research does not have to be uniformly applied. In each unit, a particular dimension or aspect of mission can be explored according to the context.

Creativity must also be at the forefront to achieve a true spiritual renewal in each of us, giving new life to our lives and our commitments.

Unity

We could add: unity in diversity. Our internationality is a treasure — not always easy to live with — but one that can bring so much and is already a testimony in itself.

This shared daily life with other cultures helps us rediscover our identity, our talents, and in a way, grow in freedom. This richness in diversity is also a beautiful offering we make to the Lord, while being well aware that we carry a treasure in clay vessels.

This is true both in our interpersonal relationships and in our communities or places of mission, as well as between our units. Harmony in our relationships begins with a personal decision to give ourselves entirely, as Jesus said: ‘No one takes my life, but I lay it down of my own accord.’

I sincerely hope that our relationships between units will be based on this way of being and acting: giving ourselves wholeheartedly and spontaneously before obeying the Law. In this way, we will be true missionary disciples and no longer members of the old covenant.

Perhaps in our unit assemblies, we could ask ourselves: what does our unit bring to others? What is its place and identity within the SMA family?

Local Church and Spiritual Family

There are two aspects that we still need to explore further: service to the local Church and collaboration within our spiritual family.

We are no longer the authorities in the churches where we work, and that is a good thing. We are collaborators who must bring a little ‘extra’ by living our charism to the fullest. Let us be careful to maintain a humble attitude of service and to persevere in our mission so that we can better bring our specific missionary identity to bear.

Let us take greater advantage of our spiritual family — our sister congregations and the lay people with whom we share a certain closeness and partnership in the Mission. May this encounter and collaboration help us rediscover our identity as missionary priests and make us understand the complementarity of our states of life and how much we have to enrich each other by sharing them.

Thanksgiving

As an SMA missionary family, “Set apart to proclaim the Gospel in Africa, with Africa and from Africa,” we give thanks to God for this pilgrimage we have made and for this experience of being together as we considered the reality and future of the SMA Mission today.

We are grateful to the Lord for walking with us, as he walked with the disciples of Emmaus — and when he spoke to us, we felt his warmth in our hearts.

We Are Missionaries, Bearers of Hope

Gathered as missionaries of hope from twenty-three countries with an average age of fifty-one, we are filled with enormous energy.

The methodology of the General Assembly — Encounter, Discernment, Mission — invited us all to adopt a contemplative attitude, encouraging us to remain focused on what is best for the Society as a whole and not just for our own particular unit or mission.

May this energy continue and spread to wherever we are.
May the Spirit join our spirit to impart this new breath to all.

Fr. François de Penhoat
Superior General