The afternoon began not with speeches, but with song. Inside the chapel of the SMA house in Rome, voices rose together in prayer, setting a reflective and joyful tone for a special gathering between the Society of African Missions (SMA), the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA), and 33 bishops from Nigeria.

Following their ad limina visit to the Vatican, where they had earlier met Pope Leo XIV, the bishops of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria were jointly hosted by the SMA Generalate and the General Council of the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles at the SMA house in Rome.

The encounter began with a moment of prayer in the chapel. Hymns and shared silence created an atmosphere of gratitude and unity, setting the tone for an afternoon that would celebrate more than a century of missionary collaboration between the Nigerian Church and the two congregations.

From the chapel, the gathering continued with warm greetings, lively conversations, and a shared meal. For many present, it felt less like a formal reception and more like a family reunion, an opportunity to renew bonds between pastors of the Church in Nigeria and the missionary congregations that have accompanied its growth since the earliest days of evangelization.

Welcoming the bishops, Rev. Fr. François Marie HERVE DU PENHOAT, Superior General of the SMA, reflected on the deep historical ties linking Nigeria with both congregations. He noted that the visit held particular significance as the SMA and OLA prepare for a triple jubilee to be celebrated in Lagos in three months’ time:

• the 170th anniversary of the SMA,
• the 150th anniversary of the OLA,
• and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Fr. Planque.

Addressing the bishops, he said they had responded to an invitation to “greet the ancestors,” referring to the early missionaries who brought the Gospel to Nigeria. “Today, together, we pay tribute to some of the first evangelizers of your country,” he stated, recalling figures such as Jean‑Baptiste Pellet, Charles Chausse, Pierre Zappa, and Francis Coquard, along with many other priests, sisters, and catechists who quietly dedicated their lives to the Gospel.

Their missionary work, he emphasized, would not have borne fruit without the faith of the Nigerian people themselves. The first catechists, local priests, sisters, and lay believers became “the pillars of the Church in Nigeria,” helping the faith to take root and flourish.

Nigeria holds a special place in the history of the congregations. After difficult beginnings in Ouidah, in Benin, the missionaries eventually arrived in Lagos, where they received a warm welcome. That reception, Fr. François DU PENHOAT noted, became a great consolation for Fr. Planque and marked the beginning of a fruitful missionary chapter.

Today, the Nigerian province of the SMA is among the most dynamic within the congregation. “Our SMA Province of Nigeria is on its way to becoming the most important province in the whole congregation,” Fr. François DU PENHOAT pointed out, noting that it now surpasses even the traditional missionary countries such as Ireland and France in size.

He also reaffirmed the commitment of the missionaries to serve the Church in Nigeria with the same spirit of courage and missionary zeal that inspired their predecessors. “We reiterate our commitment to cultivate and rekindle the values of our ancestors,” he emphasized, asking the bishops for their continued support so that Nigerian missionaries themselves may increasingly bring the Gospel to other parts of the world.

Speaking, Rev. Sr. Mary T. BARRON, Congregational leader of the OLA, offered a welcome that highlighted the deep relationship between the congregation and the Nigerian Church. “For us, Nigeria is not only a chapter in our history,” she said. “It is a place where our hearts learned to hope, to persevere, and to love with courage.”

She recalled how many OLA sisters discovered the richness of intercultural community while serving in Nigeria and how their missionary vocation was strengthened by the experience. In many ways, she stated, the Nigerian Church has given as much to the missionaries as it has received from them.

At the same time, Sr. Mary T. BARRON acknowledged the serious challenges faced by the country today, particularly insecurity and violence affecting many communities. “We are not indifferent to this suffering,” she affirmed. “We carry it in our prayer, in our conversations, and in the hearts of our sisters who serve in Nigeria.”

She expressed the solidarity of the OLA sisters with the bishops, their priests, religious, catechists, and families who strive to keep hope alive in difficult circumstances. The sisters remain committed, she highlighted, to a mission of quiet and faithful presence alongside the local Church.

Sr. Mary T. BARRON also expressed joy at the growing missionary vitality of the Nigerian Church itself. Today, Nigerian priests and religious are serving far beyond their homeland, a sign of the Church’s maturity and generosity. The OLA congregation, she explained, now includes many Nigerian sisters who are themselves missionaries in other parts of the world.

As both congregations prepare for the upcoming jubilee celebrations in Lagos, the gathering in Rome offered a moment of gratitude for the past and hope for the future. The long collaboration between the missionaries and the Nigerian Church continues to bear fruit, both in Nigeria and beyond.

For the SMA, the OLA, and the visiting bishops, the afternoon was more than a ceremonial event. It was a celebration of shared history, faith, and mission, a reminder that the bonds formed through the Gospel endure across generations and continents.

As one participant quietly remarked at the end of the gathering, the encounter felt simply like “coming home.”

Brice Ulrich AFFERI