The Bresillac-Planque Missionary Family

By Pierre-Paul Dossekpli

As part of the Triple Jubilee 2025-2026, the Society of African Missions (SMA) and the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles (OLA) brought together, on 5 and 6 June 2026, some ten religious congregations at the Domus Fidei guest house of the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus (EHJ) in Lagos.

A Triple Jubilee, a Common Root

• 200 years since the birth of the Venerable Father Augustin Planque, first Superior General of the SMA and founder of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles;
• 170 years since the foundation of the Society of African Missions in 1856 by Bishop Melchior de Marion Bresillac, in Lyon, France;
• 150 years since the foundation of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles in 1876.

Twelve Congregations, One Family

The congregations gathered during these two days were all either directly founded by an SMA Father or share a deep bond with the SMA or OLA:

Congregation	Foundation	Founder(s)
1. Society of African Missions (SMA)	1856 – Lyon, France	Bishop Melchior de Marion Bresillac
2. Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles (OLA)	1876 – Lyon, France	Fr. Augustin Planque, SMA
3. Oblates Catéchistes Petites Servantes des Pauvres	1914 – Porto-Novo / Ouidah, Benin	Fr. Emile Barril, SMA Mother Julia de Souza Nobre
4. Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary	1916 – Savannah, Georgia, USA	Fr. Ignatius Lissner, SMA Mother Mary Theodore Williams
5. Missionnaires Catéchistes du Sacré-Cœur	1922 – Menton, France	Sisters Alice & Marie-Therese Munet Fr. Jean-Marie Chabert, SMA
6. Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus (EHJ)	1943 – Ibonwon, Lagos, Nigeria	Archbishop Leo Hale Taylor, SMA
7. Sisters of Our Lady of the Church	1952 – Noepe, Togo	Archbishop Joseph Strebler, SMA
8. Sisters of Our Lady of Peace	1965 – Moossou, Grand-Bassam, Cote d’Ivoire	Cardinal Bernard Yago
9. Our Lady of Fatima Sisters	1965 – Shendam, Jos, Nigeria	Bishop John Reddington
10. Sisters of Saint Augustine	1968 – Cotonou, Benin	Cardinal Bernardin Gantin
11. Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church	1971 – Dzelukope, Volta Region, Ghana	Most Rev. Anthony Konings, SMA
12. Institut des Sœurs de Providence de Saint-Paul	1975 – Sokode, Togo	Bishop Ignace Sambar-Talkena

The Birth of the Bresillac-Planque Missionary Family

One of the highlights of these two days was the official decision to henceforth constitute the Bresillac-Planque Missionary Family, uniting all these congregations around the common heritage of their founders.

The Apostolic Nuncio Honours the Gathering with His Presence

The second day was graced by the presence of His Excellency Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty, Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria. His presence marked the entire assembly.

In his address, the representative of the Holy Father shared his own ties with the SMA, recalling that he grew up in County Cork, Ireland, steeped in the influence of the SMA and the OLA. Speaking before the superior generals and representatives of the twelve congregations, Archbishop Crotty paid tribute to the missionary zeal of all the generations of fathers and sisters who brought the Good News to Africa.

“Before setting out on a journey, we need to know from where we have come. We look to those who have gone before us, because we are continuing the journey they embarked upon. And one day, others will look to our example.”

The Nuncio highlighted the remarkable contribution of Irish missionaries to Nigeria, whose legacy is reflected today in approximately 35 million Nigerian Catholics. He stressed the enduring nature of the missionary vocation:

“The missionary imperative is our guiding star. Every generation is in need of being evangelised, whether they be non-believers or nominal Christians who live their lives without reference to God.”

On behalf of Pope Leo XIV, the Apostolic Nuncio extended sincere thanks to all the congregations for their missionary work in Nigeria and beyond, before presiding over the closing Mass together with the entire assembled family.

A Rich and Fraternal Sharing

The gathering gave each congregation the opportunity to present its institute, sharing its history, charism and field of mission. This time of group sharing revealed the richness and diversity of the institutes, all springing from the same source. The atmosphere, filled with joy and fraternity, testified to the depth of the bonds that now unite these religious families. Many expressed their gratitude for the heritage received from their founders, conscious of the spiritual and missionary treasure they are called to hand on to future generations.

Voices of the Participants

After the celebration, SMA Media gathered testimonies from several participants.

Sr Marie-Pauline Kisita Suka, Sisters of Our Lady of the Church – NDE (Togo)

“What we are living feels like a dream to me, because I would never have imagined we could reach this point, given the tensions of the past. It is truly a great joy that fills me. I understand that God, who has chosen us and associates us with his mission, is beyond all our divisions. He is the master of time and he knows how to repair things in his own time. His hour has come for the seed, the grace he placed upon the mission of Bishop Bresillac and Father Planque, to now emerge and give its full brilliance in the Church. I truly hope that what is being established today will grow and bear beautiful fruit for Africa and for our mission territories.”

Sr Philomene Faton, Sisters of Saint Augustine – SSA (Benin)

“My impressions are those of joy, gratitude and satisfaction. I am very glad about this deeply fraternal moment we have shared, and I hope this fraternity will continue even after our departure, to strengthen our bonds in the vision of Christ. I would also like to express my gratitude and that of all the Sisters of Saint Augustine, especially to our OLA mothers. They gave everything so that we could be here today. May the Lord bless them and make their ministry fruitful. A warm greeting to our big brothers, the SMA Fathers. Thank you very much.”

Sr Rose Melodie AYOLA, Institut des Sœurs de Providence de Saint-Paul de Kara – PSP (Togo)

“It is truly a great joy for me. I did not expect such a gathering. When my superior told me ‘come, we are going to a meeting’, I did not imagine a meeting of such intensity – not in terms of numbers, but in the depth of emotions, the openness of the people, and the richness that each institute wanted to share with the others. It is impressive. For me, it is a new impulse for better evangelisation.”

Sr Lucy HOMETOWU, Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church – SMMC (Ghana)

“It is wonderful to be together. I am impressed by those who conceived this idea for us to meet, because we have learnt a lot from all the congregations and their roots. We have the same roots, the same heritage, the same mission. This collaboration and friendship we have developed here is going to help us grow as individual congregations and as a family. We are very happy, we are taking a lot with us, and everybody is in our hearts as we depart.”

Sr Veronica NKOM, Our Lady of Fatima Sisters – OLF (Jos, Nigeria)

“Honestly, I feel deep joy, a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment. I am very, very happy about this, and I look forward to more collaborations and meetings like this.”

Rev. Sr Dr. Mary Fausta Uche Manafa, Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus – EHJ (Lagos, Nigeria)

“I thank God for the gift of life, and I thank him most especially that our facility here is of service to a lot of people, especially our own brothers, the SMA Fathers, our own sisters, the OLA sisters. Your coming brought us real joy, because we reconnected once again. The greatest of them all was the new breath of reconnecting with all other congregations that were founded by the SMA. Now we have not just reconnected, but we have become a family. Our new name is Missionary Family Bresillac-Planque. The seed sown today – only God knows what we will do in the future, but it is awesome. We are from the same heritage and it is the mission of Christ that we all carry out.”

The Seed Has Been Sown

David Novak, founder of Yum! Brands and author of Taking People With You, offers three thoughts that perfectly illuminate what these two days accomplished. First:

“Your ability to lead is determined by your ability to communicate.”

These two days at Domus Fidei were exactly that: a space of listening, sharing and communicating across borders, languages and histories. Novak also reminds us that:

“You cannot lead a great organisation of any size without getting your people aligned, enthusiastic, and focused relentlessly on the mission.”

The twelve congregations gathered here leave with that same focus. And perhaps his most fitting word for this moment:

“You cannot achieve anything big in life if you try to do it alone – you need to take people with you.”

The Bresillac-Planque Missionary Family has understood this. It carries within it the heritage of men and women who left everything to bring the Gospel to Africa. Together, it moves forward.