By Pierre-Paul Dossekpli

From September 8 to 10, 2026, the General Curia of the Society of African Missions (SMA) met at the Domus Aurea Center in Rome to reflect on how to better serve the congregation.

The first day was led by Fr. Renzo Mandirola, SMA, from the Province of Italy. He invited those in charge to ask themselves: “What is the reality of the SMA today?”, recalling the words of the founder, who called for always being ready to “respond to the needs of the moment”.

For Fr. Renzo, it is a matter of “reaching out to people and meeting people.” He warned against “the danger of living in a laboratory” and invited us to find new ways to “allow the charism (of the SMA) to live” — to nourish the roots while seeking to be incarnated in the present.

For the SMA specialist, the Curia should become a “voice to stimulate” the Society and foster creativity. If the past remains important, he stressed, it “can sterilize the present and prevent the creation of something for today.” Father Mandirola therefore invites us to let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit for “creative fidelity,” which first presupposes analyzing reality: as a structure of the Church, our agenda is that of the world. “The world dictates the agenda to the Church,” he recalled.

This reflection on identity and mission was concretely extended on the second day, dedicated to teamwork under the leadership of Sister Anne Falola, a member of the General Council of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles (OLA). She drew on Tuckman’s model, which describes a team’s progression through several stages—from initial formation to optimal performance —through inevitable tensions and the establishment of common rules and trust. For the OLA Councilor, serving in the curia is also “a spiritual journey towards one’s own sanctification.”

Drawing on these two days of reflection, the group met on the third day to share concrete proposals for working as a team, rooted in the SMA identity and embodied in the present. Father François, Superior General, then invited to establish a culture imbued with shared values and a sense of teamwork, at the service of the mission.

A meeting that allowed the General Curia to leave with a common roadmap, between fidelity to the roots and creativity for today.