Spirituality
-
With the Little Flower: The 39th SMA Spiritual Year Begins in Calavi
The International Spiritual Year (ISY) of the SMA officially began this Thursday, 1 October 2026, at the Centre Brésillac in Abomey-Calavi, Benin. The opening took place on the liturgical memorial of St Thérèse of Lisieux, Patroness of Missions, a fitting beginning for a year dedicated to prayer, discernment and preparation for missionary life. At 10.00…
-
Who Are You Working For?
It began rather casually. Among the many things we were discussing, someone told a story about a gardener who once asked a bishop a surprisingly simple question: “Who are you working for?” It is a simple question, but perhaps one worth bringing into our own reflection on missionary life. At first, the answer seems obvious.…
-
“My joy is to accompany the young men”: inside the International Spiritual Year of Calavi
Students participate attentively in a Mass marking the taking of the oath at the conclusion of the International Spiritual Year, held in Calavi, Benin, on 25 June 2025.
-
United for Mission
The Spirit of the SMA Plenary Council, Lagos 2026 By Pierre-Paul Dossekpli On Friday 29 May 2026, the Plenary Council of the Society of African Missions came to a close in Lagos, Nigeria. For several days, members from across the world gathered to reflect together on the future of the society and its mission. As…
-
Group Work: Seat of the Holy Spirit
On this sixth day of the Plenary Council 2026, on the eve of Pentecost, the members set aside the plenary hall for something more intimate. Divided into five working groups — Care, Well-Being and Spirituality; Mission, Collaboration with Laity and JPIC; Integral Formation; Good Governance and Synodality; and Finance — they bent over tables, exchanged…
-
“If Only I Had Done This Sooner…” — Father Narcisse’s Testimony on the ICOF
The fourth day of the Plenary Council was marked by an unexpected moment of grace: the testimony of Father Narcisse, Provincial Superior of Côte d’Ivoire, on his participation in the ICOF (Inter-Congregational Ongoing Formation) programme in Tanzania during the first quarter of 2026.
