Lagos — “Allow us to commit ourselves to together with everybody,” urged Father François du Penhoat, Superior Basic of the Society of African Missions (SMA), on the opening of the 2026 Plenary Council, which has been going down since Monday, Could 18, on the Domus Fidei of the Sisters of the Eucharistic Coronary heart of Jesus (EHJ) in Ikeja, Lagos.
In his homily, the Superior Basic invited the leaders of every unit current, nuns, lay representatives, and associates of the SMA to advertise a way of belonging, warning in opposition to the formation of unique circles that would exclude others.
A number of phrases resonated all through the conferences, amongst them the next of explicit relevance: mission is carried out the place life is wounded; missionary zeal fades when the context is now not recognized; the time of the missionary who thinks he is aware of all the pieces is over; we should detach ourselves from the logic of possession and embrace the logic of giving; funds are a instrument, by no means a driving pressure. These phrases define the profile of the up to date missionary: humble, rooted in actuality, delicate to the injuries of the world, and free from all types of attachment, whether or not to cash or status.
Among the many matters addressed within the first few days, identification stands out as the muse of a renewed mission. “Now we should deepen our missionary dedication, ranging from our identification and our charism, to be a really prophetic presence in our world,” Father du Penhoat said, addressing the members, who in flip took turns presenting the realities of their respective areas.
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“Who’re we? Id isn’t just one place to begin amongst many, however the very basis. The success of a corporation just like the SMA is predicated on the coherence between what it’s, what it says, and what it does. With out this coherence, the mission dangers being decreased to mere activism, which, though it might be efficient, stays empty,” the Superior Basic reiterated.
The query of identification shouldn’t be summary. It’s lived every day, within the communities, within the commitments on the bottom. “Our identification consists of being current within the areas of preliminary evangelization, near these in want, in battle zones, strolling alongside them,” added Father Valère Mupidi, Superior of the SMA District of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the place the mission is often lived on the very coronary heart of human fragility.
The concept of the richness and variety of the SMA additionally emerged strongly. Every member brings their very own distinctive traits, sources, and vulnerabilities. “Every entity has one thing particular to supply,” it was emphasised. This pluralism shouldn’t be an impediment to unity, however its very essence. Father Didier Lawson, Basic Councilor, defined this very clearly when he said: “We should breathe with each lungs: the group lung and the private lung.” A suggestive picture, which speaks concurrently of interdependence and the necessity for a nourished inside life. To be missionaries as we speak is a everlasting conversion.
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To be a Missionary Sister of the Society of Jesus (SMA) as we speak additionally means recognizing oneself as heirs to a protracted chain. “We’re the physique that governs the whole Society,” it was affirmed, with the notice that this duty engages not solely the current, but additionally the long run. Father du Penhoat recalled the pioneers of the SMA who adopted within the footsteps of the founder, Melchior de Marion Brésillac, praising their perseverance and their spirit of shared dedication.
Moreover, he warmly thanked those that, because the Fifties and after the Second Vatican Council, had been capable of implement the theological transformation of the Mission. Lastly, he additionally praised all those that have given the Society of Jesus its present face: a missionary Society by which interculturality is lived every day and by which everybody responds collectively to the challenges of the Mission.