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Featured Events

UPCOMING EVENTS

25/03/23

Lenten Reflection Day - Led by Fr Des Corrigan SMA - 'Make our hearts ready, Lord.'

05/04/23 - 09/04/23

Holy Week Retreat - Celebrating the Easter Triduum- join the SMA Community

29/04/23 - 05/05/23

Directed Retreat - Directors Sr Moya Hegarty OSU, Fr Frank Downes OP, Sr Karen Small OSC, Fr Colum O'Shea SMA

30/04/23 - 05/05/23

Preached Retreat - Led by Fr Hugh Lagan SMA - The Second Half of Life

12/05/23 - 14/05/23

Workshop - From Strength to Strength - Led by Fr Hugh Lagan SMA Discover your character strengths and reach your true potential

02/06/23 - 09/06/23

Directed Retreat Directors - Sr Karen Small OSC, Fr Dermot Mansfield SJ, Fr Frank Downes OP, Sr Mary Connellan SSL

03/06/23 - 09/06/23

Preached Retreat - Led by Fr Des Corrigan SMA - A Spirituality of Ageing

24/08/23 - 31/08/23

Directed Retreat Directors - Fr Frank Downes OP, Fr Des Corrigan SMA, Fr Colum O'Shea SMA, Sr Karen Small OSC

25/08/23 - 31/08/23

Preached Retreat - Led by Fr Joe McGee MSC - A Retreat as a Time of Prayer Nurtured by our Imagination

01/09/23 - 03/09/23

Workshop - Stop Missing Your Life - Led by Fr Hugh Lagan SMA

11/09/23 - 18/09/23

Directed Retreat Directors - Sr Moya Hegarty OSU, Fr Dermot Mansfield SJ, Sr Karen Small OSC, Fr Frank Downes OP

12/09/23 - 18/09/23

Preached Retreat - Led by Rev Ruth Patterson - A Space Adventure

06/10/23 - 08/10/23

Retreat - Weekend Retreat Welcoming Mission Supporters and Friends of SMA

13/10/23 - 15/10/23

Workshop - Let Evening Come - Led by Fr Hugh Lagan SMA

01/12/23 - 03/12/23

Advent Retreat - Led by Fr Frank Downes OP

09/12/23

Advent Reflection Day - Led by the SMA Community

Society Of African Missions (SMA)

The Society of African Missions is an international community of Catholic missionaries who serve the people of Africa and people of African origin around the world. The initials "SMA" stand for the name in Latin; Societas Missionum ad Afros.

 

Bishop Melchior de Marion Bresillac

Bishop Melchior de Marion Brésillac

SMA was founded in Lyons (France) by Bishop Melchior de Marion Brésillac in 1856. The Society celebrated 150 years of missionary activity in 2006.

Bishop de Brésillac was a French missionary who had a strong desire to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to Africa - especially to "the most abandoned peoples of Africa."

He and five others went to Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1859 but all succumbed to a yellow fever epidemic. Within six weeks of their arrival in Africa de Brésillac and four of this companions died.

As he died on 25th June 1859, de Brésillac's last words were "Faith, Hope, Charity" and these became the motto of the Society.

Despite such extreme hardships and challenges in Africa the work and vision of the Founder continued and flourished over the next 150 years.

 

 

 

 

The SMA today has about 1000 members coming from Africa, Europe, America and Asia. They work in 51 dioceses in Africa as well as in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania. In their home countries, SMA members promote the missionary dimension of the church through a variety of apostolic activities including work for African immigrants.

The international administrative headquarters of the SMA is in Rome. (See www.smaroma.org)

The Irish Province of the SMA has five Houses - two in Cork, one in Dublin, Claregalway and Dromantine in Co. Down. (See www.sma.ie)

This Province has 220 members. Its members continue missionary work in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Egypt, Philippines, as well as in Europe, North America and Australia.