The Society of African Missions (SMA)
SMA International
Founded in Lyon on December 8, 1856, by Bishop Marion de Brésillac, the Society of African Missions (SMA) is a community of Catholic missionaries from Europe dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel to the peoples of Africa.
Since 2019, priests from Africa and Asia have also joined the SMA, serving both as missionaries in their own countries and as “senders” of missionaries abroad.
Today, the SMA has 1,012 members and associates, both priests and lay people, present in Africa, Asia, North America, and Europe. More than 200 young people are currently in formation, mainly in Africa, Asia, and Poland. This international family is organized into Provinces and Districts.
Our perspective and insights on Africa and its peoples.
We believe in Africa, in its many human and spiritual riches. We believe that it contributes an essential part to the other continents.
Our perspective on Africa is not neutral. It is rooted in the Christian faith and attentive to everyday life. We seek to highlight both traditional and contemporary African values.
At the Service of Vocations
The SMA manages several formation houses for future priests.
Currently, more than 300 seminarians are journeying toward a lifelong missionary vocation, mainly in Africa and India.
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SMA – Lyon Province
In France, the SMA is divided into two provinces: Strasbourg and Lyon.
We continue the work of first evangelization in Africa, and we commit ourselves to challenging areas affected by war, disease, or socio-economic crises.
Serving the Churches of Africa
SMA confreres from France are working in Africa. Over the past year, the SMA has defined several “priority evangelization areas”: rural regions that have not yet been evangelized, conflict zones, and severely disadvantaged areas.
At the same time, we have chosen to focus on “special commitments” that are particularly meaningful for serving the poor, the marginalized, and people with disabilities.
International communities
We emphasize working in international communities, where someone from the country serves alongside others who are not from that country.
Our missionary commitment has always been rooted in the call to “leave one’s own country” in order to proclaim the Gospel.
Missionary Experiences in France
To say what we do is first to say who we are: intercultural communities whose essential purpose is the proclamation of the Gospel. We want these fraternities to be a leaven within French society. Personal and communal prayer is one of the pillars of our life; “going out” to others is part of our missionary DNA.
Our work in France is directly or indirectly connected to the international mission. We want to be at the service of exchange between people, to be a place of cultural encounter, to create a wide fraternity enriched by each person’s culture, and to give it new life through the Gospel. We believe that this cultural and spiritual exchange also brings a renewed vitality to the Church in France.
Different Commitments
Parishes
Since 2017, the SMA has been working with the dioceses of Nantes and Lyon to serve parishes in multicultural areas. We want these communities to offer a Christian presence that radiates throughout the life of the neighborhood and brings together very diverse ethnic groups within the same community of faith.
Migrants
Our commitments to the poorest are diverse, but the most significant is with migrants. We welcome them into each of our houses and place ourselves at their service, in particular women from Africa who have been forced into prostitution.