Witnessing through small gestures: SMA Fathers and OLA Sisters are marking their triple jubilee

Jean-Paul Kamba, SJ, and Paul Samasumo — Vatican City

In a joint interview with Vatican News, the leaders of both congregations, Sister Mary T. Barron, the Congregational Leader of the OLA Sisters, and Father François Marie Hervé du Penhoat, Superior General of the Society of African Missions, reflected on the new challenges of mission in a world that is continually changing.

A heritage of collaboration

The triple jubilee of the OLA and SMA communities worldwide is being commemorated through pilgrimages, communal prayer, ongoing formation, conferences, and collaborative missionary initiatives.

Founded for the evangelization of the African continent, the two congregations share a common root. However, today, they are global missionary institutions. After founding the SMAs, the need for a female presence was soon recognised. For effective evangelization, women are needed. “There was the realisation that men and women must work together," recalled Fr. du Penhoat.

Pope Leo XIV: Communities that are family

A meeting of SMA Fathers and OLA Sisters   (© OLA)

Asked about the meeting between Pope Leo XIV and the OLA Sisters in audience, Sr. Barron said meeting the Holy Father was a special moment for the whole congregation.

“We had our leaders gathered from all around the world. They were here in Rome for what we call a plenary council meeting. And we were so blessed to have the audience with Pope Leo. Many of our sisters are working and living in very difficult situations. Several of the countries where our sisters are currently working face conflict, like Lebanon at the moment. The encouragement that Pope Leo was able to offer us was very meaningful,” Sr. Barron explained.

“But I think what stays with me is that the Holy Father quoted from our founder, speaking about the family spirit that must reign among us. It was another reminder to us as missionaries that, first and foremost, we are an international congregation—sisters from 21 different countries living together in community. We must foster that family spirit, which speaks to the world today, especially as we live together in peace and love,” she added.

New ways of being missionary

For Fr. Du Penhoat, the SMA Superior General, jubilees are not only about reminiscing and thanksgiving but also an opportunity to embracing new missionary realities and challenges. The goal, he said, is to deepen reflection and renew the missionary charism upon which congregations are founded.

Sr. Barron agreed, saying, “I think we are at a very exciting moment for missionary religious life. The Church is becoming more synodal. That missionary spirit is crucial. Today, our response might include outreach to migrants, women trafficked for exploitation, and greater social pastoral work—even as our traditional apostolates of healthcare and education remain vital,” she emphasised.

In the Face of Suffering

Mission is not without its challenges. Sister Barron revisited the traumatic event of 21 November 2025, when unidentified gunmen abducted 315 school children and some staff members from a school managed by the OLA Sisters in Nigeria. The kidnappings at St. Mary Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State, Nigeria, were devastating. Fortunately, all teachers and students were eventually rescued.

Sr. Barron called for solidarity with the people of Papiri and urged everyone not to forget the suffering communities in Nigeria, saying that insecurity and hardship persist.

Despite the suffering witnessed by OLA and SMA missionaries around the world, discouragement is not an option. True to the spirit of their founders, Sr. Barron summarized their approach: “Our founder was a man who was not into big gestures. He was a man of small gestures that make an impact. I believe he would tell us today to continue doing the little things, because we do not know the plans God has for us.”