SMA Ghana Province opens 2nd Provincial Assembly
The Society of African Missions (SMA), a Catholic missionary congregation credited with founding the Catholic Church in Ghana, has opened its Second Provincial Assembly in Accra.
The 10-day gathering, which will run from September 8 to 17, 2025, has brought together SMA missionaries from Ghana and abroad to review their pastoral work, discern the future direction and elect new leaders who will steer the entity’s affairs for the next six years.
It is being held on the feast day of St. Peter Claver Patron Saint of the SMA, and on the theme: “Missionaries of Hope: Called to Proclaim the Gospel to the Most Abandoned in Africa, with Africa and from Africa.”
The Assembly is centred around the biblical journey of the disciples to Emmaus (Luke 24), which is designed to be a period of encounter, discernment and missioning.
It brought together 17 participants, including five ex-officio members, nine elected delegates and three invitees.
Sermon
The Metropolitan Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie, C. S. Sp, in a homily called on Christians to embrace the missionary spirit of service and sacrifice exemplified by great figures of the church.
He drew inspiration from figures such as Mother Teresa, Archbishop Oscar Romero, and local clergy, including Dr and Father Besson, Father Clovis, and Father Campbell, highlighting their selfless service as models for today’s missionaries.
He also paid tribute to St. Peter Claver, a 17th Century Jesuit priest remembered for his ministry to enslaved Africans arriving in the Americas, describing him as “the Apostle of the Negro” and “a saint of interracial justice.”
Archbishop Kwofie reminded the assembly that Claver’s ministry was not only about relieving physical suffering but also about offering education and dignity in the midst of dehumanising conditions.
Archbishop Kwofie emphasised that Africa, once seen only as a mission field, was now a vital centre of missionary activity.
“Africa, which was once evangelised, is now itself evangelising. The continent that was once abandoned has now become the cradle of hope, sending missionaries across the globe.”
He urged Christians in Africa to recognise this historic shift and to embrace their role as carriers of the gospel, not just within the continent but beyond its borders.
He urged them to become living witnesses of the gospel, strengthen its missionary work, and pass on the faith to future generations.
Reflecting on readings from Colossians Chapter Two and Luke Chapter Six, Archbishop Bonaventure cautioned against what he called “deceptive philosophies buried on sand” that have captured the minds of many in the modern world, and urged Christians to root their lives in Christ.
Rationale
In an interview, SMA, Provincial Superior of the Ghana Society of African Missions, Rev. Fr Paul Saa-Dade Ennin, underscored the importance of the assembly to shape the missionary identity and priorities of the Church in Ghana.
“Six years ago, we held our First Provincial Assembly, and now we are having the second. This gathering allows us to reflect on the work done, the challenges, and the blessings received over the past six years. It is also the moment to take decisions, set priorities, and elect leaders who will steer our mission for the next six years,” he said .
Rev. Fr Ennin said ,”our collective reflections are expected to provide a comprehensive assessment of missionary efforts, particularly in evangelisation, pastoral outreach and social engagement.
He said the Second Provincial Assembly was not only a moment of institutional reflection but also a reaffirmation of SMA’s historic role in the country.
Rev. Fr Ennin said the assembly coincided with several significant celebrations, including the Jubilee Year of Hope declared by Pope Francis, the launch of the SMA–OLA joint celebrations
“Towards 2026,” and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Catholic Ecclesiastical Hierarchy in Ghana.
He also expressed gratitude to the leadership of the Apostolic Communities, the Friends of the SMA, and lay missionaries whose contributions continued to sustain the Province.
Rev. Fr Ennin described Africa as central to the SMA mission, insisting that missionaries must “carry with them the dignity of its people, the richness of its cultures, the cries of its wounded, the pain of exploitation and the silence or indifference of its leaders.”
As part of this vision, he called for an African-led mission that would empower local voices, root salvation history in African realities, and decolonise religious imagery and interpretation.
