Bound by Mission: SMA-OLA Pilgrims Gather Where Their Story Began
The pilgrimage began not with fanfare, but with the quiet hum of a bus pulling away from Lyon at dawn. Inside, as the countryside unfurled in soft morning light, voices rose in prayer. Lauds became the soundtrack of the road — a reminder that even movement can be a form of contemplation.
They were heading north, toward Lille, toward the Church of Saint Catherine, where the young Augustine Planque once prayed, dreamed, and discerned. For the 120 pilgrims of the Society of African Missions and the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles, this was not simply a stop on an itinerary. It was a return to origins.
A Parish That Remembers
When the buses finally arrived, the group stepped into the parish that had quietly shaped one of their founders. Mass was celebrated by Fr. Augustine Placide Houessinon, Provincial Superior of the SMA in Lyon, whose calm presence set the tone for the day.
Sr. Victoria Zirra, OLA Provincial Leader of France, welcomed the pilgrims with warmth that felt almost familial. She spoke of hope — that these days would rekindle prayer, deepen togetherness, and breathe fresh life into the missionary charism shared by SMA and OLA.
A Jubilee of Grace
During the homily, Father Augustine invited everyone to pause and consider the meaning of the Jubilee year unfolding between May 2025 and December 2026. A jubilee, he said, is not merely a milestone; it is a grace-filled interruption — a moment when God invites his people to begin again.
He echoed the words of Pope St John Paul II: “Gratitude for the past, enthusiasm for the present, confidence for the future”. The Gospel of the day offered its own compass, reminding the assembly that belonging to the family of Jesus means seeking him, listening to him, and doing the will of the Father.
He lingered on a theme dear to SMA–OLA spirituality: the delicate balance between contemplation and action. Missionaries, he reminded them, must never allow activity to eclipse prayer. To be “contemplative in action” is not a slogan but a way of life.
Pilgrimage itself, he added, is a gesture of the heart — a journey taken for devotion, for petition, or for peace. Walking through the streets where Planque once lived, he hoped, would deepen the faith of all who had come.
Voices from the Road
As evening settled, pilgrims shared fragments of their day — small testimonies that revealed the spirit of the journey.
• Nataliya Broslavska, a lay missionary from Poland serving in Tanzania, spoke of the bus ride as a tapestry of songs, laughter, and new friendships. Her work with students in Tanzania has taught her that the SMA is “a family with many faces, yet one heart.”
• Dr Caroline Kagwiria Kimathi, coordinating chair of Friends of SMA in Kenya, found the long journey unexpectedly enriching. It gave her time to absorb the shared history of SMA and OLA and to stand in the parish that shaped Fr Planque. She was first drawn to SMA through its commitment to vulnerable communities and its openness to lay collaboration.
• Sr. Marie Thérèse Hakim, OLA Provincial Leader of Egypt, described the day with a simplicity that said everything: “joyful, beautiful, full of meaning.”