2968 Spiritans serve in over sixty countries in America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania, including 2200 members with Perpetual Vows, 524 members in Initial Formation and 243 Lay Associates.
The Spiritans live in communities which are grouped under a Circumscription. In most of the cases, a Circumscription corresponds to a country. There are two types of circumscriptions: Provinces and Groups. Provinces are usually more stable, with local members, promotion of vocations and formation structures. Groups are usually created to undertake a specific missionary task. There are communities in smaller or more fragile regions that function directly under the General Administration.
Sometimes, Circumscriptions in the same geographical region, or of the same linguistic area, come together to form a Union of Circumscriptions for the purposes of collaborating in carrying out the mission of the Congregation. For example, they can have common formation programmes or a common missionary project.
“Green Wenje” is an important environmental and ecological initiative designed to combat climate change, restore degraded landscapes, and improve community livelihoods. The project is led by Father José Martins Mandele, C.S.Sp, an Angolan Spiritan missionary serving at St John the Baptist Parish in Wenje, Diocese of Garissa, Kenya.
D. Belmiro Cuica Chissengueti: as a Spiritan, it was a joy to help coordinate the Pope’s visit to Angola. Among those who greeted him at the conclusion of the meeting with missionaries was Father Bernard Duchene, CSSp, who is celebrating 50 years of missionary service in Angola.
A momentous occasion for the country and for the Church. At a time when we hope to strengthen our Spiritan presence in Algeria, this visit encourages us in our apostolic mission, especially in the daily work of dialogue with Muslims.
For us Spiritans, the Pope’s visit was a profound blessing and a renewed call to mission. Truly, “the Lord has been great with us, and we are filled with joy.” The theme of the visit, “Christ, Light of Guinea, towards a future of hope,” beautifully captured both the history and the mission of the Church in Equatorial Guinea, especially as the country marks the 170th anniversary of evangelization.
For us, Spiritan missionaries (C.S.Sp), these visits represent a call to rediscover our charism and the way we live out our mission, in the footsteps of Claude Poullart des Places and François Libermann. They invite us to rekindle our missionary zeal in the Holy Spirit, whose seal we bear, and to commit ourselves more deeply to social justice, while being artisans of peace and reconciliation. Finally, they encourage us to form Christians who are strong in faith and fully engaged in the life and transformation of society.
The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Teodoro Mendes Tavares, of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, as Bishop of the Diocese of Santiago de Cabo Verde (Cape Verde). He has until now served as Bishop of the Diocese of Ponta de Pedras (Brazil).
The Vatican Press Office has announced the appointment of Fr. Pedro Alexandre Simões Gouveia Fernandes, C.S.Sp., of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans), as Bishop of the Diocese of Portalegre-Castelo Branco, Portugal.
The Vatican Press Office has announced the appointment of Rev. Fr. Frédéric Pierre Rossignol, C.S.Sp., of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans), as the new bishop of the Diocese of Tournai in Belgium.
While it may be argued that insecurity is not new in Nigeria, judging from the prolonged menace of the Boko Haram in North Eastern and other parts of Nigeria, the conflict between crop Farmers and Nomadic herders may also be as old as the history of Agriculture. The dimension the current crises have taken, the…
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, 8 May 2025, making history as the first pope from the United States. At his first appearance as Pope, Leo XIV was dressed in more traditional papal attire than his predecessor, the newly elected Leo XIV smiled and waved to the jubilant crowds in…
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, 21 April 2025, at the age of 88, in his Vatican residence, Casa Santa Marta. His death was officially announced by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, who expressed deep sorrow at the loss and gratitude for the Pope’s unwavering dedication to the Church and the Gospel:…
As part of her mission to advance Bagamoyo II:88, the General Council’s formation commission organized, and held a seminar on key elements of Spiritan spirituality for Anglophone Novice Masters and other Directors of Formation within UCAWA. The seminar was held from the 1st to the 31st of October, 2024 in the 2nd cycle formation community…
On 4th April, our Confreres in Haiti informed us about the situation at Port-au-Prince, the Capital of Haiti, which was getting out of control and more specifically about the attack by armed bandits breaking into the Petit Séminaire Collège Saint Martial (Spiritan Newsflash No. 66). The latest gang attacks and massacre took place in the…
Collegio San Paolo
Following the intuition of our founders and in the spirit of Bagamoyo II, the General Council has responded favourably to a call from the Dicastery for Evangelization, section for the First Evangelization and New Particular Churches that our congregation serve at St. Paul the Apostle International Pontifical Missionary College (Collegio san Paolo) in Rome, home to about 200 priests from the territories entrusted to the Dicastery for the Evangelization of Peoples, who come Rome to obtain a specialization in the various faculties (Theology, Missiology, Canon Law, Church History …) and then return to their countries.
Dear confreres and friends, the situation in Port-au-Prince is getting out of control and we are more than ever the victims. Monday, 1st April 2024, at 5 p.m. local time, armed bandits broke into the Petit Séminaire Collège Saint Martial by climbing over a poorly protected wall in a back street. After neutralising the two…
On 4th February 2024, the Circumscription of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic celebrated 20 years of the Spiritan presence and mission in the Diocese of San Juan, Dominican Republic. Although the Spiritan community and mission is part of the circumscription of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, it is a collaborative mission of the…
The Meeting of Spiritan Provincial Superiors of the Union of European Circumscriptions (UCE) was held from Monday 22 to Friday 26 January 2024 at the Luther King Centre in Manchester, England. Among the participants were Fr. Marc Botzung (General Assistant in Rome and UCE Correspondent to the General Council), Fr. Innocent Izunwanne (Superior of Germany),…
In 1923, the Congregation of the Holy Spirit was asked by the archdiocese of Paris to take over the management of the Orphelins Apprentis d’Auteuil foundation. The congregation appointed Fr. Daniel Brottier to manage and give new impetus to this institution, which then had seventy children. 19 November 2023 marks the centenary of the arrival…
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On Sunday, 14 May 2023, Mgr Oscar NGOY, CSSp. Bishop of the Diocese of Kongolo, celebrated in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Mary, the Solemn Mass of the opening of the diocesan investigation on the Cause for the beatification or declaration of martyrdom of the servants of God Jean Marie Godefroid, priest and…
Saturday 29 April, 2023 was indeed an eventful day in Bagamoyo, Tanzania mainly because of the Silver Jubilee celebration of the existence of Marian Girls School built on the location of the former Marian freedom village and few meters from the Stella Maris Hotel, the venue of the two recent General Chapters (Bagamoyo I in…
Kilimpe Garbicha, Superior of the Spiritans in Ethiopia, has just shared with us news of the catastrophic situation of the nomadic communities in the remote part of the country where the Spiritans have been working since 1972. These communities are currently suffering a humanitarian catastrophe. Kilimpe shared the information and you can read more about…
The celebrations of the tercentenary of the of the foundation of our congregation in 2003 brought together different groups working in the region of Latin America with a theme “the spiritan presence in Latin America.” Among their common projects, the spiritan mission to Bolivia was of special importance: it was a mission near Brazil and…
Pope Francis landed in South Sudan, the youngest independent country, on the afternoon of 3 February. The trip had to be postponed because of his health problems, but Francis never thought of postponing this important and symbolic visit to one of the most violent places on the planet. Sister Beta Almendra, a Comboni Sister living…
Pope Francis has filled the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with courage before visiting South Sudan. At least, he wanted this and tried it with this bold and prophetic visit to sadly symbolic places, where civil wars and greed for wealth have reached levels of extreme cruelty. The Pope decided to visit these two of…
Today, 11 May, the Holy Father appointed Rev. Fr. Toussaint Ngoma Foumanet, C.S.Sp., a member of the Province of Congo Brazzaville and Coordinator of the Union of Circumscriptions of Central Africa (UCSAC), as Bishop of the Diocese of Dolisie (Republic of Congo). Fr. Toussaint Ngoma Foumanet was born on 1 November 1975 in Sibiti, then…
On 16th April 2022, Dieudonné Cardinal Nzapalainga, Spiritan, was invited by the National Episcopal Conference of Congo to an international colloquium marking the 65th anniversary of the Catholic University of Congo (UCC), in which he received the Golden Medal of Honour.
On 4th April, the Holy Father appointed Rev. Fr. John Mbinda, C.S.Sp, a member of the Province of Kenya, Bishop of the Diocese of Lodwar, Kenya. Since Archbishop John Joseph McCarthy, the first Archbishop of Nairobi Archdiocese, retired in October 1971, there has not been a Spiritan Bishop in the East African nation.
Our confreres in Europe are being faithful to our Spiritan charism as they put themselves at the service of the refugees knowing that they are helping them to survive and sort out their lives.
Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga, Cardinal of Courage’
Final Message.
The International Meeting of Spiritan Formators (IMSF) was held in Dakar from 25 June to 4 July 2019. It was organized by the General Council of Spiritans in preparation for the General Chapter in Lichen-Poland in 2020.
Dakar welcomed with open arms and heart the Spiritan Formators coming from the four corners of the earth: 32 in all, accompanied by the Superior General and four members of the Generalate, the Provincial and some PANO con-freres, invited speakers and translators. The meeting is taking place at La Pouponnière Center of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary (FMM), with Fathers Bede Ukwuije, João Dimba and Florentine Mallya of the Generalate in Rome as the organizers.
At the end of the ad limina visit to the Vatican, the Bishops of Angola went to the Generalate of the Spiritan Missionaries in Rome this Saturday, to visit John Fogarty, as well as all the General Councillors and Service Coordinators of the Congregation, based in Rome.
A series of short documentaries about the Spiritans in USA, produced by Fr. Jean-Michel Gelmetti and edited by Dr. Dennis Woytek.
On June 2, 2018, the Spiritans in Taiwan gathered with their friends and co-workers to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost which is also the Feast of the Congregation.
On Pentecost day, Cardinal Arinze was among us at the General House of the Spiritans in Rome. He was interviewed by Fr. Bede Ukwuije, First Assistant to the Superior General.
On Monday, May 14, 2018, Father Reynold Joseph, a Haitian Spiritan, parish priest of Bocozelle was the victim of a bandit attack in the town of Cabaret, around three in the afternoon.
The Archbishop of Owerri has given us an interview on May 9, 2018. He speaks about the contribution of the Spiritans to the history of the Church in his country, and about the meaning of their presence now.
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