The OLA Sisters have been reflecting with gratitude on Pope Leo XIV’s encouraging message to the congregation when he met them at the Vatican recently. The OLA Sisters are meeting in a plenary council in Rome for their 150th anniversary and the 200 years of the birth of their founder, Fr. Augustine Planque, an SMA priest.
Sr. Francisca Aframea, OLA – Rome.
In his message to the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA Sisters), Pope Leo XIV encouraged the religious women to forge ahead in their mission to the wounded and the forgotten of today’s world. The Holy Father spoke during an audience at the Vatican when he welcomed leaders of the OLA Sisters.
The encouragement of Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo met with the OLA Sisters along with another congregation, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI). He urged both congregations to forge ahead with their missions despite difficulties in the regions where they operate. The Pope underscored the fact that although the histories of the two congregations are different, they share several common elements, including the period of their foundation, their origins in France, and, above all, their missionary vocation.
Founded in the 19th century, the OLA Sisters are an international congregation known for their work in education, healthcare, pastoral ministry, and social outreach, particularly across Africa and other underserved communities. They number over 600 sisters spread across 21 countries worldwide.
Pope Leo set the tone for our meeting
The religious women are meeting in a plenary council on the occasion of their 150th anniversary and the 200 years of the birth of their founder who founded the congregation in 1876 in Lyon, France. He was a member of the Society of African Missions, sometimes known simply as SMAs.
The audience with Pope Leo XIV set the tone for the Sisters’ gathering — not merely as a celebration of history, but as a renewed commitment to their mission.
The Plenary Council of the OLA Sisters in Rome has brought together OLA leadership from different countries to reflect on mission.
A particularly symbolic moment of the gathering was the celebration of Mass at the Basilica of the Holy Apostles. It was there that their founder, Fr. Augustine Planque, entrusted the young congregation to the protection of Mary 150 years ago. Returning to the same basilica offered the Sisters an opportunity to reconnect with their roots while looking ahead with renewed clarity.
Living the present, focusing on the future
Speaking at the opening assembly, the Congregational Leader, Sr. Mary T. Barron, emphasised that the assembly is not merely about honouring the past. “We give thanks for where we come from,” she said, “but our focus is on our present realities, our future — on how we continue to respond with courage and hope in a changing world,” she said.
While the meeting takes place during important historical milestones — marking 150 years of foundation, 200 years of the birth of their founder, and 170 years of the foundation of the Society of African Missions, SMA — the Sisters underline that their attention is firmly fixed on discerning the signs of the times for their mission.
