WHO ARE THE OLA SISTERS?
THE VISION
“Living the Passion for Mission –
The Mission is our sole aim”
(Père Augustine Planque)
OUR MOTTO:
“CUM MARIA MATRE JESU”
Inspires us to strive, work, and live
in a spirit of
evangelical simplicity, humility, and joy
OUR MISSION
“We live and work in a pluricultural world,
going beyond the boundaries
of countries and region
to bring the Good News of the Reign of God
to the poorest persons,
especially responding to the call of
Primary evangelisation”
The Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles was founded in 1876. This came about when the SMA Fathers on the Missions desperately needed Sisters to help in their evangelization work, especially in empowering women and the marginalized.
As the Superior General of his Society (SMA), Père Augustine Planque together with his priests working along the Coast of Africa realized the need for Missionary Sisters who would work closely with women and children to make evangelization more effective. He appealed for volunteers from existing Congregations but finding a group that would undertake a permanent commitment to Mission in West Africa at the time was impossible. He founded the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles and placed them under the Patronage of Our Lady, Queen of Apostles.
The missionary work of the OLA Sisters in Africa started in earnest in Dahomey (now the Republic of Benin) and spread to various parts of Africa.
In 1883, the Prophetic Mission of the OLA Sisters started very simply and humbly with the arrival of two European Sisters in Elmina where they established the first Catholic Girls’ School.
From Elmina, the OLA Sisters’ missionary apostolate spread to Cape Coast, Sekondi, Ekwei, Keta, Kumasi, Ho, Hohoe, Breman Asikuma, Fosu, Vroomdorp, Kenyasi, Hwidiem, Nkwanta, Accra, Brafuyaw, Duayaw Nkwanta, and Sunyani.
The Congregation is International and Missionary in character. We live and work anywhere our services are needed to propagate the Good News. By their internationality, OLA Sisters reflect the universal character of the Church.
We are found in Italy, France, Canada, Argentina, Holland, Ireland, Lebanon, Egypt, Chad, Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Tanzania, La Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Central Africa Republic, and Ghana.