Mission House

House with a Mission

The Mission House of Our Lady of Lourdes in Cadier en Keer, South Limburg, is the central branch of the SMA in the Netherlands. The society has been located here since 1891. Initially, it housed a mission college (secondary school) and a minor seminary. Later, other activities were also housed in the Mission House.

A few years ago, most of the original Mission House was demolished, and the oldest part of the building was converted into a new, smaller Mission House. At the same time, the new De Keerderberg care center was built on the site. The new owner is still looking for a new purpose for a large part of the old Mission House.

The new Mission House houses:

- SMA community
- SMA district board, economist and mission proxy


History
The letters SMA stand for "Societas Missionum ad Afros," which loosely translates as "Society for African Missions." The missionary society was founded in 1856 in Lyon, France, by the French Bishop Mgr. Melchior de Marion-Brésillac. Its goal was and remains to spread the liberating message of Christ as the missionary calling of the Church. West Africa became its first and most important field of work.

Our Lady of Lourdes
Fleeing the anti-religious policies of the French government, the monks of Lyon came to Limburg in the late nineteenth century. They settled on the Bakkersbosch plot in Cadier en Keer. Trading in sacramental wine from the island of Samos was the SMA monks' primary source of income. This, among other things, financed a boarding school for the training of young priests. The founder of the Mission House – Father Gaston Desribes – came from the region around the southern French pilgrimage site of Lourdes. He dedicated the Mission House in Cadier en Keer to Our Lady of Lourdes, which is still called the house today. A replica of the Lourdes grotto stands in the large, tranquil garden of the Mission House. The monks also founded a magazine about Lourdes , which still exists. Every year in May there is a week of prayer in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes with a very well-attended open-air mass at the Lourdes Grotto.

To Africa
For over 165 years, SMA missionaries, following in the footsteps of De Marion-Brésillac, have been traveling to Africa, including Ghana. In collaboration with the local population, they strive to create a better world. To this day, SMA missionaries continue to work for church and society, for justice and peace, for education and healthcare in Africa, and for Africans in the Netherlands. New missionaries are still sent out every year. Interested?