Small Church

ST JOSEPH’S CHURCH IN CORK – SOCIETY OF AFRICAN MISSIONS

This was my first time ever to use fill flash within a church. I usually avoid using flash but in the inside of the church was way too dark for my camera/lens combination.

I walked along Cork Marina to Blackrock with the intention of returning to the city centre by bus. I arrived at the bus stop at 11am 9 minutes before the bus was due but it never arrived and when I discovered I decided to walk bach to the city centre via Black Road. Towards the city end of Blackrock Road I came across an attractive church that I had not seen before.

The Society of African Missions is a Roman Catholic society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men (missionaries) Members add the nominal letters S.M.A after their names to indicate membership in the Congregation. They come from around the world with a commitment to serve the people of Africa and those of African descent. Fr. Antonio Porcellato is the current superior general. S.M.A.

For most of its history, the majority of the Society’s members came from Europe or North America. African men who were interested in ministry were discouraged from joining the Society and directed towards their own dioceses. This approach changed in the 1980s, and since that time the vast majority of vocations have come from Africa and Asia.