Missionary Congregation Joins Call for Prayers for 265 Children still Held after Nigerian School Abductions

Lagos, 04 December, 2025 / 11:51 PM

The Society of African Missions (SMA) has called for spiritual solidarity with the 265 out of over 300 children and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, who are still missing following their November 21 kidnapping.

Fr. François du Penhoat, Superior General of the Missionary Congregation on Monday, December 1 expressed the Congregation's fraternal closeness with the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles (OLA) who run the institutions in Papiri, praying for the safe release of the victims. 

“Our hearts remain burdened as we remember the 265 individuals still in captivity,” Fr. Penhoat wrote, remembering the 239 primary school pupils, 14 secondary school students, and 12 members of staff who are still missing 

He said that the absence of those still held “is a profound wound in the life of the school and the wider community.”

“We understand the anguish felt by the families, the OLA community, the Diocese of Kontagora, and the entire population of Papiri,” Fr. Penhoat said.

“I solemnly call upon all confreres, in every Community and Unit, to actively take part in this prayer of solidarity,” he added.

Fr. Penhoat called upon all the people of God in the West African country to join Religious Women, especially the Sisters of OLA and the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora in raising awareness of the kidnapping to save the lives of the individuals who are still missing.

“Let us raise our voices with the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles, the Diocese of Kontagora, and the entire Church, entrusting these innocent lives to God’s mercy until the cries of the families in Papiri are transformed into songs of thanksgiving,” he appealed.

“We unite our hearts in imploring the swift and safe release of all those still held captive, invoking God’s protection over their families, and praying for peace and justice in a region wounded by recurrent violence,” he added.

Fr. du Penhoat invoked memories of the missionary family’s united prayer during the 2018 kidnapping 

The Priest remembered the prayers that saw the safe release SMA Missionary, Fr. Pierluigi Maccalli who was kidnapped on 17 September 2018 in Bomoanga, near the border between Niger and Burkina Faso, and spent two years in captivity.

He invited Nigerian Catholics and other people of goodwill to “participate in the great chain of prayer that has already begun.”

The Catholic Priest highlighted the heartfelt appeal for prayers by the Sisters of OLA during the difficult moment in their community, saying, “We stand with them. We grieve with them. And we pray with them.”

The Superior General emphasized the “dedication of every Eucharist, every Rosary, and every moment of intercession” for the safe return of the 265 abducted pupils, students, and staff, strength and comfort for their families and communities, as well as “the protection of our people in Nigeria and the restoration of peace, dignity, and security in the land.”

“As one family united in mission, we stand with them in faith, compassion, and steadfast solidarity,” he said.

“May the Lord, who is close to the broken-hearted, keep and protect His little ones and the staff members, strengthen all those who work for peace, and bring consolation to everyone,” the Priest implored.