The Congregation of the Holy Spirit (C.S.Sp) was founded in 1703 in Paris by Claude François Poullart des Places and revived in 1848 by merging with the Society of the Holy Heart of Mary founded by François Libermann. The Spiritans, also called missionaries of the Holy Spirit, form a missionary congregation particularly developed in Africa.
Living mostly in international communities, the Spiritans strive to promote the Church’s mission among the poorest, especially where the Church finds it difficult to find workers. As founders of churches, especially in Africa, the congregation continues to support these churches through its educational, social and development work, as well as enabling them to become missionaries themselves. Some lay people, wishing to live the charism and spirituality of the Spiritans, also associate themselves with the mission of the congregation: to this end they receive a mission letter. The Spiritan family also includes fraternities of lay people who come together to discern in their lives the action of the Holy Spirit.
As of October 31, 2019, the Spiritans were 2,626 professed members (having taken religious vows), including 645 Nigerians, 236 French, 196 Irish, 132 Ghanaians, 142 Tanzanians, 107 Portuguese, 106 Angolans, present in 62 countries on five continents. In addition, there are currently 145 lay associates. Of these, 754 are still from Europe, 1598 from Africa and 70 from the Indian Ocean, with new vocations. There are now only 89 members from North America. In the regions where the congregation has more recently established itself, there are 38 in Latin America, (60 in the Caribbean), 22 in Asia and 1 in Oceania. As of October 31, 2019, the Spiritans include 32 bishops, 2,059 priests, 96 brothers, 439 young professed in formation and 145 lay associates.
