The Congregation of the Holy Spirit (officially the Congregation of the Holy Spirit under the protection of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary; Latin: Congregatio Sancti Spiritus sub tutela Immaculati Cordis Beatissimae Virginis Mariae) is a male religious congregation of the Catholic Church. Members are often known as Holy Ghost Fathers or, in continental Europe and the Anglosphere, as Spiritans, and members use the postnominals CSSp.
The Spiritans, also known as the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (C.S.Sp.), have a rich and impactful presence across various regions of Africa, including Northern, Southern, East, West, and Central Africa. Established with a profound commitment to missionary work, the Spiritans have made significant contributions to the social, educational, and spiritual development of these regions.
In 1765 the Holy See entrusted it with direct care of South American missions, in colonies such as French Guiana. Spiritans also sent missionaries to China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand (Siam), and India under the auspices of the Paris Foreign Missions Society. In 1779 the first Spiritan missionaries arrived in Senegal, Africa.
