Structure

Since its creation in 2019, the IRFA comprises of a scientific committee which gives general directions and oversees works and publication:

• Fr. Vincent SÉNÉCHAL, Superior General of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, PhD in Biblical Theology, missionary in Cambodia for eleven years.
• Fr. Antoine de MONJOUR, IRFA coordinator, priest of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, missionary in Japan for 30 years.
• Jean-Pierre BAT, archivist and paleographer (École nationale des chartes), PhD (Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne), associate researcher at the CNRS and the Centre Jean-Mabillon, project leader at the Centre d’Analyse, de Prévision et de Stratégie (CAPS) of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
• Éric DEROO, author, film-maker, former associate researcher at the CNRS, specialist in French colonial and military history.
• Yves GAZZO, currently Ambassador of the Order of Malta accredited to the European Union after a long career as an ambassador, President (h) of the Académie des sciences d’outre-mer.
• Bertrand GOY, a graduate of ESSEC, former senior executive in industry, historian of primitive arts.
• Catherine MARIN, PhD, specialist in the history of Catholic missions, lecturer (h) at the Institut Catholique de Paris.
• Fr. Matthieu MASSON, priest of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, on mission in Hong Kong since 2009, architect specialising in the history of churches built in China.
• Marie de RUGY, PhD, lecturer in contemporary history at the University of Strasbourg, specialising in the colonial period in South-East Asia.
• Edmond de TAILLAC, student at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, master’s degree in transnational history, specialist in the Indian art trade.

The IRFA team is made up of preservation professionals, and specialists in the history of Catholic missions :

• The direction of the institute has been entrusted since its creation to Ms Marie-Alpais DUMOULIN. She is an archivist and palaeographer (Ecole nationale des Chartes).
• The “archives and photos” department is made up of two archivists, one of whom is a specialist in databases, and an iconographer.
• The “libraries” department includes the Asian library and the MEP general library, each staffed by a librarian.
• The “digitization” department is managed by an archivist responsible for heritage digitization.
• The “art and historical objects” department is managed by a collection manager.