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Sharing our missionary Charism with lay people
is a “sign of the times” for the Church. (Vatican II).

We recognize this type of missionary vocation and
see a call to welcome in a positive way,
the requests addressed to us. (Cf CA 2005, p.74)

Lay people are attracted by Cardinal Lavigerie's missionary charism (see “Our Founders”):
the openness towards others and the respect for those who are different;
the certitude that "salvation is for all", and an interest in the truths of other religions;
the African continent and its reality;
the belief in the one “God of all”.

Sharing our Charism and sharing in our mission can take various forms

  • Praying for the mission and for vocations
  • Giving part of your time to collaborate in our ministries in Africa
  • Giving financial help to make it possible for our mission in Africa to continue
  • Giving your time to collaborate with us in your own country
  • Opening up Church and lay groups to the reality of Africa and the African Church
  • Collaborating with us and our projects for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation
  • Facilitating the adaptation of African migrants in the Western world

Pictures:
Top: Struggle for the rights of Albinos who are marginalised and even persecuted
Middle: Sharing with the sisters in the MSOLA community
Bottom: Teaching children; prayer is just one aspect

Sharing our Charism and sharing in our mission has taken various names:

Associate in prayer
Lay people who pray daily for the MSOLA and their mission and try to live their missionary spirit. The prayer to Our Lady of Africa and the Prayer for Vocations can be a concrete way of living this commitment.

Lay affiliates
Lay persons (men and women) who desire to participate and to share in the mission of the MSOLA, living in their daily life the missionary charism of Lavigerie, through prayer, through their commitment to build a society according to God's plan.
They can also put their time and their "know-how" at the service of the MSOLA mission, in Africa.

Lay Associates
Lay women sharing the life and mission of a MSOLA community to render a service in Africa for a given time in the name of their faith.
We see this collaboration as a source of enrichment for the person concerned and the community, as well as for the local Church where the lay person will live her mission.
A preparation to our way of life, and to the encounter with another culture are necessary, for the lay person as well as the welcoming community.
A serious discernment is needed, to help the lay person to clarify her motivations and the welcoming community to see the way of integrating her in their mission.

"Lavigerie Groups":
In the ever expanding pluralism of our societies, lay people are attracted by Cardinal Lavigerie's missionary charism. In it, they find inspiration and a way of responding as Christians to the reality of the world around them and
to the questions that men and women ask today.
Yes, this charism is very much alive today, not only in the Missionaries of Africa and the MSOLA, but also in the laity that are inspired by it. In the Lavigerie groups many take a formal commitment.

Groups living from the charism of Lavigerie:
in USA and Canada (see LMNDA), in D. R. Congo, in Burkina Faso. In France some build a group around the magazine "Friends of the mission", or they belong to the “Lavigerie Family”. A good part of them are either participants in the formerly organized Missionary Route or "returned" lay missionaries. Some just like to keep in touch with the sisters they had known. There are also groups in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, with the "Lavigerie Missionary Movement".

 
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e-mail: website.gs@msolafrica.org
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