Final Commitments

Victoria shares her Vocation Story:

I was born to Mr. Peter Gaa Jatoe and Mrs. Comfort N. Gaa on the 23rd December, 1975 in Kaleo in the Upper West Region.
I have three beautiful sisters; Ilona, Patience, Sylvia and one lovely brother; John Paul. I grew up with two cousins; Isaac and Diana. John Paul who is the last born was born when I was twenty. So from the side of my parents we were all girls for a number of years before John Paul was born. We had a wonderful family life and we felt loved by our parents but some people who visited our family made us realized that there was something missing in our family because we were only girls.
People even openly sympathized with my mother with words like, ‘yours is still on the way coming’ or ‘only girls! What a pity! Or again you resemble your father a lot why didn’t you become a boy.’ as if we made ourselves or boys were superior to girls so this made us pray a lot so that our mother would give birth to a boy.

Our father being a man of faith was a man of his own time he loved us very much and told us lots of stories of great women and also stories from the Bible on women who were very close to God. He told those stories with so much enthusiasm that one could think that he witnessed what he was telling us; the story of Esther, Judith, Ruth and Susana. I loved so much to listen to those stories because I felt that God was close to women and worked great and wonderful things through them. I used to be deeply moved sometimes into tears just listening to those stories of these women. There was a God the creator who considered women highly. So one day in tears of joy I asked my father ‘Baaba’ how can I be like those women of the Bible? I wanted to be close to this God who thinks we are good enough. My father told me that I could make him my friend by telling him what I desired and I did. I spoke to him in the quietness of my heart and I could feel his presence in my life.

With the seed of faith buried in my heart, my dream of becoming a woman close to God became clearer and clearer as I climbed the academic ladder. In 1982 I was sent to St Louis Primary School. I spent seven years instead of six because I was repeated in primary three due to poor performance. I only picked up in the upper primary when my mother started giving us extra classes in reading and writing. So in 1989 I moved from the primary school to St. Dominic’s R/C Junior Secondary School in Kaleo. Having made a good aggregate in my Basic Education Certificate Examination, I got admission into St. Francis of Assisi Girls Secondary School in 1993 in Jirapa.  It was there in St. Francis I met a sister of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa Sr. Jacquiline Picard. I was moved by her simplicity and I longed to be like her, but she never came back again.

I nearly forgot about the whole idea when in Nusrat Jahan Teachers Training College I met another sister of the same congregation Sr. Prosperine Samba I was moved in the same manner. She gave us leaflets of the congregation. So when I was about to complete Jahan I wrote to the sisters and I was invited to come and see. I went to Tamale in 1998 to visit the sisters. And I liked what I saw, and then I was invited for an aspirant’s camp the following year 1999 it was there during this camp my childhood dream of becoming a close friend of God was seen when the text of the Samaritan women was explained to us. There I was struck once again of God putting His complete trust in the words of a woman. I understood that the Samaritan woman had been the first apostle of Jesus. Then I decided that I was also going to be the disciple of This God who does not consider women inferior.
I asked the sister if I could start my formation with them they said why not. So I went home and told my parents and on the 27th December, 1999 I came to live with the sisters. I was accompanied by my parents. And I am grateful to God for the gift of His call to me.

Victoria Gaa

A JOYOUS DAY

The celebration took place on the 17th of December 2011 in St. Gyavira Parish Bunamwaya,  Kampala Diocese where MSOLA community in Uganda is situated.
For the MSOLA Community, the celebration actually began some three days before with the excitement of the arrival of Sisters from different countries. This put every one in the mood of the feast.

When the day for the feast came, people gathered at the Church and when it was just some minutes before the Procession begun, it started raining and we had to wait because the function was to be outside in tents. This gave many people the opportunity to interact with the ‘brides’, (Brides is a term often used in Uganda to mean the people being feasted) especially those who had never met them before. It was a time for socialization and there was no complaint due to the rain. Every one seemed to enjoy that time.

The Guest of Honur and main celebrant was to have been His Grace, the Archbishop of Kampala Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga but at the last minute he sent word to say that he would not be able to come because he was unwell. His place was taken by MGR. Charles Kasibante, the Vicar General who is a very good friend of our community and our former Chaplain.    

When the rain slowed down the procession started from the church to the tents where the Mass was to be celebrated. We walked gracefully under the gentle rain which many people termed as “blessings from God.”
The Mass started with joyous singing, clapping, dancing and shouting. “I was amazed by the tremendous joy people had, no wonder the parishioners said that it is not a MSOLA’s feast but it is our feast as a parish because these are our Sisters and they belong to our Parish,” said one of MSOLA postulants in Uganda.

The way the Gospel procession was done was also touching: it was done in a traditional way of serving food to people whereby it was covered in a basket with banana leaves. Even those who have never gone to school were able to interpret the message that the word of God is food for our spiritual lives.
In the Homily, the Vicar General Mgr. Charles Kasibante thanked the ‘brides’ for the good work they do using the words of our founder Cardinal Lavigerie, he encouraged them by saying that ‘in spite of the Missionary men’s zeal, their efforts will never bear sufficient fruit if they are not helped by women apostles. Only women can freely approach pagan women, nurse them, touch their hearts. Women are the source of every thing since they are mothers’. In this, he showed the great importance of the role of Religious Missionary Sisters in the Apostolate.

Time came for our two Sisters to make their final vows and people were moved as the parents presented their daughters to the alter. The aunt of one of them was asked why she was crying as the brides prostrated before the alter and this is what she said, “ it is not just a matter of prostrating before the alter but it is a sacrifice”.
After the Brides had made their final vows, people broke into joyous shouting and clapping.

Time came for Sr. Christine who was celebrating her silver Jubilee to renew her Vows.
The Vicar made a joke that she looks too young to celebrate 25 years in Religious life. Some one said that she looks young because she does exercises by walking around  the whole parish visiting both Christians and non Christians.
The work of Sr. Christine was recognized by the parish where by the Parish priest and the chairman of the Laity thanked MSOLA Congregation for the work done by her through visiting Christians and coordinating Sunday school at the Parish.

During offertory, the procession was led by the Sunday school children followed by different symbols of the Congregation like the Pelican, the Picture of Our Lady of Africa, the picture of Mother Salome, the Picture of Cardinal Lavigerie and a globe.
These symbols touched the young people because after Mass many of them flocked to the place where the posters of the Congregation were and asked many questions about these symbols. Of course the first things that impressed them were the vows and the Silver Jubilee (the Feast). This is because they would first praise the feast before asking questions about the different symbols of the Congregation. I believe we will have many aspirants this year.  

After Mass, there were speeches from different people encouraging the brides and the whole MSOLA Congregation to continue the struggle of serving God.
This was followed by a meal and wonderful entertainment by the Sunday school children and a group of women from one of the sub parishes.
After the meal, people could not suppress their feelings any more, they had to dance! I wish you were there! Everybody danced. Sisters danced, Priests danced, elderly people danced and children alike. “See how the Sisters are dancing! Even the parish priest is dancing! It is an event to record in history of our Parish”, said one of the Christians. Dancing was the climax of expressing the joy of the feast and it closed up the celebration.
It was a real joyous day. God bless you.

Bunamwaya community

Harriet handed over by her mother to the Congregation

Christine renews her vows at the occasion of her Silver Jubilee

Above: Valérie Kaboré receives the ring, symbol of her life commitment in the Congregation, from the hands of Bijundi Bashige, the Regional of West Africa.

Left: With lit candles, Valérie Kaboré and Bijundi Bashige in procession
with the book of the Word of God.

At the right, the parents of Valérie ;
the sisters of the communities in Ouagadougou and from the novitiate in Bobo-Dioulasso
have come together for the feast.