The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa and BURKINA FASO : 100 years of shared history, 1912-2012 !
“I am proud … Before beginning, I would like to thank God for all the benefits received in Burkina Faso and throughout Africa through this dynamic Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa.
I am moved by a feeling of joy and above all gratitude. The Lord has done great things for us, and Holy is his name. Yes, what joy for me as a Missionary Sister of Our Lady of Africa novice and a Burkinabe to live this event so important for our Congregation and for the whole Church-Family of Burkina Faso.
It was really a surprise and an honor to wear the habit of the Sisters of the past and to ride a horse! I was representing one of the 8 sisters who agreed to leave everything and risk their lives to continue the mission of Christ in Burkina Faso.
December 17, 2011 will remain an unforgettable day for me. Beginning at 6:30 a.m. Sisters were available to help us put on our habit. After being dressed, I found myself really beautiful! Personally, I chose the name of Elise, one of the first 8 Sisters.
The part of the paraliturgy that really touched me was the reading of the letter from Msgr. LeMaître asking the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa to help the Mission in Mossi country. And what a welcome! I found that it was not just theater, but everything happened in a spirit of prayer and recollection: The presence of the Archbishop of Koupela, priests and sisters as well as the crowd and the sound of drums. This was truly a memorial of the arrival of the Sisters.
During the Mass I had a feeling of pride, hearing the SIC novices (Soeurs de l’Immaculée Conception) sing the history of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa arrival and the beginning of the Church in Burkina Faso. One of the archbishop’s words that touched me was his saying that MSOLA somehow had the attitude of John the Baptist. They have accepted to fade into the background so that the local Church would have plenty of room to blossom.
The final commitment of Valerie Kabore in the Congregation was for me a very emotional moment. This is really a sign and a call to the sons and daughters of Burkina Faso to leave everything to go elsewhere because of the Mission of Christ. What I keep as a treasure that will help me in my journey is faith, courage and the love of Jesus that inspired these 8 Sisters. Because of the Gospel, they endured everything to extend the Reign of God.
I pray to these eight sisters and all the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa who have gone before us, and Cardinal Lavigerie and Mother Marie Salome, to intercede for us that the love we have for our Lord Jesus might grow more and more every day.
