A jubilee is a joy like a light that cannot be put under the bushel, a contagious joy, a thanksgiving, a communion. Here in Oran we are entering this contagious-joy.
Every last Thursday of the month is called “Thursday, to deepen”. These are Thursdays when the whole Christian community is invited to deepen a word of Scripture, as in a biblical sharing. After our request to the vicar general, about thirty people came to hear us speak about our jubilee of 150 years.
What touched the hearts of the people are the 150 years without interruption, the opening to all of Africa and the reality of our Oran experience, that is: encounter and inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, migration, refugees and displaced people, modern slavery and human trafficking and care of the environment.
The next day, October 26, an assembly of more than 200 people received the message and a panel illustrating our jubilee remained at the back of the church.
Sunday, October 28, was the last and most unusual day of this sharing: an Algerian lady delighted to learn that our congregation was born in Algiers proposed to decorate with lights and flowers the table where the panel was displayed. Upon entering the church we were pleasantly surprised to find a whole work of art. Our announcement of the jubilee was accompanied with lanterns. This assembly of about fifty people was very receptive to the message of the jubilee.
Surely the beatification of Bishop Claverie and his 18 companions (including four Missionaries of Africa) to take place on December 8 in Oran, Algeria, is a sign confirming the gift of the charism received from our founder, Cardinal Charles Martial Lavigerie.
Sisters of the community of Oran, Algeria
