In Montréal, from August 22nd to 26th 2022, we have celebrated our American Pre-chapter with leaders Maite Sanz de Pablo et Florence Mwamba Malunga and many sisters from Canada and the United States.
Here are some extracts with the sisters’ reflections:
“This moment of grace allows us to look together how have lived the orientations of the General Chapter 2017 and the orientations of our post-capitular Chapter: “Bearers of hope, listening to the voice of the Spirit, let’s move forward together towards the peripheries.”
“GRATITUDE: … Finally, the real gift of gratitude is that the more we are grateful, the more present we become. This is our boundless wish for our gathering.”
“LIVING SOME CHANGES OF SEASONS: The change of seasons has been characterized by the changes in our own being as persons, as we continue to grow in age. Ageing brings a lot of challenges to many of us. Becoming more dependent health wise: makes us aware of our vulnerability and invites us to embrace it with Christ and to celebrate it with the strength of the Power of the Resurrection that brings peace beyond all suffering. … We lived a change of season in welcoming and incorporating the laity in our administration structures, mainly employing accompanists and coordinators to assist us in our daily lives. This has asked a lot each one of us to adapt, to let go, to embrace newness and to live with hope and trust in Providence.”
“THE GIFT OF 150 YEARS: God is so gracious to us that He/She has given us the gift to celebrate the 150 years of our existence. During 3 years our two General Councils (M.Afr. and MSOLA) helped us to journey with one theme every year. The first year was to look at the past with gratitude, the second year to live the present with passionand the last year to look at the future with hope. The themes and recollections shared with us every year helped us enter deeper and deeper into the spirit of the celebration. It brought us closer to our brothers, the Missionaries of Africa. The act of celebrating together this Jubilee was a great sign of fraternity and reinforcement of our family bound. During the pilgrimage to the Vatican, the Pope reminded us about our DNA which is Africa. We are nomads of the Gospel. … The closing celebrations in Uganda united all of us from the 3 continents. It was indeed a time of grace. Wherever we are and in whatever situation we live, our mission continues to be ONE.”
“VISION STATEMENT: Listening to the voice of the Spirit, we will bring to reality our dreams for the next six years. By 2023 we, MSOLA, will have committed ourselves resolutely to the peripheries, in a discerned and targeted way, according to our particular contexts and our apostolic orientations.
We will have opened the door:
- to different types of communities that are dynamic, prophetic and open;
- to different ways of belonging to the Congregation;
- to an increasing integration of lay people at the service of the whole.
In particular with migrants and refugees, with sisters and brothers of the First Nations, and with the RRSE (Regroupement pour la Responsabilité Sociale des Entreprises).”
“All we can say is that we thank God who has enabled us to live our charism, and ask him to give us the strength and the graces that we need so as to journey together with the assurance that… The transforming love of the Risen Lord (who) calls us to journey together without fear, to deepen our charism in collaboration with others, and to expand our tent, giving birth to a new creation.”
