We celebrated the Pre-capitular Chapter of the ECA Entity, East and Central Africa, from September 25 to 30, 2022, at the Retreat Center of the Passionist Fathers in Nairobi (Kenya). We were the 3 sisters of the leadership team: Victoire, Harriet and Angela, and 15 delegates from 7 countries: Burundi, Rwanda, D.R. Congo, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.
Among us, there was Sister Mapendo from the General Council, 2 other MSOLA invited to render service: Sister Pascaline who was the secretary of the Pre-capitular Chapter and Sister Magda the translator from French to English and 3 others from 3 different congregations who helped us by rendering various services: Father Joachim Zoundi, SJ, the moderator, Father Jean-Paul Sakoto of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, the translator from English to French and Sister Céline Mbuli of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy who will be one of the moderators of our next General Chapter 2023.
The Pre-chapter began with the opening prayer and information by Sister Victoire Niyonzima. She reminded us that the time of the Pre-chapter is a spiritual event, a time of discernment to listen to the Holy Spirit at work in our world and a call to conversion and renewal.
On the 25th evening, we entered into recollection based on the theme of our next Chapter: “The transforming love of the risen Lord calls us to walk together without fear, to deepen our charism in collaboration with others and to broaden our tent, giving birth to a new creation.” It was a half-day of recollection led by Fr. Zoundi to help us live the Pre-chapter in an attitude of prayer so that everything we were going to live would be guided by the light of the Holy Spirit. Fr. Zoundi introduced us to the methodology of Spiritual Conversation to be used throughout the time of our Pre-Chapter, in small groups as well as in plenary.
It is a way of sharing with others that incorporates active listening, intentional speaking, moments of silence and respect for each participant’s contribution. It transforms the way we listen to the Spirit working in and through us as we pray and discern together.
On Monday 26 afternoon, we listened to the report of the team of leaders of ECA, which described briefly how we lived our mission as “Bearers of Hope,” the challenges and the opportunities which we encountered since the last chapter. We are grateful to the Lord for his presence and his light. He showed us how to be creative to meet the needs of our time.
On the same day, the bursar of our entity, Sr. Liberata, also shared with us the financial report.
During the remaining days, we worked on the document which was the report compiled with the contributions of all the communities of ECA, on the different aspects of our life such as spirituality and prayer life, the mission and how the charism was lived, our consecration and evangelical counsels, community life, MVA and other forms of belonging, structures, initial formation and finances.
We felt again a call to be women of prayer by deepening our spiritual life, our sense of consecration as disciples of Jesus. We also felt a call to develop the contemplative aspect of our missionary religious life in order to live well the mission entrusted to us.
We continue to recognize that community life is the first place of our mission and it is also a gift where we nurture personal growth and witness to God’s unconditional love. We have seen that MVA is very important and it is necessary to make MVA a radical choice. It concerns all of us. Therefore, we saw the need to appoint a few sisters for full-time MVA for the future of our congregation. We also saw the need to share our charism with others by expanding our tents to open doors to other forms of belonging.
We have also taken the time to revisit our constitutions with a view to making some proposed changes with regard to vocabulary and terminology.
We felt called to live and integrate into our daily life the values of prayer, discernment, creativity, enthusiasm, openness, commitment, flexibility, determination, courage, apostolic zeal, sacrifice and the will to leave our comfort zones. With regard to finances, we felt called to live the values of responsibility, honesty, transparency and good management.
In summary, we were able to feel the presence of God and the Holy Spirit in everything we experienced during the Pre-Chapter and a sense of unity and communion as there were many similarities in our sharing. We wholeheartedly thank all our sisters in the different Entities for carrying us in prayer during this special time.
At the end of the Pre-capitular Chapter of our ECA Entity we did interviews to share with you some personal testimonies on the experiences lived:
Sister Linah Siabana (Ukusijoni community in Uganda)
“What touched me most was the spirit of family and unity. The Spirit was at work and we welcomed his graces. We talked about many themes in the life of the congregation, and all the sisters participated wholeheartedly. Our Charism is alive and we have a contribution to give to the Mission today.”
Sister Cecylia Balchaska (community of Dar-Es-Salam in Tanzania)
“I am very happy with our Pre-Chapter. The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa came from different countries, different nationalities, different continents. We worked together with enthusiasm and gratitude towards our Charism. I liked the methodology of Spiritual Conversation that the moderator, the Jesuit P. Joachim Zoundi, taught us: to listen to each one and the Spirit that dwells in them.”
Sister Priscille Nisubire (Community of Butare, Rwanda)
“The spirit of unity and family that animated us. Peace and serenity when we shared on themes that are close to our hearts, each one gave their contribution so that the congregation could move forward. I liked the proposal to change a few elements of our constitutions with inclusive language. The insistence on the sense of belonging.”
Sister Akeza Hagos (South B community, Nairobi, Kenya)
“The spirit of unity. I appreciated the role of the moderator Fr. Joachim Zoundi with the methodology of Spiritual Conversation to listen to the Holy Spirit and to listen to us. The “family spirit”, as Mother Marie Salomé used to tell us.”
Sister Pilar Delgado (community of Bukavu, D.R.Congo)
“The whole congregation worked together, starting from grassroots communities to the generalate (GC). The methodology we used encouraged everyone’s participation. It was important to listen to each one and share what is deep within us. Prayer is important, it is strength: ‘to be with Christ to do like him.’ The desire to live our Charism and to carry out our Mission today.”
Sister Marie Sakina Kataluka (community of Tikondane, Malawi)
“I am very grateful to God for all that was experienced during this pre-chapter, I could feel how the Holy Spirit was guiding us as a group in our discernment and our response. I was able to feel the harmony and unity among us, which confirms to me the presence of God in our midst.”
Sister Alice Bangnidong (community of Bunamwaya, Uganda)
“Fr. Joachim’s methodology made it easier for us to work at ease and in unity. In the small groups we reflected and we discerned and then in the large assembly during the pooling, we complemented one another. The documents that were well prepared in advance helped us to work without stress. The sharing also led us to work on ourselves. I leave from the pre-chapter differently.”
Sister Piala Massawe (community of Goma D.R.Congo)
“I am touched by our family spirit, of belonging, with which we have reflected, collaborated, shared and decided together to better respond to God’s call to go to the peripheries. Each one was guided by the spirit of listening, openness, freedom, love and trust.”
Sister Matilda Baanuo (Malindi community, Kenya)
“The family spirit was very strong for the same mission. It was Mother Marie Salomé and Lavigerie who transmitted and encouraged us to be and to live with a spirit, a heart, a thought for the Congregation.”
Sister Maite Oiartzun (community of Gitega, Burundi)
“I liked starting the Pre-Chapter with a recollection. It is the Gospel of the encounter of the Risen Jesus with the disciples of Emmaus that has helped us to enter into Spiritual Conversation in order to listen to ourselves and to listen to the Holy Spirit in each of us. The love of the congregation and the positive a priori to collaborate helped us to listen to the calls of the Spirit in our concrete reality, for example we discerned how to reuse some houses of our ECA Entity, in order to find solutions to respond better to the current Mission.”
Sister Victoire Niyonzima (canonical leader of our ECA Entity)
“The spirit of family, unity and collaboration. Each sister was dedicated to working with an esprit de corps. The Spiritual Conversation methodology helped us: everyone felt listened to, and they felt they needed to share their part, with a spirit of listening, compassion and expectation. Each one sought the Good for the congregation and for the others. The Spirit was at work in each of us. Everyone came prepared and we tried to come together, agree and respect each other in diversity and complementarity.”
Sister Pascaline (Pre-chapter secretary)
“I am happy to have participated indirectly in the Pre-Chapter. I thank the sisters who trusted me with the secretarial service. What touched me most in the exchanges and sharing of the sisters in the different meetings: the unity between them, the love of the congregation, the attachment to the pillars of our congregation, i.e. Consecrated Life, the attachment to Christ, the community life, the Mission which pushes us to go forward to find everything necessary to respond to the call of Christ.”
Sr Magda Orczykowska (community of Ukusijoni, Uganda, translator from French to English)
“The very prayerful atmosphere of the Pre-Chapter from the first day to the last. The unity between all the sisters who were in this meeting. I have hope for the future.”
Fr. Jean Paul Sakoto of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (translator from English to French)
“It was an honor for me to have collaborated as a translator. I liked the availability of the sisters in the way of doing things, the depth of the reflections and above all the sense of unity, of communion and the testimony of life which struck me a lot. The way the sisters knew how to listen to the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. I felt in the debates, a listening to the other through the depth of the grace of the Holy Spirit. I also benefited from the graces of the Holy Spirit. The originality of the Charism of the MSOLA congregation and the call to go to the peripheries to continue the Mission of Christ with joy and for the glory of God and the salvation of the world.”
Sister Chimwemwe (community of Kodhek in Nairobi, Kenya)
On the evening of September 28, we had a visit from our sisters and Missionaries of Africa who live in Nairobi. We celebrated the Eucharist and shared a meal. Our Sister Chimwemwe, who came to visit us, shared her testimony with us:
“What touched me during the meal was the experience we had of Pentecost. Everyone was invited to introduce themselves. We were the sisters and the Missionaries of Africa who came from different countries. Some spoke in French and others in English, the most important thing is that we managed to communicate. It gave me the joy of practicing French and English. God is good all the time!”
Sister Sakina Kataluka and Sister Maite Oiartzun
We celebrated the Pre-capitular Chapter of the ECA Entity, East and Central Africa, from September 25 to 30, 2022, at the Retreat Center of the Passionist Fathers in Nairobi (Kenya). We were the 3 sisters of the leadership team: Victoire, Harriet and Angela, and 15 delegates from 7 countries: Burundi, Rwanda, D.R. Congo, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.
Among us, there was Sister Mapendo from the General Council, 2 other MSOLA invited to render service: Sister Pascaline who was the secretary of the Pre-capitular Chapter and Sister Magda the translator from French to English and 3 others from 3 different congregations who helped us by rendering various services: Father Joachim Zoundi, SJ, the moderator, Father Jean-Paul Sakoto of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, the translator from English to French and Sister Céline Mbuli of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy who will be one of the moderators of our next General Chapter 2023.
The Pre-chapter began with the opening prayer and information by Sister Victoire Niyonzima. She reminded us that the time of the Pre-chapter is a spiritual event, a time of discernment to listen to the Holy Spirit at work in our world and a call to conversion and renewal.
On the 25th evening, we entered into recollection based on the theme of our next Chapter: “The transforming love of the risen Lord calls us to walk together without fear, to deepen our charism in collaboration with others and to broaden our tent, giving birth to a new creation.” It was a half-day of recollection led by Fr. Zoundi to help us live the Pre-chapter in an attitude of prayer so that everything we were going to live would be guided by the light of the Holy Spirit. Fr. Zoundi introduced us to the methodology of Spiritual Conversation to be used throughout the time of our Pre-Chapter, in small groups as well as in plenary.
It is a way of sharing with others that incorporates active listening, intentional speaking, moments of silence and respect for each participant’s contribution. It transforms the way we listen to the Spirit working in and through us as we pray and discern together.
On Monday 26 afternoon, we listened to the report of the team of leaders of ECA, which described briefly how we lived our mission as “Bearers of Hope,” the challenges and the opportunities which we encountered since the last chapter. We are grateful to the Lord for his presence and his light. He showed us how to be creative to meet the needs of our time.
On the same day, the bursar of our entity, Sr. Liberata, also shared with us the financial report.
During the remaining days, we worked on the document which was the report compiled with the contributions of all the communities of ECA, on the different aspects of our life such as spirituality and prayer life, the mission and how the charism was lived, our consecration and evangelical counsels, community life, MVA and other forms of belonging, structures, initial formation and finances.
We felt again a call to be women of prayer by deepening our spiritual life, our sense of consecration as disciples of Jesus. We also felt a call to develop the contemplative aspect of our missionary religious life in order to live well the mission entrusted to us.
We continue to recognize that community life is the first place of our mission and it is also a gift where we nurture personal growth and witness to God’s unconditional love. We have seen that MVA is very important and it is necessary to make MVA a radical choice. It concerns all of us. Therefore, we saw the need to appoint a few sisters for full-time MVA for the future of our congregation. We also saw the need to share our charism with others by expanding our tents to open doors to other forms of belonging.
We have also taken the time to revisit our constitutions with a view to making some proposed changes with regard to vocabulary and terminology.
We felt called to live and integrate into our daily life the values of prayer, discernment, creativity, enthusiasm, openness, commitment, flexibility, determination, courage, apostolic zeal, sacrifice and the will to leave our comfort zones. With regard to finances, we felt called to live the values of responsibility, honesty, transparency and good management.
In summary, we were able to feel the presence of God and the Holy Spirit in everything we experienced during the Pre-Chapter and a sense of unity and communion as there were many similarities in our sharing. We wholeheartedly thank all our sisters in the different Entities for carrying us in prayer during this special time.
At the end of the Pre-capitular Chapter of our ECA Entity we did interviews to share with you some personal testimonies on the experiences lived:
Sister Linah Siabana (Ukusijoni community in Uganda)
“What touched me most was the spirit of family and unity. The Spirit was at work and we welcomed his graces. We talked about many themes in the life of the congregation, and all the sisters participated wholeheartedly. Our Charism is alive and we have a contribution to give to the Mission today.”
Sister Cecylia Balchaska (community of Dar-Es-Salam in Tanzania)
“I am very happy with our Pre-Chapter. The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa came from different countries, different nationalities, different continents. We worked together with enthusiasm and gratitude towards our Charism. I liked the methodology of Spiritual Conversation that the moderator, the Jesuit P. Joachim Zoundi, taught us: to listen to each one and the Spirit that dwells in them.”
Sister Priscille Nisubire (Community of Butare, Rwanda)
“The spirit of unity and family that animated us. Peace and serenity when we shared on themes that are close to our hearts, each one gave their contribution so that the congregation could move forward. I liked the proposal to change a few elements of our constitutions with inclusive language. The insistence on the sense of belonging.”
Sister Akeza Hagos (South B community, Nairobi, Kenya)
“The spirit of unity. I appreciated the role of the moderator Fr. Joachim Zoundi with the methodology of Spiritual Conversation to listen to the Holy Spirit and to listen to us. The “family spirit”, as Mother Marie Salomé used to tell us.”
Sister Pilar Delgado (community of Bukavu, D.R.Congo)
“The whole congregation worked together, starting from grassroots communities to the generalate (GC). The methodology we used encouraged everyone’s participation. It was important to listen to each one and share what is deep within us. Prayer is important, it is strength: ‘to be with Christ to do like him.’ The desire to live our Charism and to carry out our Mission today.”
Sister Marie Sakina Kataluka (community of Tikondane, Malawi)
“I am very grateful to God for all that was experienced during this pre-chapter, I could feel how the Holy Spirit was guiding us as a group in our discernment and our response. I was able to feel the harmony and unity among us, which confirms to me the presence of God in our midst.”
Sister Alice Bangnidong (community of Bunamwaya, Uganda)
“Fr. Joachim’s methodology made it easier for us to work at ease and in unity. In the small groups we reflected and we discerned and then in the large assembly during the pooling, we complemented one another. The documents that were well prepared in advance helped us to work without stress. The sharing also led us to work on ourselves. I leave from the pre-chapter differently.”
Sister Piala Massawe (community of Goma D.R.Congo)
“I am touched by our family spirit, of belonging, with which we have reflected, collaborated, shared and decided together to better respond to God’s call to go to the peripheries. Each one was guided by the spirit of listening, openness, freedom, love and trust.”
Sister Matilda Baanuo (Malindi community, Kenya)
“The family spirit was very strong for the same mission. It was Mother Marie Salomé and Lavigerie who transmitted and encouraged us to be and to live with a spirit, a heart, a thought for the Congregation.”
Sister Maite Oiartzun (community of Gitega, Burundi)
“I liked starting the Pre-Chapter with a recollection. It is the Gospel of the encounter of the Risen Jesus with the disciples of Emmaus that has helped us to enter into Spiritual Conversation in order to listen to ourselves and to listen to the Holy Spirit in each of us. The love of the congregation and the positive a priori to collaborate helped us to listen to the calls of the Spirit in our concrete reality, for example we discerned how to reuse some houses of our ECA Entity, in order to find solutions to respond better to the current Mission.”
Sister Victoire Niyonzima (canonical leader of our ECA Entity)
“The spirit of family, unity and collaboration. Each sister was dedicated to working with an esprit de corps. The Spiritual Conversation methodology helped us: everyone felt listened to, and they felt they needed to share their part, with a spirit of listening, compassion and expectation. Each one sought the Good for the congregation and for the others. The Spirit was at work in each of us. Everyone came prepared and we tried to come together, agree and respect each other in diversity and complementarity.”
Sister Pascaline (Pre-chapter secretary)
“I am happy to have participated indirectly in the Pre-Chapter. I thank the sisters who trusted me with the secretarial service. What touched me most in the exchanges and sharing of the sisters in the different meetings: the unity between them, the love of the congregation, the attachment to the pillars of our congregation, i.e. Consecrated Life, the attachment to Christ, the community life, the Mission which pushes us to go forward to find everything necessary to respond to the call of Christ.”
Sr Magda Orczykowska (community of Ukusijoni, Uganda, translator from French to English)
“The very prayerful atmosphere of the Pre-Chapter from the first day to the last. The unity between all the sisters who were in this meeting. I have hope for the future.”
Fr. Jean Paul Sakoto of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (translator from English to French)
“It was an honor for me to have collaborated as a translator. I liked the availability of the sisters in the way of doing things, the depth of the reflections and above all the sense of unity, of communion and the testimony of life which struck me a lot. The way the sisters knew how to listen to the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. I felt in the debates, a listening to the other through the depth of the grace of the Holy Spirit. I also benefited from the graces of the Holy Spirit. The originality of the Charism of the MSOLA congregation and the call to go to the peripheries to continue the Mission of Christ with joy and for the glory of God and the salvation of the world.”
Sister Chimwemwe (community of Kodhek in Nairobi, Kenya)
On the evening of September 28, we had a visit from our sisters and Missionaries of Africa who live in Nairobi. We celebrated the Eucharist and shared a meal. Our Sister Chimwemwe, who came to visit us, shared her testimony with us:
“What touched me during the meal was the experience we had of Pentecost. Everyone was invited to introduce themselves. We were the sisters and the Missionaries of Africa who came from different countries. Some spoke in French and others in English, the most important thing is that we managed to communicate. It gave me the joy of practicing French and English. God is good all the time!”
Sisters Sakina Kataluka and Maite Oiartzun
