As the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa we are preparing for the 26th General Chapter to be held this year.
The theme of our General Chapter is:
The transforming love of the Risen Lord 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.
This theme in turn sends us to our Constitutions n° 22:
“Our whole life is a participation in Christ’s Paschal Mystery as we make our own the Servant’s attitude of unconditional, self-surrendering love. To begin again each day, to endure in difficult situations, to accept suffering, partings and diminishment, all this becomes a source of life in him. Thus, in Christ, the First-born of a great multitude, we move towards the final gathering of reconciled humanity, where all will proclaim: ‘Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father’ ”.
Here is the official logo of our 26th General Chapter:
The risen Jesus:
Jesus is at the center of the whole logo, as He is the center of our lives, our vocation, our mission. He has his hands outstretched and his heart open. We want to learn from Him to stay open in heart and mind.
Two figures:
The Risen Lord continually prays for us: “May you all be one!”
Next to the Risen Lord are seemingly two figures. In fact, they are one, as they have a common trunk. Their arms are like branches that together form a tent. We too want to live collaboration and unity and to be able to enlarge our tent.
Each of them is facing the Risen Jesus, and at the same time, they are transformed by Him, by His love. We need a constant transformation in order to be sent.
The hands:
They have different sizes and colors. They are part of the tree, they form the treetop. They symbolize our collaboration with others: lay people, co-workers but also those we meet, who are taking part in our charism and who are waiting to combine their efforts to give rise to a new creation together with us.
The seed:
This is a symbol of new life.
The seed in the ground dies to give new life. It happens in secret, we do not know when, how or where. It slowly puts down roots and the stem creeps upwards to the surface of the soil as it becomes a plant. We too are invited to give life to a new creation in the reality in which we live, not forgetting that God himself can surprise us.
The roots:
They are a symbol of our rootedness in Christ. We want to deepen our rootedness in Christ, in our charism, in our spirituality as we allow the Risen Lord to transform us by His love.
A logo is meant to suggest different interpretations. What do you see in this Logo? What is its message to you?
