Sharing our charism

Our community in Nouakchott, Mauritania, shares our charism with our collaborators and friends

For some years now, we have been encouraged to share our MSOLA charism with lay people interested in getting to know us.

Last year, our community in Nouakchott had already gathered some friends and collaborators around this theme and this year again, we thought of the feast of Our Lady of Africa to meet together.

Long before, we had met as a community to reflect on this important event in our working year. The idea came to us to focus the reflection on our four apostolic orientations.

Finally, the long-awaited big day arrived! On Saturday 29 April, about twenty of our friends and collaborators met in our house: the supervisors of the Maison du Quartier, people who have planted trees with us in different neighborhoods, members of the Islamic-Christian dialogue group, neighbours, students from the hassaniyya course… It was a nice mix of Togolese, Ivorians, Senegalese, French, Cameroonians, Congolese, Guineans, and Chadians…

After an introductory prayer, everyone had the opportunity to introduce themselves and explain how they relate to our community.

Then we briefly explained each of our four apostolic orientations and the participants expressed themselves to say in which orientation they are already committed or towards which they feel most attracted. Thus, four groups were spontaneously formed among the participants. Each group then met to look for the values they live by and the Word of God that supports them. This was followed by a large group sharing which focused on the issue of migration and human trafficking. Indeed, each of the participants is in one way or another migrant in this Mauritanian land and many of them are responsible for their national community.

In the evening, we entrusted all our exchanges and intentions to the Lord through the intercession of Our Lady of Africa. The litany of thanksgiving, in which everyone was able to express themselves, was very moving.

This was followed by a festive meal offered to everyone and a dance closed the evening. Everyone went home happy and enriched.