Sr. Rehema Toiwoki Kimesera (left) and Sr. Maria Carmen Ocón Moreno next to her with their classmates in Rabat, Morocco. At the centre Mrs Amina
A letter from our sisters Rehema Toiwoki Kimesera and Maria Carmen Ocón Moreno in Morocco
Dear sisters,
We finally found a bit of time to share with you some news since our arrival in Rabat. Rehema arrived on 21st January coming from Tanzania.
It was a stressful trip as she had to wait until the last minute at Dar-es-Salaam’s airport before they allowed her to board, wondering why she
was to go to Morocco. Her arrival in Rabat was good, only that due to a misunderstanding of the hour of her arrival she was stranded for three
hours before the sister picked her up.
Maria Carmen arrived on 22nd coming from Spain. She took a ship from Tarifa to Tanger and the train from Tanger to Rabat. A trip where she
felt fully accompanied by the “angels” the Lord put on her way. Indeed, it was a trip full of gestures of solidarity and mutual help between
people on the way. We both stay at the Diocesan Centre Notre Dame de la Paix managed by Our Sister Congregation “Institut des Filles du Coeur Immaculé de Marie” from Mali. At present, we are around 10 residents of whom 5 follow the Certificate Course at the Al Mowafaqa Ecumenical Institute of Theology.
We are 11 students as a couple of them have not received their visa. They come from different nationalities (RCA, Congo B. France, Ivory Coast,
Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Guinea Conakry, Spain…). Some are pastors from various protestant churches, some are catholic priests, one lady
is married to a pastor. We are the only religious women in the group.
Learning experiences
Each week we have a different course, most of them in order to help us gain a better knowledge of Islam such as the Origins of Islam,
Anthropology of Islam… and something related to the pedagogy needed in order to engage in an intercultural or interreligious dialogue.
As for the learning of Arabic it has been very limited, so far only a week: An introduction to the alphabet of classic Arabic. It was like going back to kindergarten, as we were struggling to get to know the letters of the alphabet, trying to write them, putting them together, separate them and read them. We will have another week in April. The teacher told us that the best for us will be to learn the Moroccan dialect, the darija, once we are in Ouarzazate.
It has also been a time to visit some places and meet different people:
- We visited the “Rabita Mohammedia des Oulémas in Rabat”. It is an association of Moroccan theologians engaged in projects of
reflection, research and activities on the ground, in order to promote inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue in the country. They have 25 centres in the country. They run educational programs in 3,000 schools; they offer expertise at international level; they accompany prisoners who have committed violent acts and their families, in order to help them regain a peaceful and respectful practise of their religion. There is also reflection with other religious leaders on common issues such as ecology and whatever can encourage greater fraternity. - There was also the possibility to visit the protestant church guided by pastor Camille Kalonji. Originally from DRC, he came to
Morocco in 2005 to do his PhD on the domain of Biomedical in a project of malaria treatment with natural plants. Not only he concluded the doctorate but he was one of the first graduates in Theology at the Al Mowafaqa Institute. He is since 2018 pastor in the Temple of Rabat. We were struck by something he said about his experience, he realized that “la fermeture c’est la mort et l’ouverture
c’est la vie” in all the domains of our life. Something we all need to keep very present! - Of course it was on the program to visit the Catholic Cathedral, together with a presentation of the history of the Catholic Church in Morocco by Fr. Daniel Nourissat, actual parish priest of the Cathedral. It is a beautiful building with an architecture very enculturated in
the Arabic style. - On another occasion we had a three-hour walking tour through the Medina of Salé, a millennial city called the beautiful twin of Rabat. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the right side of the Buregreg river opposite the city of Rabat. Well entertained by the guide, we went around the most emblematic parts.
As it was the week of Prayer for Christian Unity, a very prayerful ecumenical celebration took place at the Institute. It was well attended
by many Catholics and Protestants. Outside the context of the Institute, Cardinal Cristobal invited us to accompany him to the city of Fes, where he went for the Sunday eucharistic celebration. It is a trip of two and a half hours from Rabat. There is only one church, with the name of Saint Francis of Assisi, run since many years by an SMA priest from Italy. The Christian community is large, due to the many university students coming from different countries of Africa. The only religious congregation is that of the Little Sisters of Jesus.
A week ago, we managed to hand in the documentation needed for the resident permits. It took a few comings and goings before we
succeeded, but it is done. The Church employees are exempted from payment as there is an agreement between the government and the
Catholic Church.
We also had the joy to have a full afternoon-evening with our brothers the Missionaries of Africa. They are three, Fr. Albert from Burkina
Faso, Fr. Oscar from Mexico and Fr. Modeste from DRC. Together, we discovered some other parts of the town, a beautiful and spacious park
called Hassan II, and the Roman Necropolis of Chellah. It is at present closed to the public, but we managed to do the outside tour. We
concluded the evening with a nice supper in a Syrian restaurant near our residence. It was a very fraternal time and we had the chance to
get to know each other better. We all remain with the desire to repeat the experience.
In a couple of days, we will start the month of Ramadhan and everyone tells us that everything will be transformed, the rhythm of life, the
atmosphere in the town… So, we hope to enjoy being together with the people at this special time for them.
If all goes well, we will be going for a week visit to Ouarzazate during the holidays at the end of Ramadhan. It seems the renovations in the
house have been done and there are only a few touches to conclude it.
We are grateful for the chance to have this formation before starting our mission here and though it is demanding we are also enjoying it. We
continue to count on your prayers as we keep journeying in this new beginning.
