Srs. Maite, Marie Ange and Victoire with some students
Sr. Marie Ange, in Nouakchott, Mauritania, has gone back to Burundi for a holiday with the family. While in Gitega she joined Srs. Maite and Victoire, who are there on mission, for some missionary vocation animation (MVA) in schools. Here is the report of her activities.
During my leave in February 2024 I joined my sisters in Gitega to do MVA activities in the secondary schools. Sometimes we had about 1000 pupils in a large hall, girls and boys of all religions together and we always started with a song “God will do it again”, composed by Tchouva, that says “God will work miracles, he heals the sick, he raises the dead, he is powerful to save, he does not change … he sustains all things by his Powerful Word, more effective than a two-edged sword.
Lord, say only one word… and I will be blessed. “
We danced this as we went around in circles, the joy was immense. This song created confidence in us and briefly described God’s mission. Srs. Maïte, Victoire and I, always wore our congregation kitenge. What a beautiful testimony, especially when we told the children that we are sisters beyond our different nationalities.
The children were always happy and motivated after hearing that God needs them today to announce the Good News to others, even outside Burundi; because there are places where people have not yet heard of Jesus Christ. With the help of the map of Africa, MVA was an opportunity for most of them to hear about Mauritania for the first time and to find out where Mauritania is on this map. It was also touching for these young people in Burundi to learn that Mauritania has only one diocese and about fifty Pastoral Agents for the whole country.
We prayed the words of this song:
“God needs you, God needs you, your heart, God needs you, God needs you, your faith, your baptism. God needs you to show his face, to show the face of God, God needs you to carry his tenderness, to show the tenderness of heaven…The world is thirsty for God, his tenderness, the world is thirsty for God, his face, his face…; …the world is hungry for God… his face, God needs you to carry hope.”
Doing MVA was an opportunity for me to bear witness to the fact that what is written in the Gospels about Jesus Christ and his mission is fulfilled every day in our lives. Through our MSOLA charism, lived out in a very diverse way because each country has its own particularity, God reaches out to his people, heals them, resurrects them and gives them life. The young students listened to us attentively.
What struck me was that the Protestants and girls from other religions were also actively participating and asking us how they were going to join our congregation? What steps do they have to take? Can someone who wasn’t born in the Catholic Church dedicate herself to God and become a missionary? We encouraged them to contact Sr. Victoire in charge of MVA so that she can guide them.
In the high schools we visited in Gitega, the students come from different regions of Burundi, and this helped us to spread our missionary vocation to almost every diocese in Burundi. We distributed leaflets to them so that they could continue to talk about our congregation in their home parishes. We are counting on your prayers so that the missionary seeds we have sown may bear much fruit, a fruit that remains.
We give thanks to God and sing aloud:
“How beautiful are your works… Lord, you fill us with joy”.
