From our Sr Sylviane Rouamba and Sr Domina Dusenge
Dear readers,
We send you greetings of peace and joy!
As temporary vowed sisters of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, we are writing to inform you of our 2024 session and retreat in Uganda – the land of martyrs.
The meeting took place from 28 November to 13 December 2024. It was divided into two parts: a week of deepening the theme of the 2023 General Chapter and a week of retreat. The first part was led by our sisters: Sister Angela Kapitinganga, Superior General of our congregation, Sister Jeanne d’Arc Ouattara, her assistant (who joined us on line), Sister Furaha Kamanyura Jeannette, leader of the ECA entity, Sister Élisabeth Villemure, Sister Revocate Kabahuma and Father David Sullivan, Missionary of Africa. The session took place in an atmosphere of openness, listening, sharing and trust.
Conversation in the spirit
We learned about conversation in the spirit, i.e. active listening and intentional speaking. It was a fruitful asset in our various exchanges and work during the session. It helped us to listen to each other and to stay in touch with what others were sharing. This ability will continue to help us in our communities and apostolates to live the synodal spirit and build a world of justice and peace.
Sister Carol’s inspiring faith in the midst of challenges
We were delighted to welcome our sister Carol who shared with us her experience of transformation.
She began her story with this phrase: ‘From a small change to a great transformation.’
We were touched by her serenity. Despite her illnesses, she was able to remain faithful to God’s call to dedicate her life to him. She said: ‘It’s my health that’s weak, not my faith. We can see this in the way she lives out her mission despite the fragility of her health. She puts God above all else and sees him in all the circumstances of her life, whether they are moments of consolation or desolation. She remains faithful to the charism and spirituality of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, even though she does not live in a community. Her witness has encouraged us to cultivate our sense of belonging to the congregation.
Each of us is responsible for the mission
Through the sharing of different experiences, our Superior General, Sr Angela Kapitinganga, invited us to be kind to one another. We promised her that we would live this out, and we wish the same for our entire Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa family. We realise that our congregation is at a turning point: each of us is responsible for the mission entrusted to us, and must live our charism to the full.
We were invited to grow in our sense of belonging to the congregation and in our missionary zeal.
Expanding our tents
With our sister Jeanne d’Arc Ouattara, we were able to see the tents that have been enlarged in recent years. We were able to name the people with whom we work today. During her talk, she emphasised the importance of openness in order to have a broad vision and expand our tent, the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa.
We are invited to improve our collaboration with the Missionaries of Africa and the laity in order to extend our charism.
We are all responsible for this tent and we can expand it as we wish.
Learning to embrace our vulnerabilities
On the last two days of our session, Father David (Dave) and Sister Elizabeth helped us to explore our painful mysteries and our vulnerabilities. They helped us to understand and discover the painful mysteries of our lives. In the process, they have helped us to discover the means of healing these mysteries, by teaching us to recognise them, to name them and to make their trials our own. For each of us, it was a powerful moment to revisit our sacred history. We saw that each of us has our vulnerabilities and our wounds, but the Risen Christ loves us just as we are, and he wants us to be women who stand up and not bend down (Lk 13).
Well-managed vulnerability gives life, but badly managed vulnerability takes life away from oneself and from others. This is a call to us all to be aware of our own vulnerabilities and to learn to manage them well. This will enable us to help others who come to us with their vulnerabilities. To be transformed by the Risen Christ, we are invited to die to ourselves by integrating our vulnerabilities.
It was in the face of this experience that Saint Peter was able to respond to Jesus:
‘Yes, Lord, I love you’.
He is a good model for us to follow, as he who once considered himself to be the best of the disciples ended up acknowledging his vulnerabilities by denying Christ (Luke: 22, 31-33, Mt:26,36-46 and Jn: 21,15-17).
Renewal of vows
On 8 December, we shared in spirit the first vows of our four sisters in Bobo, and we attended the renewal of vows of our three sisters: Sister Rehema Kimesera on mission in Morocco, Sister Nadine Nana on mission in the DRC, and Sister Alice Koné on mission in Tunisia.
Be sisters!
During that day’s Eucharistic celebration, Father David spoke to us about the importance of titles in the Catholic Church, where figures such as bishops and cardinals are addressed with formal titles such as ‘My Lord’ and ‘Your Eminence’.
However, the title given to nuns, ‘Sister’, is much simpler, humbler and truer. It reflects their call to be sisters of Jesus Christ and to live in solidarity with all the people they serve.
Father David emphasises that, as sisters, we are called to serve others, just as Mary did when she went to visit Elizabeth. Whether through practical work, such as housework, or emotional solidarity in times of suffering, a sister’s role is to be present, to share the joys and sorrows of others and to pray for them. At such times, they can imitate the example of Mary at the foot of the cross, offering silent solidarity in times of crisis.
Father David also links the vow of chastity to the vocation of sisterhood, emphasising that it is not just a question of not marrying, but of committing oneself to loving others as a sister, carrying their burdens and guiding them to God.
Finally, he praised the title ‘sister’, which he said was more beautiful and true than the titles of priest or bishop, because it reflects the sisters’ mission to follow Mary’s example and serve others with love and dedication. The homily ended with a prayer for the sisters, asking for Mary’s intercession and the guidance of the spirit of Jesus.
Visit to the Martyrs of Uganda
We were blessed to go to Namugongo for our retreat. We were moved to make our retreat in the Daniel Comboni spiritual centre, at the shrine of the 22 Martyrs of Uganda.
We were touched by the testimony of the rector of the shrine, Father Vincent, a Missionary of Africa, who told us the story of the first missionaries in Uganda. He said:
‘When they arrived, they spoke only French or English. The Muslims and Anglicans acted as translators, but sometimes they didn’t translate well because of the competition between the religions. The first miracle was that one of the first Christians was very intelligent; he could understand the message of the missionaries and share it with the others.
Today, many miracles continue to happen in Namugongo thanks to the 22 young Ugandans who agreed to shed their blood for Christ. We then asked ourselves if we were capable today of accepting death for Christ. Father Vincent invited us to have a firm faith in the one we have chosen to follow. All we have to do is take one step, and Christ will take the other steps himself.
We thank God for having allowed us to have such a wonderful experience in Uganda. We received the martyrs’ medal and a pilgrimage certificate during a Eucharistic celebration. We were all moved by this experience of faith as missionaries.
We would like to thank our General Council and all those who contributed to the success of this wonderful meeting and retreat.
We would also like to thank the 18 Sisters of Temporary Vows who were present on site and online for the meeting from 28 November to 13 December 2024.
United in the same mission!
