Provincial jubilee of consecrated people: 125 years of Evangelization of Burkina Faso
By Sr Pascaline Katungu
Dear sisters,
in Burkina Faso, we are in a joyful commemoration of the jubilee year of Burkina. 125 years of evangelization! On this occasion, the Church Family of God of Burkina, in particular that of the ecclesiastical province of Ouagadougou, bringing together four dioceses; Koudougou, Manga, Ouahigouya and Ouagadougou, celebrated on November 30, at the cathedral parish, the jubilee of Consecrated Life for this province.
It was a thanksgiving mass presided over by Bishop Joachim, bishop of the diocese of Manga. The bishops of these four dioceses were present at the ceremony. There were many of us. The church was filled with consecrated persons, the majority being religious women.
Before the Mass, each congregation had installed in the courtyard of the cathedral, presentation panels to do vocational animation.
In his homily, the bishop first paid tribute to the consecrated persons who were honored on this occasion. He expressed his gratitude to the consecrated persons for their commitment to serving the people of God in various missions in Burkina Faso.
He underlined the triple goal of this jubilee in the Church family of God in Ouagadougou:
to praise and give thanks to the Lord for the gift of Consecrated Life;
to promote its knowledge and esteem within the People of God and
to continue to live with faith and hope our consecration in the service of the Church; in the service of the brothers and sisters.
He also noted that the consecrated life is an encounter between God and man, an encounter between consecrated persons and their brothers and sisters. Consecrated persons are called to be men and women of the encounter. He stressed that we are called in each diocese to conform to the mission and directives given, thus promoting collaboration and complementarity with members of other congregations and the diocesan clergy.
It was a day of thanksgiving to God who blesses us and chooses us in Christ to follow him and respond to his mission in Burkina Faso.
At the end of the mass we gathered as a Lavigerie family (SMNDA and M. Afr.) in front of our posters for souvenir photos. The celebration ended with a fraternal sharing with all the consecrated persons present.
