Srs. Marie-Ange Ndayishimiye, Lucile Habimana, Margareth Kibola, Olive Nihorimbere, Mia Dombrecht.
Next to Msgr Victor Ndione, and the Bishop emeritus Msgr Martin Happe M.Afr.
In the 1970s, the wife of the first President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mrs Ould Dadah, had expressed to the Bishop at the time, Mgr De Chevigny, her desire to have catholic sisters who could work with Mauritanian women. Our Congregation responded positively to this request, as being women with women in a multicultural country is in line with the apostolic priorities of our Congregation.
Sr Jeanne Guérid was the first missionary sister of Our Lady of Africa to arrive in Nouakchott in November 1975.
This October, we wished to celebrate with our parish our 50 years in Mauritania and combined these celebrations with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Cardinal Lavigerie.
On Thursday 23 October, we led the adoration service at the parish, attended by around fifty parishioners. We listened to some memorable quotes from Cardinal Lavigerie and allowed ourselves to be moved by his words during the period of silence that followed. It was a time to reflect on the advice he gave us, as missionaries, and a way of introducing him to the Christians of our parish.
On Sunday 26 October, a solemn Mass was celebrated, presided over by our bishop, Bishop Victor Ndione. In his homily, he reminded us that a jubilee year is a year marked by gratitude and forgiveness, and like a new Pentecost to prepare for the next 50 years.
We had put up a display board with photos of the SMNDA sisters who had worked in Mauritania. Former parishioners viewed the display with joy and recognized sisters whom they had loved and with whom they had worked.
After Mass, we organized a gathering with 80 parishioners keen to learn more about Cardinal Lavigerie and our charism. Father Léonard, a Missionary of Africa, came from Nouadhibou to tell us about the Cardinal’s life and work; afterwards, we SMNDA sisters spoke about our work in Mauritania, in the light of our four priority apostolic areas.
We are well aware that this 50th anniversary of our presence has been made possible thanks to the love and zeal of the sisters who went before us. Whether they are in heaven, or elsewhere in Africa, Europe or America, may they find here our gratitude for the foundations they laid, upon which we can now continue to build.
Dear sisters, you were all very much in our thoughts and in our hearts.
“Magnificent is the Lord, my whole heart sings to God, magnificent is the Lord!”
Now let us set out for the next 50 years with the Lord’s grace
