Only women can accomplish this mission!
“Only women can accomplish this mission!” says Cardinal Lavigerie The sisters in Ghardaia, Algeria, participate in women’s ceremony for two marriages. • It was 2 days before the birth of our Savior Jesus that two of our sisters attended a wedding party of a friend of our community. It was a great experience to be in the middle of all this feminine Mozabite world. When we arrived we saw the women ‘covered up’ according to their culture, which does not allow them to show their faces when they are outside. Stepping inside, we could see the beauty of these women with their kindness and warm welcome. It was the dance party, which is done before marriage in a girl’s family. It was interesting to see the dress of different Algerian cultures, as the bride danced and changed outfits that night at least five times. Everyone sang and danced with her…
Moving Forward Together towards the Peripheries
Sister Bibiane reports from Fribourg, Suisse, where since 2016, she has been part of a team of pastoral visitors to the Home des Chênes in the Parish where our community is located. This Home currently accommodates 83 elderly people from all over the canton of Fribourg. Here is her story: One day, the pastoral worker, responsible for our group, suggested that I start a gospel sharing group within the Home for the residents who would like it. Indeed, she was aware that I was already participating in a group the “Gospel at Home” in Fribourg.What are these “Gospel at Home” groups? These are small neighborhood groups that meet once a month, since 2011, using the booklet that bears the same name, in order to rediscover the Word of God in continuous reading. This year, the Gospel according to Matthew is offered.The moment of astonishment, of surprise passed, after having spoken…
Resilience training – Ouagadougou, ICOF 2022
When I received the information on the training I was going to follow, I was a little reluctant because I imagined receiving classes where there would be few breaks and a lot of reflection. But since I had no valid reasons to refuse, I accepted. So I went to this training “Resilience and Religious Life” with a little apprehension and curiosity. We were 5 from the same congregation and I saw the other enthusiastic sisters. I followed the group. Upon arrival, I saw sisters from other congregations that I knew and those that I did not know. The atmosphere of reunion gave me joy. From day one we had to answer the question: What helps me when I face a difficult situation? For me it is the meditation on the life of Jesus through the prayer of the rosary: from the Annunciation to the Resurrection. And I ask the…
New building for the Kapokier Rouge
Le Kapokier Rouge, health center of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, brings hope to the Chadian people and to certain neighboring countries. In this month of grace, we have the joy of sharing with you what is for us a sign of hope as we so often talk about it: “Let us be bearers of hope!” Since May, our sister Monique Pouyez has left France to lend a hand in the construction of a new building at the Kapokier Rouge centre. Today it is completed and we give thanks to God who gave strength to those who contributed to it. After the working time, we organized the inauguration day which took place at the center on 23/11/2022. In gratitude, all the staff rejoiced in this work. In good collaboration and a pleasant atmosphere, they moved to begin work in the two new buildings. The mass and the…
Jubilee celebration in Cartierville, Montréal
Monday, October 24th, was a feast day in Cartierville! Of the 21 Jubilarians of our Entity, 14 were physically present, led by our centenarian, Sr Gisèle Dubois! Sr Lise Giguère came from Beauport, thanks to Mrs Bénédicte Lasselin, their accompanist. We were also happy to welcome Sr Marcelle Morin from Ottawa and Sr Felicia Nowak from Winooski. And we also remembered Sr Françoise Bruneau who died on June 10th this year. On entering the Providence Hall, an autumn ambiance surrounded us with a shimmer of colours, ochre and bronze, carrying us away in a dance of tones. The beautiful layout of the centerpieces invited us to gather around these well-prepared tables, with tablecloths and napkins bearing the names of the jubilarians. Also note the small corsage bouquets for each of the jubilarians. Indeed, a lot of imagination and affection have gone into this celebration. To the left of the altar,…
The General Council meets the sisters of temporary vows
The meeting is held from 12th to 17th of December in Nairobi, Kenya. Its main objective is to prepare the contribution of our Sisters of temporary vows to the General Chapter 2023. The sisters pray and share using the method of spiritual conversation. We entrust them to your prayers!
Exhibition of Sister Ghislaine Dubé
In the photo Sr Ghislaine with Sr Gisela from Rome ‘Tell me about Africa’. From October 13th to 16th, we had the privilege of sharing in the beauty, grace, and harmony of Siter Ghislaine’s works of art. The exhibition was held at the ‘Carrefour Foi et Spiritualité’, in the basement of the St-Joseph-Bordeaux Church, thanks to the collaboration of several friends, devotees of Art and Africa. 24 paintings made on acrylics and mosaics, represented scenes from Burundi and Algeria, as well as Aboriginal Art from Canada. Sr Ghislaine went around the room with visitors to answer questions. The theme of ‘the Circle of life’ dominated, with representations of women, children, dancers and drummers, painted in colours where black, brown, red and grey clay predominate. One could also stop at leisure on a painting to allow a call for greater well-being to rise from within… This exhibition was really a praise…
Pastoral work in the prison of Laghouat, Algeria
Jesus invites us to put into practice this Word of the Gospel. “I was a prisoner and you visited me” (Mt 25:36). Jesus sends two of us, Zawadi Barungu and Mari Angeles Yaniz, to the prison in Laghouat. We visit the prisoners there every two weeks. Since Laghouat is 220 km from Ghardaia, we go by car. The prisoners we visit have no relationship with the outside world. Far from their family, their country, without visits, they feel forgotten. Our presence brings them joy and hope. On each visit we meet between 22 and 24 men from different countries, languages, Christians from different churches. It is a joy to go and meet them, we love them and they have great confidence in us. Before the visit we prepare the text of the Sunday Gospel with a little commentary that we look for, a psalm and a prayer, which sometimes they…
Missionary Saturday 12 November 2022
Although we usually associate November with gloomy moods and grey weather – the home of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa (the White Sisters) was recently filled with a very different atmosphere. Enjoying the richness and diversity of cultures, generations and nationalities, we experienced a Missionary Saturday! Amidst the autumn darkness, the Sun shone upon us – Christ, who in the Word of God led us through that Saturday morning. We had the opportunity to feed on Sunday’s Gospel and share it in groups. After a short coffee break with cake, we were introduced to basic knowledge of Poland by our guest, Magda. The presentation of the country’s history, geography, culture, cuisine and other interesting facts about the country was concluded by a series of questions from the participants and a short discussion. An important element of the presentation was the demonstration of how the Catholic faith had…
A novice participates in the vows of five sisters
I would like to share with you, dear readers, what I experienced during the preparations and the day of the celebration in a few words. On the 8 October, I participated in the first religious profession of our 4 sisters: Clementine Hanyie and Neema Kavugho Kyuma from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sylvane Roumaba from Burkina Faso, Xaverine Mukasinga from Rwanda. The same day Sister Agnieszka Lyskawinska transfered to our Congregation from Poland and made her perpetual vows. A few days before the celebration, we had the joy of welcoming our sisters from Ghana, Mauritania, Mali and Ouagadougou. You can imagine the joy of reunion. The house was lively. On the day of the celebration and especially during the homily, I was touched by the questions asked by the main celebrant, Father Jean Michel Laurent Missionary of Africa: “Which missionary do I desire and would like to be? Which missionary…