IX° International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking 2023
“Only to do right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) Journeying in dignity “Journeying in dignity” is the theme of the 9th Edition of the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, celebrated around Feb. 8, 2023. In 2022, we have experienced major changes as well as the aggravation of crises. In this context, the number of both at-risk groups and people suffering from trafficking violence has increased. This can be explained by the exploitation of vulnerabilities caused by instability due to armed conflicts, generalized violence, and climate-environmental and economic crises. Those attempting to flee in hope of safety or employment find themselves at the mercy of inadequate laws to protect migrants and find themselves more easily entangled in the webs woven by traffickers. In addition, traffickers have increased their use of information technology for recruitment and exploitation, luring victims on…
Me? Be a sister? You’re not serious.
Today, the 2nd February we are celebrating the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, and the same time 27th World day for consecrated life. Therefore, we propose an article written by Benedictine Sister Joan Chattister: It is one thing to watch the world change around us. It is entirely another to deal with the fact that our changing world is changing us, too. We have found ourselves in a world of possibilities. We have also discovered, then, the ways in which choice entraps us. One woman, for example, agonized with the idea that she herself had given a lot of thought over the years to entering a monastery, but why go? “Why commit myself to a religious community with so much uncertainty if, as a layperson, I can develop my spiritual life anywhere? I can develop a spiritual community anywhere. I can practice deep meaningful spirituality in any community…
How a dream became reality
One day, I saw Cardinal Lavigerie in a dream giving a lecture. I wondered what could be the meaning of my dream. Well, this is how the dream was born in me to have an open day to make our Congregation better known and to respond to the call to open ourselves to the different forms of belonging. This stayed with me for a long time before I told my sisters in community. One day during the community meeting, I shared it. So, we started to organize by writing an announcement that was read in all the masses at the cathedral in Ouagadougou. When the day came, “our sister the rain” visited us to the point that those who came to the first three Masses quickly returned home without coming to our house. I then felt that it was up to me to go to them, to look for…
Life stories from Boxtel
This is the second part of the Life stories of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa (White Sisters) from Boxtel (The Neatherlands). For the new KRO-NCRV programme Anita in the Mission.Anita Witzier is fascinated by the adventurous lives these women led: standing up for the very weakest under the most difficult circumstances.They were young women when they make the journey to Africa full of ideals. Driven by faith, determined to make the world a better place. They build schools and run hospitals…
Prayer for the 26th General Chapter 2023
Triune God, Source of inspiration and communion, We praise you for sharing your boundless love for us through the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave his whole life for humanity. He leads us in his mission to be docile to the creative newness of the Holy Spirit. We thank you for our beloved Congregation which, for 153 years, has been rooted in the passion for Christ and his mission in the heart of Cardinal Lavigerie, our founder, of Mother Marie-Salomé and our sisters of all generations. We thank you for calling and sending us as women apostles, among the countless messengers of your Word, to Africa and among its peoples everywhere. We entrust to you our next 26th General Chapter. May the breath of your Holy Spirit inspire us during its preparation and lovingly guide our discernment and our journey together. Faithful to the Gospel and to our charism, may our…
Life stories of the MSOLA from Boxtel
Life stories of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa (White Sisters) from Boxtel (The Neatherlands). For the new KRO-NCRV programme Anita in the Mission. Anita Witzier is fascinated by the adventurous lives these women led: standing up for the very weakest under the most difficult circumstances. They were young women when they make the journey to Africa full of ideals. Driven by faith, determined to make the world a better place. They build schools and run hospitals… The second part of the film is coming soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMimUh8JPx0
Logo for the 26th General Chapter 2023
As the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa we are preparing for the 26th General Chapter to be held this year. The theme of our General Chapter is: The transforming love of the Risen Lord calls us to journey together without fear, to deepen our charism in collaboration with others, and to expand our tent, giving birth to a new creation. This theme in turn sends us to our Constitutions n° 22: “Our whole life is a participation in Christ’s Paschal Mystery as we make our own the Servant’s attitude of unconditional, self-surrendering love. To begin again each day, to endure in difficult situations, to accept suffering, partings and diminishment, all this becomes a source of life in him. Thus, in Christ, the First-born of a great multitude, we move towards the final gathering of reconciled humanity, where all will proclaim: ‘Jesus Christ is Lord to…
Gosia Poplawska’s visit to our community Köln/Klettenberg
So many overnight visitors we hadn’t seen for a long time! And as the visitors were so gracious to accept all kind of bivouac, all had a good night’s sleep! lt was right after the Pre-Chapter near Cologne (Germany). We had the joy first welcome our two leaders, Sr. Florence and Sr. Maite – already before the Pre-Chapter and afterwards Sr. Piluca and Sr. Gosia were added to their number. Before the Pre-Chapter we had a friendly get-together with Sr. Florence and Sr. Maite giving us welcome news from the other Countries of our entity! It was the first time to meet Sr. Maite and now we had the joy of inviting them “home” here in Köln/Klettenberg. The evening after the Chapter we found ourselves again all together. Sr. Piluca shared some of her encouraging experiences with other Congregations! It was so good to see her once again after several…
Youth Forum in Rwanda
Greetings of the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. My name is Marie YEZAKUZWE. I am from Gorero parish, diocese of Nyundo. I arrived in Butare community on the 2nd April 2022 in order to start learning English so that I may be able to start the pre- postulancy. Today, I want to share with you my joy of participating in the Youth Forum. It was in the diocese of Butare, in the parish of Kabgayi. The Forum started on the 17th until the 21st August 2022. This forum gathered all the catholic youth of Rwanda from 9 dioceses. Each diocese was represented and others were following the session through social media. I was touched to see how the Catholic Church cares for the youth. They invited different authorities in the church and in the country in order to share with young people their experience and encourage them to build…
Sharing the Experience of the Apostolate at the Havre du Bon Pasteur Centre
The Havre du Bon Pasteur center is a center that welcomes girls and women living in distress. Among them, we have those who have escaped from forced marriages and those who are victims of unwanted pregnancy and excluded from their families. There are also all the girls or women victims of abuse or sexual violence who need support and security. This center was created in 2021 by the sisters of Notre Dame de Charité du Bon Pasteur. It is located in Bobo Dioulasso in Sector 22. Two of us go every Saturday for the apostolate from 3 to 5 p.m. Our joy is to see how much these girls consider us as their own sisters and the trust they have in us. We also see them as our own sisters who need our help; we learn a lot from them even though they are not from the same family, they…