A more humane world in harmony with nature
The request for an article on the MVA in Oran found me as I was preparing a meeting at the library. What is close to my heart and what I would like to invite others to do with me is to continue to develop our commitment to a more humane world in harmony with nature. For this purpose, I asked a Malian student Félicienne Diarra, who had just finished her studies at the University of Oran in a “specialty” and defended her Master in Environmental Process Engineering. She told us about the production of biogas through the treatment of organic waste (vegetable peelings, sludge from treatment plants, etc.). She chose this theme because according to her the world is facing a challenge that threatens its existence. The waste is piling up (and in the streets of Oran for several days of the garbage collectors’ strike it has become drastic and…
Vocational discernment camp – from 22 to 29 August 2022 in Burkina Faso
The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa invite young girls who wish to attend a vocational discernment camp on the theme: “Youth in search , what are you looking for?” This camp will take place from the evening of Monday 22 August to the morning of Monday 29 August 2022 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, around the cathedral next to the grotto, in the courtyard of the White Sisters. Arrival: from 3pm The participation fee is 2000F per person. Transport is at the expense of each participant. Please bring a Bible, a notebook and a pen, as well as personal necessities. N.B.: We ask you to inform us before the 17th of August. Telephone number: 70 63 90 22
“Go to my vineyard, you too, and I will give you what is right”
I am Sr. Marie Ange Ndayishimiye, I am Burundian missionary in Mauritania. I am in my third year on this desert land, warm and endearing. I thank Jesus Christ who, by his goodness, made me hear his words of sending on mission: “go to my vineyard, you too, and I will give you what is right. “I went there, body and soul, and since then I have had no regrets. Mauritania, in addition to its dunes, is a beautiful country where certain ethnic groups raise cows, camels, sheep, goats, etc. In some places, such as Rosso, and in other villages, rice and vegetables are grown and, above all, there are places planted with date palms. Come and you will see how good the Lord is! There are a good number of Muslim families who ask us to pray for them. My presence here, like that of the whole Church, is…
Totus Tuus Maria
TOTUS TUUS MARIA: All yours Mary … We share with you our experience of this month of May with Mary, Our Lady and the International Day of Living Together in Peace! Mary at the heart of our fraternity It all started on April 29. We met for the Eucharist in honor of Our Lady of Africa at home in Hydra with our brothers the Missionaries of Africa, the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Ouagadougou, the Sisters of the Annunciation of Bobo-Dioulasso, the Sisters of Marie Reparatrice of Uganda–members of our sister congregations present here in Algiers. We prayed especially for our future young sisters The evening was extended by a festive meal and a joyful sharing. On Saturday April 30, it was at the basilica that we honored our Lady. The Rosary, the Eucharist and the meal briought us together in the diocese with the four bishops of Algeria.…
Missionary and vocational animation in Poland
Our Lublin community came to be strongly linked to Africa due to the significant contribution of many sisters who have lived and worked here in Poland. People who desire to know more about Africa, to travel to Africa or to support Africa are referred to us by those who know us. Parishes and even schools within and outside Lublin invite us every year to speak about Africa and our MSOLA charism. We also have an African Museum which attracts different groups yearly. These invitations and visits have been very few for almost 2 years due to the pandemic. However, there is more life and joy since the beginning of this year as we are able to visit schools and receive students in our museum for animation. The joy of meeting children of basic schools so eager to know more about our charism and Africa is so encouraging. We normally begin…
Feast of the Ascension, Year C – 2022
Today’s feast is somehow mysterious… In the 1st reading, we are told that, risen from the dead, Jesus has been appearing to his apostles a number of times (Acts 1:1-11). A few verses later, we see him disappearing from their sight. Appearing, disappearing – these two words bring to mind the two realities of presence and absence. But, more still, they remind us of the two ways of understanding: through seeing and through perceiving. Personally, I see this feast of the Ascension as an invitation to a new way of recognizing God among us. It is no longer a presence that our eyes can see but a presence perceived by our hearts. Our ‘vision’ of God no longer depends on our eyesight but on… our faith! We no longer rely on what the eyes of our body can ascertain but on what God’s Spirit reveals to us in the depths of ourselves. This reflection started with referring to this feast…
Laudato Si’ Week 2022
This year, Laudato Si’ Week will take place from May 22nd to 29th, 2022. Laudato Si’ Week is a relatively recent annual celebration which marks the signing of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical letter, “Laudato Si’: On Care For Our Common Home”. This year, with the theme of “Listening and Journeying Together”, Catholics across the world will unite in prayer and action, “bringing the whole human family together” to protect our common home (LS 13). During Laudato Si’ Week, we listen and respond to the cry of creation, rejoice in the progress we have made in bringing Laudato Si’ to life, and intensify our efforts through the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. Global and local events will take place throughout the week, with each day devoted to one of the Laudato Si’ Goals. Laudato Si’ Week 2022 Complete Schedule *All global events, excluding the movie sneak peek on May 27, will be broadcast on Laudato Si’…
6th Sunday of Easter, Year C – 2022
Among us, people, we often exchange services of different kinds. We go to a neighbor, a friend, a doctor, a teacher, a builder, asking them to provide us with whatever we need at any given time. And, we do the same… with God! Very often, our prayer to God takes the form of a petition – We bring to him all kinds of requests for ourselves and for people dear to us, or people we see in need. We trust that he will answer our needs, our dreams, our hopes. And he does so, very often. But have you realised that, often, God gives us things that we never asked for? He pours into our lives blessings and gifts that we would have never thought – or dared – to ask him for! The text of today’s gospel is an obvious example of this (John 14:23-29). On the eve of…
5th Sunday of Easter, Year C – 2022
Looking at our lives, we sometimes pause to consider what is important to us. We may look at this or that aspect and we question what is really… essential! Our personal needs may first come to our minds. And, of course, our relationships with the people near and dear to us are most important. But… something is still missing… which can be found in a verse of today’s 1st reading (Acts 14:21-27). It speaks of the two apostles, Paul and Barnabas, and says: “Paul and Barnabas… committed the Elders of the communities to the Lord in whom they had put their trust”. To be committed to the Lord and put our trust in him – is this not essential to our very being? Committed to the Lord by the people who love us, the people to whom we really matter – this is, in fact, the best gift they can give to us. Committed to the…
4th Sunday of Easter, Year C – 2022
A theology lesson in 4 Bible verses – this is what the text of this Sunday’s gospel offers us (John 10:27-30). Such a short text and so rich is the reality it describes. This 4th Easter Sunday is known as Good Shepherd Sunday as it focuses on Jesus, the Risen Lord, as our Shepherd. What the words describe, what the text affirms, is really amazing. It offers us a promise of belonging, of security, and a gift beyond what we could imagine: eternal life! “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Christ knows us, yes, just as we are, deeply, truly… He gives us eternal life, his own life, the very life that he shares with the Father. That is, of course, if… We listen to his voice…