Intercommunity meeting in Algeria
Sr. Bernadette Djekoye for the community On December 26, our sisters from the communities of Oran and Algiers courageously set off for Ghardaïa where we were impatiently waiting for them. We welcomed them with great joy. It had been so long since almost all of us had had the opportunity to meet. On the morning of the 27th, we celebrated the Eucharist in our community, presided over by one of our brothers of the Missionaries of Africa. After a good breakfast, we set off for Sebseb where we were able to live our time of sharing about our mission as MSOLA in the M’Zab Valley, in Ghardaïa. Along the way, we discovered this environment until our destination. We had a very warm welcome in this desert place, with beautiful tents. We were even able to have a room to ourselves all day. It was at this time…
Three dimensions of Spirituality
From Sr. Iwona Cholewinska, La Marsa, Tunisia A deep conviction that has accompanied me since my novitiate is that we, the MSOLA, have a spirituality of our own. I would like to look at it in its three dimensions: interior, horizontal and vertical, by joining the definition of Delia Mamon. For her, spirituality is “the connection to one’s inner being, to others, to the whole, including to that which surpasses us.” Our MSOLA spirituality is first of all the spirituality of the personal relationship with the Lord. It is nourished by Ignatian Spirituality which leads us with its many means to the deepening of this relationship and leads us to a true experience of Life. Our MSOLA Spirituality is enriched by certain aspects of African Spirituality which recognize the sacred character of life and a deep connection with its source. The Ubuntu philosophy and its adage “I am…
Enjoying little things: a trip to Antwerp Zoo
Written in July 2024 by Ludovica Hofmans and Reninca Van Elzen Summer was slow in coming to Belgium and rather temperamental … We did decide on a date for a visit to Antwerp Zoo, and on that day, 19 July 2024, the weather was very fine, even a little too hot (30°C). But, equipped with hats and bottles of water, we went ahead with our trip to the zoo. We (Anna Hendrickx and ourselves) were lucky enough to be accompanied by Claire, our coordinator, and Sr Marcelline and Sr Maïté, our leaders, who were visiting Belgium! Pauline, a friend of Sr Mia Van Looy, was also on hand to help transport us as all three of us were in wheelchairs. We thank her again very much! I, Ludovica, really admired Pauline, Marcelline and Claire, who pushed us all the way. Thanks to them, I had a great…
Ambassadors of hope: together against human trafficking
Ambassadors of hope: together against human trafficking Every year on 8 February, in the liturgical memory of Saint Bakhita, we celebrate the International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking. People on all continents unite their prayers against human trafficking. Among them, we, the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, as members of Talitha Kum, the international network of religious against human trafficking. Join us and other Ambassadors of Hope in praying against human trafficking. Join the Online Pilgrimage of Prayer and Awareness against human trafficking on the 7th of February. For more information and prayer materials visit preghieracontrotratta.org
The hidden depths of the Lord’ Prayer
Sister Gaby Lepage hels us to discover the hidden depths of the Lord’ Prayer In 1982, I was in Malawi, Africa, as a missionary. One day, we welcomed a Jewish family into our community, the father, the mother and a little boy. I loved watching this child, who, in his father’s arms, spent his time repeating ABBA, ABBA, with gentleness and tenderness. This scene reminded me of Jesus calling his father ABBA, papa, beloved father, the intimate secret of Jesus’ relationship with God his father and of his mission in God’s name. To his apostles, who had asked him one day: ‘Teach us to pray’, he had told them: ‘When you pray, say OUR FATHER who art in heaven…Luke 11, 1-4, Mt 6, 9-13 In the first three prayers of the Our Father, man is concerned about the cause of God; in the next four, it is…
Unspoken voices of women in Maaji Refugee Settlments
By Sr. Julienne Bouda, Ukusijoni Community, Uganda Amidst the large population of Maaji Refugee Settlements, the majority are children, women and youth, with fewer men. Some are widows, but others have husbands in South Sudan who are working to help their families in Uganda, which is sometimes not obvious. So women remain the breadwinners. This is a challenge for many who try their best to earn a living by doing casual work, renting land for farming, brewing the local beer or relying on the little or nothing their husbands can send. This makes it very difficult to provide for their children’s formal education, health, food and clothing. A family in Maaji is made up of relatives, but also of adopted orphaned children who were separated from their families while fleeing the war. Nowadays, life is even harder for the refugee women, as the UNHCR ratios are…
Seniors’ meeting: learning to age well
From our sisters Jacqueline Piron and Monique Moret A meeting of 27 missionary fathers and sisters from Africa at the White Fathers’ Generalate, coming from 10 countries and representing as many African countries where they have worked. Integrating Past and Present: Lessons from the Butterfly’s Transformation Right from the 1st meeting, we were spread around a table in groups of 5 or 6. A butterfly, with all its mutations, was immediately projected onto a screen and became the focus of our various reflections. Like the butterfly, we had to learn to emerge from the egg and become a magnificent butterfly, a sign of our journey through life to become a radiant elder. Indeed, the aim was to embrace the present, integrate the past, in an attitude of openness and receptivity, trusting completely in the God who dwells within us. Building Real Fraternity From the 1st…
Provincial jubilee of consecrated people
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 God I believe in is the God of the Wedding Feast at Cana
From Sister Gabrielle Lepage, Missionary Sister of Our Lady of Africa The first sign of Jesus Christ speaks volumes: the wedding feast at Cana. The wedding feast is a symbol of celebration, joy, togetherness and covenant. It is a happy God who gives us the pleasure of existing and being happy. There is a symbolic meaning to this first sign. Jesus goes to a wedding ceremony. The union he consecrates between the man and the woman is the figure of the union that God wanted to establish between Himself and the soul of each human being. In this first sign that Jesus gave, there is happiness, and it’s the same for his first teaching: Blessed are the poor in heart…, Blessed are those persecuted for the sake of justice…, etc. When we think of the wedding, we think of love, love that is the fire that…
Lavigerie Family of Kadutu
Posted by the Kadutu Community, DRC The Lavigerie family of Kadutu met on August 4, 2024 at the home of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa in Kadutu. Let’s start with a little history to understand who this group is. Since the celebration of the centenary of the death of Cardinal Lavigerie, a group of lay people have been touched by the vision of our founder, his actions, his charism, the ‘all to all’, his anti-slavery struggle to restore dignity to Africans, his love for Africa, his charity (Caritas, the Pelican) and his call to be apostles. All this was passed on to his missionaries to evangelise Africa. This group, called ‘Laïcs Missionnaires Lavigeriens’, was led by our sister Marie-Claude Berrod. The members met in the sisters’ community and were recognised by the diocese. They made their promise to the Church at a Mass celebrated…