30th April Patronal feast of Our Lady of Africa
Cardinal Lavigerie reminds us that “he could never do any good without the intercession and the special protection of the Blessed Virgin from whom he often felt the effects in an extraordinary way. He believed that the missionaries of Algiers would never do anything except through her assistance.” (Lavigerie to his missionaries, p. 101) On this day we celebrate the presence of Our Lady of Africa in our apostolate, in our mission, in our congregation. This year, we want to remember her through the visit of Pope Leo to the Basilica in Algiers, with a series of photos taken from the video of his visit in April 2026.
Pope Leo XIV in Algeria as a Messenger of Peace
Algerian faithfuls This post is an extract from Vatican news Link to the article Pope Leo XIV made an Apostolic visit to Algeria on Monday April 13th. In the following interview, Fr. Vincent Kyererezi, a member of the Missionaries of Africa and Vicar General of the diocese of Laghouat-Ghardaïa, explains the importance of the visit and the role of the Church in the predominantly Muslim Algerian society. How big is the catholic community in Algeria and in the diocese of Laghouat-Ghardaïa where you serve? The Catholic community in Algeria is estimated at 8900 faithfuls. The diocese of Laghoaut-Ghardaïa where I serve as Vicar General has about 2,240 Christians, served by 14 priests, including the bishop, 19 nuns, and 5 religious brothers. We generally serve in a “Church of encounter and dialogue with Muslims” that endeavors to foster fraternity, mutual understanding and harmonious co-existence with one another. The Catholic Church has four dioceses:…
Past and present, for the future!
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 heart still beats… a memorable day in Ouarzazate
Our Sisters in Ouarzazate, 3rd on the left Sr. Rehema and in the centre Sr. Hélène, among the faithful who came to celebrate together the Eucharist The Community of Ouarzazate, Morocco, share a memorable day There are days that leave an indelible mark on the soul, like a light that continues to shine for a long time. Sunday, October 26, was one of those days. In a context that does not allow us to hold open public activities or celebrations, we chose to mark the closing of the Jubilee Year of our Founder, Cardinal Charles Lavigerie, with what unites us most: a Eucharistic celebration imbued with recollection and fervour. A moment where every gesture and word counts. The preparations were simple but made with much love. A few prayers, a short message about our Founder and prayer intentions filled with hope. We also chose hymns in different…
A message in time…
the sons and daughters of Cardinal Lavigerie listen with an open heart (Cathedral of Bayonne) Sr. Franceline Hien, coordinator of the JPIC-ED/MSOLA Network, feels the celebration of the bicentenary of Cardinal Charles Lavigerie (1825-2025) allowed us to revisit and reclaim his prophetic figure, dedicated to justice, peace, and human dignity. On this occasion she imagines a message from Cardinal Lavigerie to his sons and daughters. Let us listen to his message: On the day after the close of the year celebrating the 200th anniversary of my birth and my 133rd birthday in heaven, I have a very important message for you: My sons and daughters, with the celebration of my birthday, a unique opportunity arose in which you renewed your zeal and passion for the African world. I say to you once again: You are heirs to a prophetic struggle against slavery, to a fight against all…
Closing of the Bicentenary in Burundi
By Sister Maite Oiartzun Nshimirimana of Gitega community in Burundi How can we thank the Lord for all the blessings received during the jubilee year of the 200th anniversary of the birth of our dear founder Lavigerie? Let us keep alive the memory of all the graces received and keep in our hearts the memories of his wonders. Thanks to Lavigerie’s YES and his generous response to the Lord’s call to evangelise Africa, he founded the Missionaries of Africa and the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel to the African peoples. In Burundi, on 22 November 2025, we celebrated the closing with a thanksgiving Eucharist in our parish of Mucunguzi. The group included the Archbishop of Gitega, Monsignor Bonaventure Habimana, president of the Episcopal Conference of Burundi, Bishop Monsignor George of the Diocese of Ngozi and Bishop Leonidas…
Happy Birthday Mother Marie-Salome
On the 3rd of March 1847, in Guissény, France, was born little Marie-Renée Roudaut, the sixth child in a family of farmers. Who could have imagined that she would grow to become the Venerable Mother Marie-Salomé, first superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa? At eleven years of age she made her First Communion. “What did you ask Jesus for?” somebody had asked, she answered: I asked God to make me a saint by doing whatever He wills.” She made her first profession on the 6th of July 1873 in the Saint Charles motherhouse in Algiers, where she died peacefully in 1930 at the age of 83 years. During her long life in Algeria she dedicated herself to the will of God, praying and working tirelessly for the congregation to survive and thrive. This day it is indeed a happy happy birthday that…
Living a year with Cardinal Lavigerie in Malawi: awareness, celebration, and mission
By Sr. Mbaihamndene Valerie, Lilongwe community, Malawi As a community in Malawi, we would like to share how we lived and celebrated a year with Cardinal Lavigerie, the founder of the Missionaries of Africa (M.Afr.) and the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa (MSOLA). To begin with, we organized two radio programs and one television program. The main purpose of these programs was to raise awareness and help people learn more about Cardinal Lavigerie, his mission, and his lasting impact in Africa. These media platforms gave us a valuable opportunity to speak about Lavigerie commitment to anti-slavery, the fight against human trafficking, child labor, exploitation, and corruption. We also highlighted what Lavigerie accomplished in Africa through his missionaries, especially here in Malawi. Inspired by Cardinal Lavigerie deep love and passion for children, we celebrated his life together with the children at Tikondane. The day was lively…
Cardinal Lavigerie and the foundation of women congregations
At the symposium held at Tangaza University in Nairobi on 20 September 2025 to celebrate the bicentenary of Cardinal Lavigerie, Sr Hélène Mbuyamba, MSOLA, gave a presentation highlighting the cardinal’s role in the creation of women’s congregations Here is an abstract from the conference of Sr Hélène Mbuyamba, MSOLA At a time when the role of women was limited to domestic and family tasks, Cardinal Lavigerie made clear that for him the apostolate of women was an indispensable complement to the apostolate of men. As a man of faith, broad-minded and endowed with extraordinary vision and foresight, he understood the importance of women’s apostolate among women and recognized their vital role in transforming society. Even women who rarely left their homes were still at the heart of their households and it is in the home that women shape the society of tomorrow. Sisters could reach them and help…
The legacy of Cardinal Lavigerie
In this video we have a thoughtful presentation of the vision and work of Cardinal Lavigerie, by the Missionaries of Africa, the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa and members of the Lavigerie family