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…
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
Hold on to Cardinal Lavigerie legacy
Celebration in Malindi Report by Sr Redempta Kabahweza, from Malindi, Kenya For the bicentenary of the birth of our dear Founder Cardinal Charles Lavigerie many events were programmed in our communities and I am grateful to God for having given me opportunity to attend a number of them. In November 2024, we had the launching of bicentenary here in Malindi diocese at our brothers, the Missionaries of Africa’s Parish in Tarasaa. As we did not have a chance to travel to Nairobi for the same function, we were happy as a community to have the launching of the bicentenary here in Malindi. In December 2024 I was invited by our brothers to give sessions to the parish youth on Child Protection (including risk of sexual abuse, early marriages and early pregnancies). The youth were happy with the sessions though some of them were emotionally down as they were reminded…
Burundi celebrates Cardinal Lavigerie
A testimony from Burundi highlights the enduring charism of Cardinal Charles Lavigerie, showing how his spirit continues to grow and inspire generation after generation. In this first video the celebratory Mass for the closing ceremony of a year of events that have brought together all the faithfuls in Burundi. Here is the text of the prayer in the video In this second video an hymn to Cardinal Lavigerie engagement in Africa sung by the pré-postulants of the Gitega community.
Let us move forward, family of Lavigerie
For Lavigerie’s bicentenary, celebrate his legacy of faith and commitment to the African peoples by drawing inspiration from his missionary zeal, courage and faith, and focusing on his legacy of human dignity. The theme for the bicentenary year was For a passionate and renewed commitment to the African peoples’