The history of the statue of Our Lady of Africa
Before the feast of Our Lady of Africa on the 30th of April, we wanto to share the history of the statue of Mary in the Basilica of Algiers. Her story starts in 1840… On 5 February 1840, Bishop Dupuch, since 1839 the first Bishop of Algiers went to France to find priests and resources for his new diocese. When he arrived in Paris, he visited the Sisters of the Sacred Heart and there he saw the statue of the Virgo Fidelis, by Edme Bouchardon, King Louis XV’s sculptor. He was immediately won over and asked for a copy. In July 1907, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart were expelled and went into exile. The property in Villeurbanne was divided up into lots. In 1937, the White Fathers were able to buy the lot which included the chapel and made it their procure. A copy of the statue was made thanks…
Celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Africa
From our sister Georgette Ouedraogo, Lilongwe community, Malawi On 29th April 2023, MSOLA sisters in Malawi, we celebrated the feast of our Lady of Africa. Before the appointed day, we had some reflections and discussions about how to celebrate the feast, seeing that our parish and cathedral is named “Our Lady of Africa”. At the end of all the discussions and in the midst of so many ideas, suggestions and possibilities, we opted to use the opportunity to open our doors by inviting a few members of our parish and our brothers the Missionaries of Africa to join us for the celebration. This was in view of calling out to them for a new form of belonging with a focus of finding people who would like to be part of Lavigerie group in Malawi. The program for the Mass included at the beginning the sharing of the history…
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.…
150 years of the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa
The Rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, José Maria Cantal Rivas, asked us to join in the Basilica’s 150-year jubilee in 2022. “We would like to show the impact and influence of the basilica throughout the world and to update the links between it and different places.We “White Sisters”, the MSOLA have contributed the letter which we share with you below: Dear friends, We are happy to join in the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa! Although we are known as “White Sisters”, the founder, Cardinal Lavigerie gave us the name which expresses both dedication and devotion to Our Lady of Africa: Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa. When the founder no longer believed in the possibility of life for the young congregation, Mother Marie-Salomé and her sisters went to pray at Notre-Dame so that the congregation…
It is possible to live in harmony with our Algerian brothers and sisters
My main work now is welcoming people to the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, three days a week. In fact, having lived so many years in Algeria, since 1959, and knowing several languages (Arabic, German, Italian and French), is a valuable asset to receive and inform visitors to this high point in Algeria. I meet an average of 250 people per day, mostly Algerians who come to pray, because it is their Basilica! It has been completely restored two years ago, and since then, it is not unusual for delegations from the Middle East and other countries to come to visit. Also the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa has become a place of international worship. Many moving testimonies show this, such as that of an old man arriving from Jerusalem who wanted to visit Our Lady of Africa again before he died. He had lived…
Saint Charles, our Mother House
“But where is your Mother House?” Some people ask us. A “Mother House” is normally where a religious congregation was born and where we joyfully return for various reasons (religious professions, general chapters …) It is well known, the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa have a nomadic soul!!! Our Mother House is no exception to the rule, as it has undergone many transformations and relocations following the vicissitudes of history! Our Congregation was born in Algiers in 1869 at the initiative of Msgr. Charles Lavigerie. At the time of his arrival there, a famine plagued the country. He appealed to all people of goodwill on the spot and abroad, to accommodate the many orphans. Where to lodge all these people? First it was in a local district of Ben Aknoun. Then Msgr. Lavigerie acquired a large estate in Kouba. The 300 orphans settled in the…