“Sharing the path”
Young Tunisian girls and French Scouts with Sr. Speciosa (between the girls and the Scouts) and Sr. Rekha, a Missionary of the Immaculate on the far right. From our Sr. Spéciosa Mukagatare, Director of Caritas Tunisia “Sharing the path,” a place of collaboration and growth It was Palm Sunday, just after the celebration ushering Christians into Holy Week, while believers of Islam were halfway through the holy month of Ramadan. As a Lenten effort, the faithful of St Cyprien de la Marsa had collected non-perishable food items over the weeks, thinking of the poorer families in our working-class neighborhoods. The priest, Jawad Alamad, then proposed sending the young scouts on a mission to distribute to needy families the food collected during the Sundays of Lent. He contacted Caritas Tunisia to direct these young scouts towards the most needy families. The Caritas Tunisia team responsible for listening and…
Meeting on trafficking in Nouakchott
On Saturday June 8, in Nouakchott, we invited some of our friends, collaborators and parishioners to our community to participate in a meeting to share and raise awareness on migration and human trafficking. We were 22 participants. There were also 17 children who were present with their parents and one of our parishioners took care of them with games and songs. We had two resource persons: Ms. Fofana Dikel, migration project manager at Caritas Mauritania, spoke to us about migration, starting by defining this word, giving the different types of migration and ending with some concrete examples of what is experienced in Mauritania and all the dangers of illegal immigration. Our Sr. Begoña Iñarra, who intervened by Zoom from Spain, highlighted the general aspects of human trafficking: how to detect possible victims of trafficking, how to act towards them, what organizations work against trafficking in the destination…
February 8, 2024 – St. Bakhita Day
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER AND AWARENESS AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING INTERFAITH PRAYER VIGIL FEBRUARY 8, 2024 – ST. BAKHITA DAY THEME FOR THE YEAR 2024: JOURNEYING IN DIGNITY: LISTEN, DREAM, ACT This interfaith prayer of this year’s International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking is an invitation to integrate the journeying for dignity centered on the four elements of nature. We can offer prayers, reflections, and rituals that honor and connect with the elements of earth, air, fire, water, and metal in listening, dreaming, and taking action in combating human trafficking. For this year’s Vigil of Prayer, we are invited to listen, dream, and act to journey with each person with dignity. We know everything is interrelated and exploitation of people cannot be tackled without a respectful relationship with all creation. Hence, we invite you to reflect on the realities of human trafficking and the five elements of…
Talitha Kum International launched the “Walking in Dignity” application
Sr. Abby Avelino, MM, International Coordinator of Talitha Kum On January 30th, 2024, in the presence of about 300 people, including ambassadors, people from institutions, religious and young people, Talitha Kum International launched the “Walking in Dignity” application. DOWNLOAD THE APP Sr. Abby Avelino, MM, International Coordinator of Talitha Kum, opened the online and onsite event by presenting the goal and features of the app, a project that Talitha Kum members, embassies to the Holy See, and many volunteers have been working on for over a year and a half. The idea is to walk together, especially for and with young people, and engage against human trafficking by feeling involved in prevention, care of persons and empowerment of survivors. The Irish Ambassador to the Holy See, H.E. Frances Collins, emphasized the importance of synergy between the networks and different organizations: Working through networking, with different departments and states, is crucial because this…
Migrate or stay… Epiphany collection
We receive and publish from Pierre Diarra, theologian, administrator of “Aide aux Eglises d’Afrique”, Consultor of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue How fortunate a person is to be able to choose to migrate or stay at home! Do Africans who put their lives at risk trying to cross the Sahara and the Mediterranean choose to migrate or to stay? Do they really have a choice? Often crammed into makeshift craft or boats in poor condition, migrants do not always realize that they are putting their lives at risk. Political, economic and religious leaders in Africa and Europe don’t always dare answer the question: why are so many young people risking their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean? People who leave their country often do so against their will. They flee a country at war, unemployment, distress or poverty, in an attempt to “save their skin” or improve their living…
The most beautiful day!
Sister Nicole Robion in the community of Sceaux, France, shares her apostolate with migrant women. In 2012, the CORREF (Religious Conference of France) was looking for volunteers for the “Champs de Booz” Association, created in 2003 to support and accompany single women, seeking asylum. It really touched my heart because I was looking for an activity on my final return to France and half of the women contacting the Champs de Booz come from sub-Saharan Africa. No greater happiness than staying in close contact with Africa! In 2017, the chapter specified that one of the apostolic orientations is the accompaniment of migrants. This made me feel joy and confirmation of the call perceived on my arrival in France. Bearer of Hope, the Lord gives this to me and the women tell me this with their faces all lit up when I greet them in their language: Dioula or Fulani!…
Born of the Spirit
(left to right) Br. Mwansa Rodgers, Fr. Drani Felix, Sr. Linah Siabana, Fr. Konseimbo Karim. In front, Sr. Magdalena Orczykowska and Sr. Julienne Bouda – wearing the jackets of the Ukusijoni Refugee Team. Our new community in the North of Uganda makes us directly participate in bringing into reality our congregational dream and desire of opening new missions, going towards the peripheries and collaborating with the Missionaries of Africa. As a thanksgiving act for 150 years of our existence, united as sons and daughters of Cardinal Lavigerie, we initiated a new common project at the service of the refugees thus directly implementing one of our apostolic orientations: Migration, refugees, and internally displaced persons. Due to prolonged insecurity in South Sudan, DRC and Ethiopia, Uganda is a host country to over 1 million refugees thus becoming the country with the biggest number of refugees in Africa. Listening to the voice…
Bearers of hope in Karlsruhe, Germany
Sr. Elisabeth Biela joined the community of Karlsruhe in November 2020. As leader, she had accompanied the community, but the concrete apostolate was new for her: getting to know the laws concerning the displaced persons, the organisations like Caritas, Diakonie (the protestant Caritas) and Justice Project, persons with whom to network etc. Here she shares her experience. “Soon I was asked to accompany a Yazidi family from Iraq who were at risk to have to leave the country. Their problems are not yet solved, but they moved into a flat and feel at home. It is a real challenge to understand the complicated letters of the German administration, fill in papers, accompany them to offices and even find a job. But it is a great joy for all of us, when things work out. Sr. Kordula Weber has organised a German class for Arabic speaking women in our house, the…
A meeting that awakens our charism
While on vacation for a few days with the Poor Clares, I received a request from my friend, the mother abbess: “Marie-José, I need you. I have just had a phone call from Secours Catholique who will accompany a young African girl who will be staying with us for a day or two.” The young African arrives. She lives in the same hallway as me. At one point, I walk past her room, see her door wide open. She is sitting on the bed and rummaging through her backpack. Beside her, the unfolded sheets. ” Can I help you? We’ll make the bed together.” She warmly thanks: “I did not know this method of making the bed”. Then she tells her story: “I am an orphan–no father and mother. I lived with my grandfather and went to school until my grandfather died. There was no one left to pay and I…
Woman of faith and hope meeting the refugees
Sr. Agathe Mukamuligo, Lilongwe community (Malawi) Who are they? Where do they come from? Where are they going? They are men and women, young people and children who live as a family, not having their own family nearby. There are many widows and single mothers. They come from the Great Lakes countries in Central Africa, and are now in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in the Dowa district of Malawi. Where are they going? They are here, waiting for a host country or continent. Most dream of the USA, Canada, Australia and Sweden. They form the community of life and faith of St Ignatius of Loyola. They have the right to refugee status, but some of them have been waiting for a long time: 21 years for some, 20 years for others, 5 years, 3 years or 1 year for the last arrivals. And they continue to arrive. Although they have…