The “Visitation” of Our Lady in the refugee settlements
It was a rare occasion in our refugee settlements. Far away from the town, somehow isolated, the refugees of Maaji and Agojo – settlements in the North of Uganda, have rarely seen such great events and opportunities to gather and pray. Ten days before its arrival in Maaji, the people of the settlements were informed that the image of Our Lady of Kibeho was on its way. The time to prepare for her arrival was very short and all the leaders of the Catholic chapels that we, the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa and the Missionaries of Africa, are in charge of, rolled up their sleeves to start the preparations. Drawing up the budget, collecting food, cleaning the houses to receive those who would accompany the statue of Our Lady, clearing the ground around the chapel that would be the main venue for the welcome, building the podium,…
“Thank you for everything”
From our Srs Franceline Hien and Valérie Sibdou Kaboré of Hydra-Parmentier “Thank you for everything” This word was spoken a few days ago by the little girl, barely 3 years old, of a work colleague. We were returning from a beautiful day spent in the mountains, in the middle of the forest. That evening, while reviewing my day, I was challenged about my capacity to live gratitude in depth. Am I able to say, at the end of each day: “Lord, Thank you for everything”? At the end of this month of September, I take the risk of saying “Thank you for everything” Spiritual retreat Thank you for the time of spiritual retreat lived at the monastery of Thibhirine with our brothers the Missionaries of Africa. Led by the brothers and sisters of the Chemin Neuf, it was an intense moment of personal and community prayer…
Our Community Experience in Gumo
Postulants NIYOMWUNGERE Evelyne, TEBABO Philogène and AFUA Mediator Dear sisters, we are happy to share with you our community experience and our learning of the English language for two months. First of all, we are very grateful for the welcome of our sisters who allowed us to spend our time in Gumo in a good atmosphere. We were touched by their availability, their attention and their encouragement in our learning of the language. When we arrived, the sisters showed us the house and the community program. This put us at ease and we felt at home by sharing the community tasks. What struck us during the lessons was the fact that our teacher did not understand French. We did not understand each other’s English either. The teacher did his best so that we could understand him. We do not forget the help of our sisters who encouraged us…
Back to Teichott after 12 years
Sr. Mia with Srs. Marie-Ange, Elyse and Olive From Sr Mia Dombrecht in Teichott, Mauritania July 1 to 31, 2024 Dear sisters and dear readers, It is with great joy that we share with you this experience of meeting our Muslim brothers and sisters. “You will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.” This sentence from the Acts of the Apostles has touched me since my childhood. It is undoubtedly at the origin of my missionary vocation. In 2011, during my first stay in Mauritania, with my sisters, we had the joy of discovering one of these ends of the earth, in the villages of the Imraguen, along the Mauritanian coast between Nouakchott and Nouadhibou in the Banc d’Arguin National Park. With our sister Marie Cécile Baffier, we stayed there for two months. She was in Rgeiba, to teach sewing, myself in Teichott, to teach…
MSOLA at Montreal intercultural center
Srs. Rita Toutant and Monique Bonnefoy, members of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, are often referred to as the “White Sisters” under the protection of Our Lady of Africa. This post is from an article in the National Catholic Reporter, here is the link to the article After many years spent as missionaries on the African continent, Toutant and Bonnefoy are back in Canada. However, the sisters’ contribution is far from over. They reside with the Missionaries of Africa, also known as the “White Fathers,” in a provincial missionary home in the heart of Montreal, where they continue to serve African immigrants as well as people of other nationalities who visit Centre Afrika. Our first activity is to welcome people without the need for an appointment. When our pioneers started the center, it was first to welcome Africans, but the mission has progressed to…
“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…
Faith leaders invite you to the Season of Creation
Here is a link to the video of Faith Leaders inviting you to the Season of Creation 2024
Season of Creation Resources
Here is the link to the website with all the resources for the preparation and implementation of the Season of Creation activities: promotional, liturgical, etc… Deepen your Season of Creation experience by taking advantage of these free resources. Your event will have a bigger impact if the community is engaged and inspired. We invite you to use these resources to share the word with your church, invite the bishop or other regional authority to join the celebration, and even take the word to audiences outside your church by reaching local news outlets. Please feel free to use and adapt these materials any way that suits you. Resources
The art of collaboration
From Sr. Maite Oiartzun – Nshimirimana, Burundi Based on my experience, collaboration is an art. In the Trinity, source of inspiration and creativity, we are invited to contemplate the collaboration between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The bond that unites them is Love: “As the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my Love… so that you bear fruit and your fruit endures.” John 15:9-16 Collaboration solely focused on human strengths is faced with fatigue, discouragement and sometimes the temptation to resign because collaboration can become a difficult mission. To persevere, I need to be rooted in the collaboration that Jesus of Nazareth developed with the disciples and with all of Creation. I note that three conditions are important for good collaboration: having a common objective, personal and group motivation and the deep desire to engage in a dynamic of giving…
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…