Speaking the Tunisian language changes everything!
The Tunisian Arabic lessons given by the White Sisters have a long history! After the courses given by the White Fathers at IBLA, the White Sisters organized a basic plan of more intensive courses from 1937. A Learning Centre was founded in 1957 in Montfleury (a district of Tunis) as well as a library for secondary school students. Intended initially for young White Sisters studying literary and dialectal Arabic, with training in Islamology, the language centre has gradually opened up to other foreigners living and working in Tunisia. The first candidate was a doctor who felt the need to speak Arabic with patients and their families. The Learning Centre ensured the teaching of Tunisian Arabic to foreigners and training in Tunisian culture. In 2017, the “Maison d’Etudes de Montfleury” closed its doors and the Tunisian Arabic lessons were transferred to Tunis, to the premises of the Prelature, near the cathedral…
Christiane and her Desert Rose
With happiness in her eyes, Christiane Baulieu talks to us about the sand rose, its extraction in the desert, all that it represents for her today. “If by chance you come to see me in my room at Chevilly Larue (which would make me happy!) you will be able to see above my cupboard, a beautiful stone, the one we call “Rose des Sables”. All Saharan people know about it. The “sand rose” is different depending on where it is found. Thus, that of El Goléa is different from that of Ouargla made of gypsum crystals. Sand roses were and still are very popular with tourists. Just see as soon as they arrive, the crowd of small sellers rush towards them… Because in fact, it is their livelihood. But can you tell me, where do they find these sometimes very large pieces of rock? In the desert? Yes, but only…
The benefits of plants
As part of the love for creation and for the benefits of nature’s gifts, many of our sisters encourage the use of two particularly beneficial trees: Artemisia and Moringa. Artemisia Annua from the large Asteraceae family which also includes tarragon and wormwood, is a plant widely distributed in China. They are plants used for more than 2000 years in traditional Chinese medicine to fight against fevers and viruses. In 2015, Chinese researcher Tu Youou won the Nobel Prize for her research into the effectiveness of Artemisia Annua extracts against malaria. Moringa Oleifera, native to India, thrives in particularly dry and arid soils. In the Nile Valley, Moringa is also known as “Shagara al Rauwaq,” literally “tree that purifies.” Used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine, it gives the power to fight more than 300 diseases, including colds, diabetes, and high blood pressure or to stimulate the immune system. Moringa leaves contain…
The joy of moving towards…
By early 2020, following lockdowns imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of ZOOM increased sharply and thousands of businesses and educational institutions had switched to online courses using ZOOM. As the company offered its services free of charge to schools from kindergarten to high school in many countries, the number of users per day increased from 10 million in December 2019 to 200 million in March 2020, with many new participants working online for the first time. ZOOM has also become a social platform and its users have organized family reunions, sports classes, concerts, weddings, etc. Our congregation quickly adopted this new medium of communication. At first with some difficulty but very quickly, and with a lot of practice on the spot, several sisters became very skilled in the use, and ZOOM became the means of bonding between individuals and communities. What a pleasure to connect between Europe, America and Africa to…
Solidarity with refugees
From our sister Kordula in the Karlsruhe community at Haus Lavigerie, Germany I met Nora, a Sudanese woman (not her real name and nationality) three years ago during Advent while baking cookies. She had fled with her family, her husband and her three children. Her fourth child, disabled, was born in Germany. Being able to communicate in Arabic made it easier to get in touch and to be there for the family. In August 2020, Nora came to tell me that the employment center was no longer paying them benefits: accommodation, food, medical care, and a contribution for personal needs. These services are guarantees by a legal residency permit that just expired! As Nora is not fluent in German, it was difficult for her to navigate the bureaucracy. The permit expired because she did not immediately respond to the Immigration Office and did not explain the obstacles, which prevented her…
The joy of “moving towards” … in Uganda
At the end of January, I set off on a new mission among the refugees in the northern part of Uganda, where there is one of the biggest refugee concentrations in the world. Refugees are prone to be trafficked and exploited because of their precarious situation and their vulnerability, especially children and young women. An effective fight against human trafficking requires some preparation, some knowledge about the realities of human trafficking and skills that can be useful in prevention and advocacy. To be better prepared for this task and to be actively involved in fighting human trafficking among those to whom I am sent, I followed a one-year online course that equipped me with necessary skills. The course was directed to the leaders of Talitha Kum Network, to enable us to be actively involved and better collaborate with others in the fight against human trafficking. We…
Dialogue in a time of violence
Inter-religious Dialogue is at the core of our MSOLA charism. In these times of inter-religious confrontation, this webinar can trace out for us a way to live, as our Pope Francis invites us to do, as brothers and sisters united in the great human fraternity.
Joy and Gratitude for a new community
Creating a new community always brings joy and gratitude.
Testimony of a parishioner of Tunis
A new missal for my daughter The ” Chapelle Lavigerie ” is located in Tunisia in the parish of St. Cyprien in Carthage. I go there regularly for mass during the week. But one evening, something important happened there! During an adoration, I said “yes” to a project that I had started a few years earlier and then dropped it. “Make me next year’s missal”. In 2018, I wanted to give a missal to my student children, a daily missal to encourage them to read the Bible. All I found were Sunday missals or perpetual missals that were very expensive and complicated to use, not at all the kind to give to students! Since I couldn’t find what I was looking for, I went to work and made this missal myself. I found the texts online, on the site of the AELF, the Episcopal Liturgical Association for French-speaking countries. I…