A Crossroads of Reunions in La Marsa, Tunisia
During the last months of the year, our small Christian community in La Marsa, Tunisia, experienced many moments of visits, encounters, and joyful reunions, enriching the life of the parish and the religious communities present in the country. Closing of the Bicentenary of Cardinal Lavigerie at La Marsa Parish On October 31, on the occasion of the closing of the Bicentenary of Cardinal Lavigerie, our parish in La Marsa welcomed the communities of the Missionaries of Africa and the entire Lavigerie family. The Mass, presided over by Bishop Nicolas Lhernould, was at once simple, beautiful, and deeply prayerful. It was followed by a time of fellowship with the consecrated members and friends who accompanied us, with a special guest: Pauline Lecointe, the great-great cousin of Cardinal Lavigerie. A Fraternal Day of the COSMADT in Monastir In November, a beautiful day of fraternity and sharing brought…
Life of the mission in Ouarzazate, Morocco
Since our arrival in Ouarzazate, Morocco, we welcomed several groups of pilgrims, mainly from Poland and Italy. They wished to make a stop on their journey in order to celebrate the Eucharist in our Church of Saint Thérèse. We have also begun to build relationships with some guides who regularly accompany these pilgrimage groups. This time, we had the joy of meeting again Mrs. Agnieszka, a simple woman with great depth in her sharing. She is also passionate about Tanzania, where she spent some time, and she enjoys recalling a bit of her Kiswahili whenever she comes here. We also received visits from several people who came to spend a moment in prayer in the church and eventually shared their life experiences with us. We were particularly moved by the testimony of a French man who had spent a long period in a coma. He awoke after seeing…
A life consecreted, a faith shared
From Sister Jacqueline, from Bruxelles, Belgium A group of my grandniece’s friends asked me if I would agree to meet with the children who were preparing for their confirmation. I agreed, saying that I no longer knew today’s children and that I had lived a very different youth. On the day of the meeting, I began by asking the children questions to get a sense of their experience of faith, such as: You had your first communion, what did you like about it? Have you taken communion since then? Do you like taking communion? Why? Are you happy to be making your profession of faith? I quickly realized that I was way off the mark: these children do not live in a Catholic environment! On the other hand, they were interested in religious life, especially life in Africa. How I lived, in what conditions, whether I enjoyed…
Feast of Christ the King : a celebration of faith and commitment
As every year, Saint Joseph Parish in Nouakchott joyfully and prayerfully celebrated the Feast of Christ the King, a major event in the life of the Christian community. This solemn celebration, which marks the end of the liturgical year, reminds all the faithful that Christ is at the center of our lives and our mission. It also invites the community to look toward the future with confidence, placing our journey under the reign of love, peace, and justice of the Lord. On the occasion of the Feast of Christ the King, each association, movement, national community, and prayer group of the parish was represented by two members. These representatives were called to make a formal commitment on behalf of their groups to the service of the Church and Saint Joseph Parish. This symbolic yet deeply meaningful gesture expressed the desire of every group to actively contribute to parish life.…
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…
Are we ready? Advent is coming
In preparation for the Messiah’s coming, let us “make straight his paths” as Isaias the prophet bids us. That is to say, let us go to God with an upright intention and seek Him alone with the sole desire of pleasing Him. (Mother Mary Salomé Thoughts 623. 3) The season of Advent is a time of expectation, when we prepare our home and our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. The word Advent is derived from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming”. Advent is a season of hope, a time to nurture peace and experience joy in anticipation for the love that is made incarnate with the birth of Jesus. This year, Advent begins on Sunday, November 30, 2025. Each Sunday of the season traditionally spotlights a key theme, hope, peace, joy, and love, to invite reflection, prayer, and expectant celebration. The traditional…
The Jubilee of the Poor
The Jubilee of the Poor will be held on Sunday, November 16, 2025, which is also the ninth World Day of the Poor that is celebrated every year. The Jubilee of the Poor is not only an opportunity to recommit to the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, but also an invitation to take one step further into the challenge of living in true solidarity with the poor, something Pope Francis explains means combatting the structural causes of poverty, inequality, the lack of work, land, and housing, the denial of social and labor rights. It means confronting the destructive effects of the empire of money…Solidarity, understood in its most profound meaning, is a way of making history” (Fratelli Tutti no. 116) Inspirational Gospel “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has…
Be Initiators! 125 Years of White Sisters in Uganda
Shared by Sr. Magdalena Orczykowska, Missionary Sister of Our Lady of Africa on mission in Adjumani, West Nile This year marks a special moment: we close the Jubilee celebrating 125 years since the arrival of the White Sisters in Uganda, and at the same time commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Cardinal Charles Lavigerie, their founder. It is a time to look back with gratitude and forward with renewed zeal—inspired by Lavigerie’s call to his missionaries to “be initiators” as they brought the Gospel to sub-Saharan Africa. The Diary of the Sisters brings us to that historic moment of arrival: On Wednesday, October 18, 1899, around 1 p.m., we climbed the Rubaga Hill. The people were lined up in orderly fashion before the cathedral. When the Apostolic Vicar appeared, everyone showed great joy by cries and clapping, and they did the same when the sisters…
Pilgrims of Hope, journeying in Faith in Malawi
By Sr. Georgette Ouedraogo, Lilongwe community, Malawi In this jubilee year, as pilgrims of hope, the Church of Malawi has demonstrated his commitment to bring hope to the Christians and guide them to receive and share hope with others. To realize this, a series of congresses at national level are taking place in the Church. The Children’s Congress Children are bearers of hope and children are givers of hope to the church, to the nation and to the whole world. The Church in Malawi has understood that and on this journey of hope no one is left out. A National Children`s Congress was organized, the first one in history, and indeed it took place in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe (at Don Bosco Parish) from the 30th July to 04th of August. The congress was honored by a resident from the Islamic community who, pleased that children…
The collaboration of MSOLA with UISG
In the past many of our sisters have collaborated with the International Union of Superiors General, in the past Sr Carmen Sammut as President, and today Sr Angela Kapitingana as a member of the Council and Sr Maamalifar Poreku in the JPIC Commission. The UISG aims to promote a wider and deeper understanding of women’s religious life in all its diversity and complexity. UISG highlights the richness of the different charisms that inspire congregations and demonstrates the diversity that flourishes among members of religious congregations, including differences in cultural backgrounds, perspectives, experiences and skills. It shares stories of the care and tenderness that sisters bring to those around them on a daily basis, often in very demanding contexts. The Talitha Kum network, in which many of our sisters collaborate, was officially founded in 2009 by the International Union of Superiors General, in order to play an active part…