Remembering Pope Francis
In these days of mourning for the Church and the world we want to remember Pope Francis in the meeting he granted to our congregations, Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa and Missionaries of Africa. This meeting took place in the Vatican on 8 February 2019 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of our foundation. SOME EXTRACTS OF THE POPE’S SPEECH: Dear brothers and sisters, It is with great joy that I welcome you as part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Society of Missionaries of Africa and the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa. In thanking your Superiors General for the words they have addressed to me, I wish to express to you my cordial greetings and my spiritual closeness, as well as through you to all the members of your Institutes, present in Africa…
Experience of being Mission
Sr. Sylviane Rouamba, Dar es salaam community, Tanzania St. Charles Lwanga Parish and its pastoral team offer different activities to the people; among others those of the Salome Learning Centre. As our founder Cardinal Charles Lavigerie used to say: Be apostles, be nothing but apostles or, at least be nothing else except with this in view’’. This was his deepest wish for his missionaries. Dear brothers and sisters, it is with joy that I am sharing about two points: Being an apostle, being mission, and also, my mission in Dar es Salaam. Who is an apostle? An apostle is someone who is on pilgrimage or someone who is on a journey looking for holiness, a journey looking for God through people, a journey of imitating Christ and doing his mission. What is the meaning of mission? A mission is a service or a call we have…
Ghana jubilee celebration for consecrated people
Shared by Kwatemba Agripina, Novice On Christmas Eve Tuesday, December 24th 2024, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, marking the official launch of the Jubilee year 2025, a historic event that takes place every 25 years in the Catholic Church. This year’s theme being: “Pilgrims of Hope,” The Pope invited all bishops to launch this year of Jubilee in their various dioceses. Here in Ghana consecrated men and women, from all the Arch/Dioceses and Vicariate of Ghana, gathered in Sunyani, Bono Region, to celebrate the Jubilee year 2025 under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope, a time to renew the face of the earth as consecrated persons.” From 30th January to 2nd February 2025, with more than 500 consecrated men and women from 80 different congregations, it was a time of prayer, listening to the Spirit and to one another and discerning the…
If the Lord does not build the house…
The sisters in the Nouakchott Community, Mauritania, share with us the Blessing of the Medina 3 Complex (The apartments, the Paul VI center, the sisters’ house and the magnificent chapel) Ps 127:1 “If the Lord does not build the house, the builders have toiled for nothing.” It is with great emotion and gratitude that we experienced the blessing mass of the Medina 3 complex and the installation of the tabernacle in our chapel. A project prepared and supported for many years by Bishop Martin Happe, bishop emeritus of our diocese. How many hours of insomnia are hidden behind this audacious project! Where can we find the funds necessary for its realization? It was surely a great emergency: the parish halls of Paul VI were dilapidated and too narrow, the house of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition dated from the 1970s and needed to…
Intercommunity meeting in Algeria
Sr. Bernadette Djekoye for the community On December 26, our sisters from the communities of Oran and Algiers courageously set off for Ghardaïa where we were impatiently waiting for them. We welcomed them with great joy. It had been so long since almost all of us had had the opportunity to meet. On the morning of the 27th, we celebrated the Eucharist in our community, presided over by one of our brothers of the Missionaries of Africa. After a good breakfast, we set off for Sebseb where we were able to live our time of sharing about our mission as MSOLA in the M’Zab Valley, in Ghardaïa. Along the way, we discovered this environment until our destination. We had a very warm welcome in this desert place, with beautiful tents. We were even able to have a room to ourselves all day. It was at this time…
Our Lady of the Assumption in Santa Cruz
Sr. Clementine Mukampabuka at Santa Cruz in Oran, Algeria From Sr Clementine Mukampabuka in Oran, Algeria In the parish of Sainte Marie of the Cathedral of Oran, the approach of August 15 was characterized by the invitation to celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, our Mother, in Santa Cruz under the esplanade of Living Together in Peace. There is the chapel of the Marian sanctuary of Our Lady of Salvation. At the very beginning of August, there was a call to register as a participant for carpooling in order to be able to go there. Those who have a car were asked to indicate how many places they offered. We think it is good to point out that in August the Pierre Claverie Center (diocesan center) is closed. All activities stop except for masses on Friday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. Most of the permanent…
Young People Need Our Guidance
From Sr Xaverine Mukatabaza, Malindi, Kenya Allow me to begin with the words of our superior general, Sr. Angela Kapitingana during the official opening of the new community in Morocco. She said, “We may be few in number, but history has shown us time and again that even a small group, united by a common purpose can produce a profound witness.” She continued: “Let us carry out this mission with joy and determination, knowing that our strength lies in our unity and our faith. We are mission and our presence here today is a witness to the transforming love of the Risen Lord who calls us to journey together as we expand our tent.” When I read this article that our sisters in Morocco shared, it reminded me of our reality in Malindi, Kenya, a place of primary evangelization. Indeed, our presence in Malindi as well, is a…
“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…
The opening of a new foundation: The Ouarzazate community in Morocco
Sr. Maria Carmen Ocón Moreno, Sr. Rehema Toiwoki Kimesera, Sr Angela Kapitingana and Sr Maria Julia Alonso Martinez From Sr. Rehema Toiwoki Kimesera and Sr. Maria Carmen Ocón Moreno We are delighted to share with you that the official opening of the Ouarzazate community took place on Sunday 14 July. The ceremony took place in the only church that exists, St. Therese which is attached to the sister’s house. The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero and, curiously, it was the only time since we have been here that there were no people other than the sisters, in this case our Congregational Leader, Sr Angela Kapitingana and Sr Maria Julia Alonso Martinez representing the NOUA leadership team and ourselves. It was probably a sign of how we are called to live our missionary presence in this place, with discretion and simplicity, but with great…
Collaboration with other Congregations
Ms. Marina van Dalen, coordinator of The Netherlands sisters, reports on the collaboration in the “Worldhouse” in Boxtel Since a few years we have several Medical Mission Sisters (MMS) living in our care home “the Worldhouse” and in the adjoining apartments of the Molenhof. This year they are 12 MMS Sisters and thus more numerous than we are, as three Sisters passed away in 2024 and only nine MSOLA are left. From the beginning we had a good working relationship with them. Our lay workers also take care of the MMS sharing in the cost of course. This is also to our advantage; we can keep our staff because of this collaboration. We also take care of 2 Assumptionist Fathers with the same conditions. Over the years we got closer with each other and got to know one another better. The MMS are also missionaries and many…