Decoration
On January 31, 2023, Sister Vickness N. Muleya, in charge of the Delwendé Center in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, was decorated for her commitment and dedication in the apostolate with vulnerable women. The Burkinabé State thus wanted to express its gratitude to the Church for its participation in the development of the country and the Burkinabé people. Sr Vickness was made a ‘Knight of the Order of the Stallion’. The ceremony took place at the Grand Chancellery in the presence of His Eminence Cardinal Philippe Ouedraogo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Ouagadougou. The decoration was presented by the Chancellor. The Cardinal thanked the State and all its collaborators for having recognized the effort of the Church throughout the history of the country. He is grateful to the daughters and sons of Lavigerie for their role in the evangelization of the Burkinabe people: he recalled that it is thanks to them that the Church…
Being women with women
This important aspect of our charism makes us attentive to everything that affects women in general, and African women in particular. Thus, in 2022, thanks to the aid received for apostolic activities, our Congregation supported the Spanish association: “Karibu – Friends of African Peoples” which tries to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable immigrants and refugees from sub-Saharan Africa. The activity of this association is in the field of humanitarian aid and integration assistance. It also carries out actions in favor of the recognition of fundamental rights of immigrants and refugees. By supporting Karibu, we encourage social entrepreneurship led by women. We strengthen their various professions and their creativity by providing development spaces, events and markets where they can promote their products. We encourage the creation of projects and businesses, and support their ideas. In 2022 through training for employment and promotion of entrepreneurship for sub-Saharan…
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!…
Listening to the voice of the Spirit…
“Bearers of hope…” we allowed ourselves to be guided by the Spirit to discern in community, sent to Nairobi South C/South B, to bear witness to the Love of God among us in order to share it with those we meet in our daily life. We live in a multicultural and multireligious context surrounded by believers in Islam, Buddhism and Christianity. A neighborhood where distrust reigns in hearts, thus affecting human relations, provoking attitudes of isolation, tribalist grouping and self-protection. “Listening to the voice of the Spirit…” we have chosen: encounter, human fraternity and dialogue and to get close to our neighbours, to greet them when we meet them and on the occasion of the holidays, e.g., Christmas and New Year, invite the neighbours, the guardians of the entrance gates into the city, for mutual knowledge and a way of breaking down religious barriers as well as social classes.…
Only women can accomplish this mission!
“Only women can accomplish this mission!” says Cardinal Lavigerie The sisters in Ghardaia, Algeria, participate in women’s ceremony for two marriages. • It was 2 days before the birth of our Savior Jesus that two of our sisters attended a wedding party of a friend of our community. It was a great experience to be in the middle of all this feminine Mozabite world. When we arrived we saw the women ‘covered up’ according to their culture, which does not allow them to show their faces when they are outside. Stepping inside, we could see the beauty of these women with their kindness and warm welcome. It was the dance party, which is done before marriage in a girl’s family. It was interesting to see the dress of different Algerian cultures, as the bride danced and changed outfits that night at least five times. Everyone sang and danced with her…
Sharing the Experience of the Apostolate at the Havre du Bon Pasteur Centre
The Havre du Bon Pasteur center is a center that welcomes girls and women living in distress. Among them, we have those who have escaped from forced marriages and those who are victims of unwanted pregnancy and excluded from their families. There are also all the girls or women victims of abuse or sexual violence who need support and security. This center was created in 2021 by the sisters of Notre Dame de Charité du Bon Pasteur. It is located in Bobo Dioulasso in Sector 22. Two of us go every Saturday for the apostolate from 3 to 5 p.m. Our joy is to see how much these girls consider us as their own sisters and the trust they have in us. We also see them as our own sisters who need our help; we learn a lot from them even though they are not from the same family, they…
A Look at the Women of Africa
After spending many years in West Africa, and living in several communities in France, Marie-Vincente Brouca is now at the St Charles Retirement Home in Verrières-le-Buisson. With ever sparkling eyes, she tells us about her missionary life in Mali and Burkina Faso. As soon as I arrived in Bamako, I marvelled at the beauty of the Malian women! In the years that followed, I had the chance to work with them, in a Social Center teaching French and embroidery. In fact, they taught me much more than I knew myself. Among them were Muslim women, much freer than in North Africa and some Christian women. Then I was sent to an African Congregation to train young women in religious life. There, although they only had a few rudiments of French, I saw that they knew how to live and express themselves, not to mention their faith which amazed me. Then…
A visit to the Pambila centre
After Mass one Sunday in Lent, Sisters Agnes, Celina, Emmily and Ancila, left for Pambila, a reception centre 15 km. from Ouagadougou, for young women in difficulty, pregnant, mothers, or fleeing from home. The centre is run by a Protestant pastor and our young postulants have sometimes gone there for their apostolate. For weeks we had prepared the meeting with these young women. We had collected bottles and magazines and found pictures to stick on the bottles. Sr. Leticia had lent us brushes. The girls were very happy and received us with joy. We had prepared some food from our Lenten fast to share with them: rice and fruits and we added some peanuts that we had received. We started our meeting by learning new songs, and together we sang and danced. Then, divided into groups, we colored mandalas. They took time to do it, they were very concentrated and…
Volunteer experience of Marie and Eugenie
In the Dar-es Salaam community, Tanzania “We are Marie and Eugenie, two young French women, and we have been living in Dar es Salaam, in the MSOLA community, since the beginning of March. Everything started in January, when we decided to take part in a volunteering mission in Tanzania. After completing our studies, with a specialization in social entrepreneurship, we wanted to help women who want to launch their own enterprise in order to have a positive impact on their communities in Africa. We turned to the French association “Follow ‘Her”, which offered us the opportunity to support four underprivileged women in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar to help them to ensure the sustainability of their projects. When we started to look for housing for four months, we found randomly on the internet the contact of Sister Cecylia, who lives in Dar es Salaam MSOLA community, who connected us to…
Miracles of Mother Marie Salomé, an invitation…
On March 3, we celebrated the 175th birthday of our Venerable Mother Marie Salomé. I felt an inner call to share with others the example of the life of holiness of our Mother Salomé. With our newest community in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the St Julien community, we have decided to invite our neighbours from the basic Christian community, St Julien CCB, and the nearest community of the Missionaries of Africa of the parish of Saint John XXIII. Being new to the neighbourhood, we couldn’t imagine what it would be like. We shared the tasks: invitations, liturgy, and reception. Already in the preparations, we were unanimous. The day far exceeded our expectations. The community of our brothers, the White Fathers was complete. Around 60 of our neighbours came. Our joy was immense. Mother Marie Salomé gave us two unexpected gifts. After the rosary with her thoughts, we had on the program…