Prayer for the 2017 General Chapter
Holy Spirit, You who put in our hearts a passion for God, for Africa and for all humanity, Look upon us, Revive in us the ardor of Cardinal Lavigerie and our first sisters, so that our preparation for the next Chapter will be as you desire. Help us to accept our fears, our uncertainties, our failures and our sorrows. May hope lead us beyond our borders! May it allow us to dream and dare the unthinkable! Give us the vision and freedom of heart needed to accept lucidly and humbly the Mission you want to entrust to us for the coming of your Kingdom in the world today. Grant us the grace to commit ourselves all together, and each one personally with our whole being to the service of our sisters and brothers who live in the peripheries of our societies. Keep us attentive to your voice, confident that…
150 years in the Netherlands
150 years in the Netherlands EXHIBITION In 1868 The French Cardinal Lavigerie founded the Society of the Missionaries of Africa, followed by the Missionaries Sisters of Our Lady of Africa the year after. Right from the start the two institutes were an Internationally mixed society with their headquarters in Algeria. The Missionaries and the missionary Sisters left from there for Afric a to bring people into contact with Christianity. Lavigerie was a man very much moved touched by injustices. He fought against war, famine, and Slavery. He stimulated his missionaries to deepen their knowledge of the African Languages , the cultures and the Islam. He gave them directions such as : “You have to speak their language, eat their food, and dress like them” . The fathers as well as the sisters were dressed in white, according to the local customs. Because of this they very soon were popularly…
A logo as a sign of Hope !
General Chapter 2017: The logo designed by Sr. Gosia Popławska and here is the explanation she gives: The hand: The hand symbolizes that as “bearers of hope”, we are called to bring the light of hope, of a new life, to people but in reality it is God who is making this gesture towards his people. We are like the lamp; we are instruments in God’s hand. We are called to be channels of peace, reconciliation and hope. We are made of clay – we recognize our fragility. We can also be sure of God’s fidelity to us; he is always with us, in our history, in the present and in the future, because we are always in his hands! The lamp: The lamp is open at the top, ready to be filled with oil, so that it can function. We desire to…
Embracing the past and the present
On the way to Banzo It looked like 15 August would be a beautiful day for the Bobo Dioulasso novitiate community… First we had to get up earlier than usual and be on the road before sunrise. Besides the dirt road and deciding which pot-holes to avoid… After two hours of travel, well shaken, we arrived at Banzon, where this year would take place the feast of the Assumption. Also celebrated in our diocese is the feast of the Association of Catholic Women of the diocese (LAFCD). We were warmly welcomed by the parish priest of Our Lady of the Valleys, Father André Baro. He impressed us with his simplicity and openness. Under a tree, the first White Sisters to Banzo After greetings, he spoke about the history of the parish and the place of the White Sisters in it. “You see the little house below…
Sr Carmen Sammut’s homily – April 30, 2016
Sharing on the Gospel of the Wedding Feast of Cana (Jn 2:1-12)
22 African Religious Congregations
The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, participated in the founding and formation of 22 African religious congregations. The story of a great adventure ! Historical background: Feminine religious life is not new in Africa. We think for example, of the nuns of the Coptic Church. In the nineteenth century, young women entered the recently established international missionary Institutes (West Africa, Sudan). The novelty in the early twentieth century was the birth of truly indigenous active congregations. That happened as “missions” were established in the new evangelized territories. Religious life in Africa: The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, under the leadership of their founder, Cardinal Charles Lavigerie, collaborated in the formation of 22 new congregations. The first was born in Sumbawanga (now in Tanzania) in 1903. Other foundations followed throughout the twentieth century in: Uganda, Rwanda, Congo,…
“I am proud…” 1910-2012 Burkina Faso
The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa and BURKINA FASO : 100 years of shared history, 1912-2012 ! “I am proud … Before beginning, I would like to thank God for all the benefits received in Burkina Faso and throughout Africa through this dynamic Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa. I am moved by a feeling of joy and above all gratitude. The Lord has done great things for us, and Holy is his name. Yes, what joy for me as a Missionary Sister of Our Lady of Africa novice and a Burkinabe to live this event so important for our Congregation and for the whole Church-Family of Burkina Faso. It was really a surprise and an honor to wear the habit of the Sisters of the past and to ride a horse! I was representing one of the 8 sisters who agreed…
A storm at sea
On the 9th September 1869, eight young women from Brittany in the West of France, arrived in Algiers. This was one day later than foreseen due to a very bad storm while they were crossing the Mediterranean. And thus begins the history of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa! Msgr. Lavigerie, bishop of Algiers, had been waiting for them. Not seeing their arrival, from a high hill in the city he sent his blessing on the troubled sea and on the troubled beginnings of the future congregation. From the time of his arrival at the Episcopate in Algiers in 1866, cholera was raging in the country. There were many victims both from the famine and the illnesses that followed, leaving many orphans. To answer these needs Msgr. Lavigerie wanted to found a Congregation of sisters. But where to find religious missionary vocations? He sent to France Father…
Saint Charles, our Mother House
“But where is your Mother House?” Some people ask us. A “Mother House” is normally where a religious congregation was born and where we joyfully return for various reasons (religious professions, general chapters …) It is well known, the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa have a nomadic soul!!! Our Mother House is no exception to the rule, as it has undergone many transformations and relocations following the vicissitudes of history! Our Congregation was born in Algiers in 1869 at the initiative of Msgr. Charles Lavigerie. At the time of his arrival there, a famine plagued the country. He appealed to all people of goodwill on the spot and abroad, to accommodate the many orphans. Where to lodge all these people? First it was in a local district of Ben Aknoun. Then Msgr. Lavigerie acquired a large estate in Kouba. The 300 orphans settled in the house…