I call you friends – first religious commitment
The newly professed Sisters Mary John Mwongeli, Georgiana Aheisibwe and Evelyne Niyomwungere “It is not you who chose me but I who chose you.” Jn 15 :16 Our newly professed sisters share with us the experience of their first profession day We would like to share what the Lord has done for us by trusting us to be His friends and by sending us to His mission on February 11th 2026. This was not an ordinary day for us but rather an unforgettable day, full of joy and gratitude to God for calling us to be members of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa. This religious family helped us to journey and discover God’s love for us by following the example of Abraham’s call and the first disciples. Before the celebration, one of us kept telling God: I have heard you call me friend, and I…
A presentation of our community in Burundi
A presentation of our community in Gitega, Burundi Greetings from Burundi, the land of a thousand hills and a thousand smiles. In Gitega we are a community of three sisters: Anastasie Muzinga from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Maite Oiartzun from Spain and Nathalie Wendata Sedego from Burkina Faso. With us there are six young Burundian pre-postulants who are at the first stage of formation, one pre-postulant who has just begun to improve her French and one young aspirant who is experiencing community life. We bear witness to our international character; we are an intercultural missionary family dedicated to the mission. This is a great treasure that we share amongst the people to whom we are sent. We are a community dedicated to the formation of new sisters. We all work together to help young people grow in our MSOLA missionary vocation. We give thanks to…
We hold a treasure in fragile pots
Sister Julienne with an aspirant and her parents Shared by Sr. Julienne Bouda, Ukusijoni community, Uganda Missionary and Vocation Animation is a ministry that awakens the missionary spirit in people and helps them discern and respond to God’s call. It is also a ministry of encounter, where we meet people in their unique cultures, histories, and life situations and witness the love of God. What often touches my heart is the reaction of parents when their children express the desire to enter religious life. Some struggle to accept the decision, while others entrust their children to us with deep love and concern, asking us to care for them. Their words remind me that every vocation is precious and that every young person who comes to us is a seed of hope entrusted to our care. Through family visits and accompaniment, I have come to appreciate the sacredness of God’s…
A Volunteering Family’s Mission Experience in Ghana
Ewa Kaznowska-Ponczek from Lublin, Poland, together with her husband and two daughters, spent time volunteering among some of the most vulnerable people in Ghana, West Africa. We are an ordinary family from Lublin, focused on everyday life—raising two teenage daughters (aged 12 and 15) and managing our professional responsibilities. Despite our busy schedules, we try to help others, both out of compassion and to teach our children empathy and sensitivity to the needs of others. This desire inspired us to volunteer abroad. Through Sister Celina Natanek, we had the opportunity to serve with the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa (White Sisters) in Ghana after a year of preparation. Once a month, we attended formation meetings where we studied the Bible, reflected on our motivations, and listened to people with missionary experience. We learned to be open to the unknown and to let go of expectations. We were encouraged…
In my heart I felt a great desire – a vocation story
Sister Angela Kapitingana is Tanzanian. Sha was several years in mission in Uganda, Zambia, Rwanda, Kenya and DRC. For 5 years she was a formator in the novitiate in Burkina. Currently she is the Superior General in Rome, Italy We asked her about her religious vocation. Here is her story Discovering my vocation was not easy but, in my heart, I had a desire to share my faith with people who have no family, especially orphans. I wanted to show that they are important in God’s eyes. Very early I lost my mother so I wanted to help my sister who did everything so that I could study. I worked hard at school until I had the opportunity to go to university. It was a decisive moment when I felt in my heart a need to get out of myself and reach out to others. I followed by…
Cardinal Lavigerie and the foundation of women congregations
At the symposium held at Tangaza University in Nairobi on 20 September 2025 to celebrate the bicentenary of Cardinal Lavigerie, Sr Hélène Mbuyamba, MSOLA, gave a presentation highlighting the cardinal’s role in the creation of women’s congregations Here is an abstract from the conference of Sr Hélène Mbuyamba, MSOLA At a time when the role of women was limited to domestic and family tasks, Cardinal Lavigerie made clear that for him the apostolate of women was an indispensable complement to the apostolate of men. As a man of faith, broad-minded and endowed with extraordinary vision and foresight, he understood the importance of women’s apostolate among women and recognized their vital role in transforming society. Even women who rarely left their homes were still at the heart of their households and it is in the home that women shape the society of tomorrow. Sisters could reach them and help…
The 36th International Youth Festival 2025 in Međugorje
By Sr. Lucy Nabweteme, Lublin Community, Poland I was entrusted by the Congregation with the mission of Missionary Vocation Animation (MVA) during my pilgrimage to Međugorje, on the occasion of the 36th International Youth Festival 2025, held from 4th to 8th August. Preparing for the Pilgrimage to Međugorje During the preparation for the pilgrimage, I experienced complications with travel documents and some fear about the mission ahead. However, I was deeply supported by my sisters in the community. On the 1st of August, at 3:30 am, we prayed together in our community chapel. The sisters blessed me, and we went to Saint Anthony of Padua Parish in Lublin, where a special Mass was organized for all the pilgrims. The theme of the pilgrimage was: “Let us go to the house of the Lord” (Ps 122:1). The Journey: A Time of Sharing and Prayer Once we boarded the bus and…
My Perpetual Commitment: An Offering of Life to the Lord
From Sister Kandongo Kibole Yollande, on mission in Chad With a heart full of gratitude, I share the profound joy I experienced on the day of my perpetual profession. My life, received as a gift, I have offered to the Lord, the Master of all. In trust and serenity, I approached his altar, ready to hand over my entire existence to him. Yes, I can truly affirm: there is more joy in giving than in receiving. The grace of this unique moment was granted to me. Everything unfolded in peace and in deep fraternal communion. I felt carried by your prayers, your encouragement, and your affection. As our ritual of vows highlights, I leaned on the unconditional love of God and on the support of my sisters. With this certainty, I made my commitment in full awareness, convinced that I do not walk this path alone. This definitive…
I commit myself
Sr. Suzy Hadermann, CHS St Joseph – Evere, Belgium When I saw the theme proposed for this issue of Sharing Trentaprile, this sentence came to me spontaneously. You surely recognize it… It is a sentence from our vow formula, in n° 26 of our Constitutions: “I commit myself to collaborate totally in God’s work to proclaim his Kingdom in Africa” I find, summarized there, the commitment of our whole life for the Mission… our whole life, whatever our age, our state of health, our way of life, the place where we are sent… Collaborating totally… this means that no part of our day is outside this reality: our whole life is consecrated for the Mission. In everything we live, we are at work with God, we collaborate in his work, to proclaim his Kingdom in Africa. Collaborating totally means that God uses everything we experience, even the…