Jubilee of the World of Volunteering
The entire period of the Jubilee 2025 is characterised by a rich calendar of religious, cultural and social events. The Holy Year programme includes several ‘jubilees’ dedicated to different categories of people, identified according to their profession or their role within the family, the Church and society. The two days of 8 and 9 March are dedicated to the world of volunteering, as a reminder of the role played by non-profit organisations, NGOs, social workers and volunteers from all associations working for the benefit of the community. Today we also want to remember and thank all the volunteers with whom we continue to work on various projects. We do so with an article by our sister Elisabeth Biela, who has left her role in the Karlsruhe community as leader of the refugee ministry in collaboration with many other Christian and lay associations. Here are her thoughts on the occasion of…
Lavigerie Family of Kadutu
Posted by the Kadutu Community, DRC The Lavigerie family of Kadutu met on August 4, 2024 at the home of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa in Kadutu. Let’s start with a little history to understand who this group is. Since the celebration of the centenary of the death of Cardinal Lavigerie, a group of lay people have been touched by the vision of our founder, his actions, his charism, the ‘all to all’, his anti-slavery struggle to restore dignity to Africans, his love for Africa, his charity (Caritas, the Pelican) and his call to be apostles. All this was passed on to his missionaries to evangelise Africa. This group, called ‘Laïcs Missionnaires Lavigeriens’, was led by our sister Marie-Claude Berrod. The members met in the sisters’ community and were recognised by the diocese. They made their promise to the Church at a Mass celebrated…
Lavigerie Family in Ouagadougou
Reported by our sister Helene Kavula Lavigerie Family recollection – Ouagadougou Section – Sunday, November 05, 2023 Apostolic zeal and dedication It was around this theme that the “Lavigerie Family” group met in Ouagadougou on Sunday November 05, 2023, for its first recollection since its foundation 15 months ago (August 2022). Led by Father Joseph Maoka, Missionary of Africa. The day began by inviting the members of the Lavigerie family present that day to be attentive to the Lord, who meets us in our daily state of mind, in silence. The Lord visits us in unexpected situations (1R19, 8-13). Apostolic zeal and dedication are rooted in various points developed in the course of the talk. Firstly, the Holy Trinity, through which we become aware that God is communion and has a plan to save mankind. That’s why he sent his Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh who reveals…
A way of announcing the Good News in everyday life…
When we received the invitation to write an article about MVA, we were perplexed. How can we, who are confined within four walls in our Rome community, be asked to do this? For sure, we do not do mission animation. And yet, like all baptized and consecrated persons, are we not also missionaries, called to announce the Good News of Jesus Christ? Paul VI, in Evangelii nuntiandi, wrote: “The Gospel must be proclaimed first of all by witness. Here is a Christian or a group of Christians who, within the human community in which they live, show their capacity for understanding and acceptance, their communion of life and destiny with others, their solidarity in the efforts of all for all that is noble and good. They also radiate, in a simple and spontaneous way, their faith in values that are beyond the ordinary, and their hope in something that we…
Openness to other forms of belonging to the congregation
A little sharing about the emerging group: The Lavigerie group is a newly born group in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) made up of lay associates (wishing to share our charism) at the invitation of the General Council to open our doors to different groups who wish to share our charism and spirituality. It is a group animated by the spirit of love and mutual aid. The members easily take initiatives. They are together in both joyful and sorrowful moments. For example, when a death occurs, there is communication and then the delegation goes to present condolences to the family. We have already celebrated happy events such as Valentine’s wedding and the final vows of Sr. Beatrice Badini. During the preparations for the vows of Sr. Béatrice, they helped us a lot and a group was even formed to give a hand with the needed services. On the day of the…
How a dream became reality
One day, I saw Cardinal Lavigerie in a dream giving a lecture. I wondered what could be the meaning of my dream. Well, this is how the dream was born in me to have an open day to make our Congregation better known and to respond to the call to open ourselves to the different forms of belonging. This stayed with me for a long time before I told my sisters in community. One day during the community meeting, I shared it. So, we started to organize by writing an announcement that was read in all the masses at the cathedral in Ouagadougou. When the day came, “our sister the rain” visited us to the point that those who came to the first three Masses quickly returned home without coming to our house. I then felt that it was up to me to go to them, to look for…
Volunteers in Dar-es-Salaam
Volunteering with one of our communities is a way to get to know our charism better and to have an experience full of faith and conviviality. Here is the account of the experience of two girls who wanted to spend a few months as volunteers in our community of Dar-es-Salaam We are two young business school graduates. Before beginning our professional life, we wanted to take a few months to share what we had the chance to receive during our studies. We have chosen to take part in a project to support women entrepreneurs in Dar es Salaam. We are therefore leaving for 3 months to meet the Tanzanians, and particularly the four women that we accompany. Each of them has a project with a social or environmental goal. During this stay, we are fortunate to be welcomed by the Community of the Sisters of Our Lady of Africa: the…
A letter from Càrol Garcia Murillo
15 November 2020 Dear Sisters, Receive a big hug from me! I share this little article and some photos. We continue being united in prayer and I thank the Lord for your wonderful mission. May He bless you wherever you are! Despite the difficult and uncertain situation our world is currently experiencing, we can never lose hope and, above all, we cannot fall into temptation and think our good Lord has forgotten us. On the contrary, He accompanies us more than ever and the communion that unites us all together, continues being strong and fruitful. It is evident that my mission here in Spain is not the same as it was a few months ago… But I am prudent and where it is possible, I continue to be faithful to my pastoral ministry that gives so much meaning to my vocation. As I have shared with you on many occasions,…
Sowing with the Lord – testimony of an associate member
Càrol Garcia Murillo, Spanish, entered the Congregation in 2001. She had to interrupt her formation because of a serious lung disease. In spirit, Càrol never ceased to be part of our religious missionary family and in February 2012 she pronounced her missionary commitment as an associate member of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa.
“Mi Hermana Àfrica” of Càrol Garcia Murillo
“My sister Africa,” the continent that has changed my life. Already as a little girl Carol was smiling and fearless. And she still is! Since her childhood she dreamed of Africa. She did not know much about this continent but as migrants began arriving in her region, she felt drawn to their ways of being, their traditions … She wondered about the daily life of these people. Carol spent much time with the weakest, the poorest, the most miserable…. She shared her free time with them. Thus, fascinated by the encounter, by communication with others, she began to study in Barcelona as an audioprothesist. Having finished her studies she found an interesting job in Madrid. It was perfect. She divided her time between her profession and an important commitment in pastoral care in a working class district of the Spanish capital.…