Gathering the fruits of our pilgrimage of Juniorate
Pilgrimage in the footsteps of Cardinal Lavigerie: Sr. Magdalena Orczykowska, Sr. Julia Alonso Martinez (animator), Sr. Iwona Cholewińska, Sr. Kandongo Kibole Yollande, Sr. Marietha Asimwe Joakim Rupia At the end of the Juniorate our sisters share their experience: At the end of this important and very profound journey, which is the beginning of another one, with Mary and with all of you who have been with me physically and spiritually, who have encouraged me and supported me on this journey of transformation, I turn to God as I say: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my saviour. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness. The Mighty one has done great things for me, holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age.” I am grateful to the Congregation which gave me this opportunity to grow, to…
Inter-Congregational Ongoing Formation Program (ICOF)
From Sr. Hélène Mbuyamba, Arusha Community, Tanzania A brief history In 2014, five congregations came together to set up an inter-congregational ongoing formation program (ICOF). This initiative came from the collaboration of the General Councils of the following 5 congregations: Spiritan Fathers, Missionaries of Africa, the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, the Comboni Missionaries and the Society of African Missions (SMA). The Comboni Missionaries subsequently withdrew and the OLA (Our Lady of Apostles) joined the group. Today, these five congregations are considered the founding members. The vision and mission the founding members had for the ICOF program are: Vision: Integrated priests and religious in Africa who joyfully bear witness to the Gospel in their personal, spiritual and pastoral lives. Mission: To provide Catholic priests and religious in Africa with the opportunity, space and time for personal renewal to better serve the Gospel in the concrete…
Audience with Pope Francis
January 3, 2024…a long-awaited date because we had been invited in a privileged way to Pope Francis’ general audience. At 7 a.m., we were enthusiastically marching towards the Vatican…. Wow!! A huge crowd of people were lining up…. They were way ahead of us!!! Courageous, we were the last in line, but before long we were no longer the last, and the queue was moving along at a good pace. Our yellow card put us in a special place called “baisemains”. We were in row 4… a great row to see Pope Francis up close! In these words, Pope Francis reminded us that in the Christian life, spiritual warfare is for all people who want to commit themselves to following Jesus, who himself had to live and manage his own life. Here is what he told us: Last week, we introduced the theme of vices and virtues. It’s…
Transition session 2023
The transition session took place in Rome from September 6 to 29, 2023. Three sisters participated (two were unable to obtain their visa). They share some experiences. From Sr. Kordula Weber, community of Karlsruhe, Germany I would like to emphasize the place given in the program activities, to relaxation and friendship. The superior of the community organized an outing for us to the beach. He accompanied us “in the footsteps of Cardinal Lavigerie” to the Church of St Agnès hors les Murs, where he received the hat and his charge as cardinal. Visit of the Generalate of our Congregation. Sisters Leticia Garduño of the General Council, Gloria Sedes, and Magdalena Orczykowska of the juniorate. An outing to Castel Gandolfo allowed us to admire the palace inside and the immense park. The visit to Assisi in the footsteps of St Francis was for us an opportunity to strengthen the…
Pilgrimage of Juniorate
Dear Sisters, We are happy to share with you some important events that marked our Juniorate Pilgrimage. We set off on the 11th of September accompanied by our sisters Julia Alonso Martinez and Jeanne d’Arc Ouattara. From the beginning we were asked to be open and flexible as the problems with visa reshuffled our plans. Marietha Asimwe arrived on 10 September and Yollande Kandongo was able to join us only on 5 October. However, the new technologies came to our help and allowed us to start the program together. On September 14, the four juniorists Iwona Cholewińska, Magdalena Orczykowska, Marietha Asimwe and Yollande Kandongo we began our juniorate pilgrimage. During the opening Eucharist celebrated by Father Stan Lubungo, Superior General of the Missionaries of Africa, and in the presence of the sisters of the large community of the Generalate, the Superior General, Sister Angela Kapitingana, officially welcomed the juniorists for…
Official entry into the novitiate
From October 13 to 16, the pre-novices (from left) Mbaihamdéné Valérie, Cyarisima Divine, Kwatemba Kuyonzo Wilkista Agripina, Jovanie Nitunga, and Nodjitelsemba Solange went to Mater Christi for their retreat in preparation for the official start of the novitiate, which is a very important stage in religious training. They were accompanied by Sister Furaha Kamanyula who led their retreat. They arrived all happy and the community was happy to welcome them. October 18 was the day of the official return to the novitiate and the entry into heaven of Mother Marie Salomé; I was touched by the organization of the community which made a beautiful feast. Each of us gave the best of ourselves in the preparations. Our brothers the Missionaries of Africa came with their novices to pray with us. The Eucharistic celebration was celebrated by Fr. Emmanuel, M.Afr. In his homily, he told us that he did not…
Everything becomes possible for hearts that seek God
Our sister Ferroudja celebrated her final vows in the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa in Alger on June 24. She is from Kabyle, the cradle of our congregation. Another mass was celebrated in Thanksgiving of the 1st of July in Farroudja parish. Many sisters and friends came to participate in the celebrations. Here we have the witness of some moments of grace, by Jeanne D’Arc Ouattara. “The Lord is faithful in all He does” (Ps 32:4) These words of the Psalmist are of a reality that we can taste in the days that preceded and follow Ferroudja’s vows. Words that are fulfilled for us in Algeria, for the Church and the world, in simple yet profound gestures that make God present in our midst, in hearts open to his love and faithfulness. What a wonderful surprise! Ferroudja’s younger brother, seeing his worried sister looking for a candle, presented…
Final vows of our Sr. Aurélie Dushime in Burundi
A number of people gathered in Kayove parish, Rutana diocese in Burundi to share the joy of celebrating the final Vows of Sr. Aurélie, on 15th of April 2023. Ernestine Mukamana & Veronicah Khakasa, pre-postulants in the Community of Butare, share their impression of the celebration. It was a memorable celebration for the Christians of Rutana. The parish team and the parishioners participated actively in the preparation of the event. They were engaged in the decorations, preparing the meal, serving people, animating the mass just to mention a few. It was touching to see the commitment of the people of Kayove parish in this celebration. The Bishop Bonaventure Nahimana of Gitega celebrated mass and there were a good number of priests including diocesan and others from various religious congregation. There were also different religious who came to support our sister and to share the Joy with MSOLA and…
Perpetual vows of Sister Béatrice Wêndpouiré Badini
On Sunday, the 23rd of April 2023, in the parish church of St. John XXIII, a parish of the Archdiocese of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso run by the Missionaries of Africa, Sister Badini Wéndpouiré Beatrice pronounced her perpetual vows. It was a great joy for us Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, as well as the Badini and Sawadogo families. After 9 years of temporary vows, she pronounced her perpetual ‘YES’ to follow Christ according to the charism of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa (MSOLA). Her vows were received by Sister Celina Natanek, of the North West Africa Entity Leadership Team (NOUA), during a mass presided over by Monsignor Justin Kientega, Bishop of Ouahigouya (the diocese of Beatrice). Concelebrating with him were 14 priests including Beatrice’s younger brother, Father Damien Badini. Sister Beatrice made her postulancy in Ouagadougou in 2010 – 2012, then, she did…
Final vows of Sr. Redempta Kabahweza
The 16th of April 2023, the day of final commitment of Sr. Redempta Kabahweza, was a great day of joy in our MSOLA family, in the family of Sr. Redempta and the entire church center of Kabata, Fort Portal in Uganda. It was a joy of participating in the event of a young woman who took the step to give herself totally to God and to God’s service until death! It was a celebration of Sr. Redempta’s final “YES” to the Lord’s call, to leave her country and proclaim God’s love to all the people she encounters. After listening to many people, the simplicity of Redempta in choosing the local church center for her feast was impressive. During her speech, she shared that it was in that vary church that she experienced her first encounter with God, where she came to know God and fell in love with Jesus…