Prospérine’s visit to Hasselt
From our sister Tina Anthonissen in Hasselt I’ve been looking forward to these few hours of Prospérine’s visit! I was able to make the most of them on 15 January 2024 thanks to the fact that Prospérine had taken part in the post-chapter in Brussels. She extended her stay in Belgium a little to visit me, and I’m very grateful to her for that. She brought me a repertoire reminding me of all the marvels that God had made us responsible for together in the Congo, and thanks to which the young people of the K.A. movement had been able to take many beautiful things. I advised her to keep going don’t stop!” because she’s still young. She must keep up her courage and always continue to hope and take initiatives. As in the symbol of the Capitular Acts, the tree so well drawn, we must be the roots (Monseigneur…
Life stories of the MSOLA from Boxtel
Life stories of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa (White Sisters) from Boxtel (The Neatherlands). For the new KRO-NCRV programme Anita in the Mission. Anita Witzier is fascinated by the adventurous lives these women led: standing up for the very weakest under the most difficult circumstances. They were young women when they make the journey to Africa full of ideals. Driven by faith, determined to make the world a better place. They build schools and run hospitals… The second part of the film is coming soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMimUh8JPx0
Gosia Poplawska’s visit to our community Köln/Klettenberg
So many overnight visitors we hadn’t seen for a long time! And as the visitors were so gracious to accept all kind of bivouac, all had a good night’s sleep! lt was right after the Pre-Chapter near Cologne (Germany). We had the joy first welcome our two leaders, Sr. Florence and Sr. Maite – already before the Pre-Chapter and afterwards Sr. Piluca and Sr. Gosia were added to their number. Before the Pre-Chapter we had a friendly get-together with Sr. Florence and Sr. Maite giving us welcome news from the other Countries of our entity! It was the first time to meet Sr. Maite and now we had the joy of inviting them “home” here in Köln/Klettenberg. The evening after the Chapter we found ourselves again all together. Sr. Piluca shared some of her encouraging experiences with other Congregations! It was so good to see her once again after several…
Exhibition of Sister Ghislaine Dubé
In the photo Sr Ghislaine with Sr Gisela from Rome ‘Tell me about Africa’. From October 13th to 16th, we had the privilege of sharing in the beauty, grace, and harmony of Siter Ghislaine’s works of art. The exhibition was held at the ‘Carrefour Foi et Spiritualité’, in the basement of the St-Joseph-Bordeaux Church, thanks to the collaboration of several friends, devotees of Art and Africa. 24 paintings made on acrylics and mosaics, represented scenes from Burundi and Algeria, as well as Aboriginal Art from Canada. Sr Ghislaine went around the room with visitors to answer questions. The theme of ‘the Circle of life’ dominated, with representations of women, children, dancers and drummers, painted in colours where black, brown, red and grey clay predominate. One could also stop at leisure on a painting to allow a call for greater well-being to rise from within… This exhibition was really a praise…
Pre-Chapter in Montreal, 22-26 August 2022
In Montréal, from August 22nd to 26th 2022, we have celebrated our American Pre-chapter with leaders Maite Sanz de Pablo et Florence Mwamba Malunga and many sisters from Canada and the United States. Here are some extracts with the sisters’ reflections: “This moment of grace allows us to look together how have lived the orientations of the General Chapter 2017 and the orientations of our post-capitular Chapter: “Bearers of hope, listening to the voice of the Spirit, let’s move forward together towards the peripheries.” “GRATITUDE: … Finally, the real gift of gratitude is that the more we are grateful, the more present we become. This is our boundless wish for our gathering.” “LIVING SOME CHANGES OF SEASONS: The change of seasons has been characterized by the changes in our own being as persons, as we continue to grow in age. Ageing brings a lot of challenges to many of us.…
World Day for Consecrated Life February 2, 2021
To celebrate the World Day for Consecrated Life, we offer you a video with images of the Congregation from the foundation to today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh7-JhUwVrg&t=2s
The heart of our faith is one person, Jesus Christ
A testimony of the life and faith of Sister Marie Léonie Pittet, from Christelle Devanthéry, from Neuchâtel. I met Sr. Marie-Léonie when I was 20 years old. I left with Voyage-Partage in Tunisia and I lived with her in the community of the White Sisters in La Marsa for 6 months. During the evenings, we talked about theology, the world, Africa. She listened to me and she shared her faith-vision with me. We lived together an extraordinary year with the visit of John Paul II to Tunisia, the assassination of the Brothers of Thibirine and of the beloved Bishop Pierre Claverie. At the heart of all of this was the very meaning of missionary presence in North Africa. The White Fathers and White Sisters touched me by the radical nature of their evangelical commitment, the testimony of their life given to a foreign land, a humility and a…
The ‘inner peripheries’, do you know them?
A real village! Nearly 30 years ago, the contextual realities brought the MSOLA into a 12-story building owned by the Sisters of Providence of Canada: a real village! At present there are 200 sisters aged 80 and over who come from different congregations, 16 women’s congregations and one male. They are found everywhere: chapel, corridors, cafeteria, infirmary, outdoor field. Hence the name Carrefour Providence. The majority live this situation with a courageous sense of adaptation, a lot of friendliness and openness, while declaring “We are no longer home.” Yes, it is the reality that must be admitted. The sisters of the various congregations share certain paid and unpaid tasks, helping to ensure the proper functioning of the residence with the 200 or so secular employees who provide essential services. The Providence Pavilion, a periphery inside the village: The infirmary is called Pavillon Providence and is spread over nine floors.…
To give the best of ourselves
We are six sisters in Málaga. Each one, according to our possibilities answers the calls we see in our environment and in line with the charism of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa. We strive to give the best of ourselves so that the Kingdom of God might grow. Lola and Juanita go to visit the homeless gathered in a Caritas house. They are happy to be able to meet these people and show interest in their lives. Féli gives Spanish lessons to immigrant women in a neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. She is happy to share her faith above all through her witness. Carmen serves in an Oxfam Intermom which struggles for justice and universal rights. Josepha deals with immigrants, with the sick and she participates in the work of Caritas in the parish. As for me I work in the General Services of…
Surprised by the Spirit… twice!
In defining our new Community Apostolic Project we of Winooski were very pleasantly surprised by what happened. We are seven, of very different characters and personalities and often find it difficult to come to consensus. Some are independent living and others needing infirmary care. However one sister suggested that what was needed was a new word carrying a new emphasis. After a pause, she proposed that HOPE was becoming very meaningful to her and could be such a word. The idea was contagious. It was as if it passed from one to the other, each one endorsing it. It was easily translated into “becoming a Messenger of Hope”. We all liked that. Then we could almost feel the invisible Spirit spelling out to each one the direction she could take. One said it could only be according to her own gifts and her God-given strength which varied from day to…