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…
For us, difference is a value.
Sisters of differents nationalities and continents present themselves