Muslims speak of the beatification of the Martyrs of Algeria
Pope Francis made a historic visit to the United Arab Emirates by transmitting a message of peace and promoting interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims. In December 2018, in Algeria–a Muslim country, we celebrated the beatification of the 19 martyrs of Algeria. Many Muslims participated. The event itself has become a beautiful message of peace, fraternity and interreligious dialogue.
JPIC ED Newsletter February 2019
As Pope Francis spreads the message of peace through his visit to the United Arab Emirates, read about the commitments of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa to peace and justice in interfaith dialogue, with migrants and refugees.
Beatification of the martyrs of Algeria
The celebration of the beatification of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions and martyrs on Algerian soil took place on Saturday 8th December 2018 at the Shrine of Notre Dame de Santa Cruz in Oran, Algeria. Among the beatified, we find Fathers Charles Deckers, Jean Chevillard, Alain Dieulangard et Christian Chessel – our four brothers, Missionaries of Africa, who were assassinated in Tizi Ouzou in 1994, and the monks of Thiberine, who were kidnapped and assassinated in 1996. “They all died because they had chosen, by grace, to remain faithful to those with whom they lived and shared services, and had become neighbors. Their deaths revealed that their life was at the service of all: the poor, women in difficulty, disabled, young, all of them Muslims. (…)These beatifications say that hatred is not the right answer to hate, that there is no inevitable spiral of violence. They want…
The Basilica of Our Lady of Africa
The Basilica of Our Lady of Africa is a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary the Mother of Jesus commonly referred to in Algiers as Lalla Myriam or Madam Africa. It is a prominent place for meditation, forgiveness, silence, prayer, peace. The origin of the Basilica The Basilica of Our Lady of Africa was built thanks to the faith and tenacity of two Christian women, Marguerite Berger and Agarithe Cinqin. They were able to convince the bishop of Algiers at the time, Bishop Pavy (1846-1866) to undertake the construction of the building (1846-1866) which was finally inaugurated by Cardinal Lavigerie in 1872. It is the work of the French architect Jean Eugène Fromageau. The exterior is built in a Byzantine style, while the inside is inspired by Spanish-Moorish architecture. From the beginning the basilica has been a place of prayer and pilgrimage for generations of Christians who came to pray…
The learning method of tunisian language
The learning method of tunisian language is intended to beginner level. It is written both in arabic and transcript for a francophone and anglophone people, what is quite unique. This method was written by Sister Madeleine Prim. This method is the product of a long story. After some lessons given by The White Fathers at IBLA ( Institut des Belles Lettres Arabes) , the White Sisters have organized a first draft copy of lessons more intensive in 1937. Since 1957, the language center works in its current form, under the name of ” Maison d’Etudes” , based in Monfleury / Tunis and linked to a library intended to highschooler. Initially intended to the White Sister who was studying literal arabic and arabic dialect, with an formation on islamology, the center has opened gradually towards another public living and working in Tunis. The first student…
I discovered an intimate face of Islam
At the beginning of my stay in Paris, a happy event led me to discover the existence of a spiritual-sharing-group at the great mosque in Paris which met under the theme “Enter into the intimacy of the Koranic universe.” It is true that I could not imagine spending a school year in Paris without trying to meet with the Muslim community in France -I who lived 17 years in Algeria where I very much appreciated the welcome of Muslim friends and families. I carried within me the desire to meet the Muslim minority living in Paris. With the goal of sharing our lived experience, our host ensured that exchanges did not become discussions, but that we would all seek to discover how God speaks to us in our life, how God’s word inspires, how God reveals himself through the Qur’an. The group was very diverse, consisting of people…