“Thank you for loving us! Thank you for learning luganda!”
Give thanks in all circumstances – the spirit of gratitude of the Baganda people Rejoice always; pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances: For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess 5, 16-18) Hearing these words of Saint Paul on the third Sunday of Advent, I could not help but think with admiration of the Baganda people, among whom I have the grace to live and serve. As soon as I started to learn the local language, luganda and with it, the culture of the milieu, I was struck by that wonderful spirit of gratitude that dominates almost all the conversations in luganda. First, in any of the greetings we cannot fail to thank for the work done, whatever it is. After we finish eating, we thank the person who prepared the meal and in response we hear: “Thanks for eating!” Because there are those…
Juniorat 2017, let’s go !
Preparation for final commitment for the Sisters Vickness Muleya, Marie-Ange Ndayishimiye, Franceline Hien, Linah Siabana, Thérèse Namakoma Nyarukanyi and their animators, Sisters Ingrid Hager and Hélène Mbuyamba For us, this well in the drawing represents the Word of God. It invites us to listen to Jesus who speaks through events.
Un unsung HERO: “MSOLA”
The story tells how MSOLA – Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa- keeps close to her heart the cause of the woman in the world; she wants to make a difference in the life of the one who brings to life; the one who carries life in a secret place and brings it as a gift to this world; male and female; slave and task master; rich and poor, king and prince. MSOLA cares for humanity because the woman she cares for is at the center of human life. On her mission to serve the woman, MSOLA knows no boundaries. The mountains so high, the ocean so deep, the wilderness so dense would not prevent her from responding to the cry of a woman in despair. In this amazing story, our unsung HERO “MSOLA” has brought a special touch to the lives of vulnerable mothers and their babies in…
A logo as a sign of Hope !
General Chapter 2017: The logo designed by Sr. Gosia Popławska and here is the explanation she gives: The hand: The hand symbolizes that as “bearers of hope”, we are called to bring the light of hope, of a new life, to people but in reality it is God who is making this gesture towards his people. We are like the lamp; we are instruments in God’s hand. We are called to be channels of peace, reconciliation and hope. We are made of clay – we recognize our fragility. We can also be sure of God’s fidelity to us; he is always with us, in our history, in the present and in the future, because we are always in his hands! The lamp: The lamp is open at the top, ready to be filled with oil, so that it can function. We desire to…
Wonders of the Lord in Senoufo land!
René met Jesus. In 1971 I became acquainted with René and with his wife Adele and their children. They were the only baptized people in this Senoufo village. In the evenings in front of the door of their house, a group of children would rush to listen to Bible stories which Rene joyfully recounted with conviction. It was during his training in agricultural school that René first learned about Jesus. Since then, great was his faith in his Lord! Everything became an opportunity for him to praise him and make him known! Yet there were threats on the part of the villagers: “René, do not send your children to school without having offered the customary sacrifices!” “René, the custom of our village forbids you to start a new culture!” Yet René sent his children to school and he planted onions in the land of his…
Final commitment of sr Lucy Nabweteme
Lucy committing herself as a religious missionary sister ! Final commitment of Sr . Lucy Nabweteme on 15th January 2017 in Naama parish kiyinda mityana diocese Uganda . She committed herself for life as a Missionary sister of our Lady of Africa. “I wish to share a few words about Lucy’s final vows. We had a simple and meaningful feast with the people of her parishioners about two and a half hours drive from Kampala.Lucy was accompanied by her parents, family and our sisters from the entity participated and this was supportive. The missionaries of Africa came to the feast , the Gogonya generate community all came apart from the superior and for the people it was touching, something they had never experienced in life. It was a good witness that I believe awakened the Missionary spirit in the…
Word of an elder, word of Lavigerie…F. Richard Kuuia Baawobr
From Richard Kuuia Baawobr, M.Afr. Superior General (2010-2016) An African proverb says you can do without the cane of an elder, but you cannot ignore his word. In the book of Sirac the author advises his readers in similar terms when he says to them: “Do not depart from the tales of the elders, for they have learned them from their fathers. It is with them that you will learn to understand, and to have a ready answer when needed.” In the African tradition, the word of an elder, especially the father or mother of a family, always tells us the way of life, which is good for true fulfillment or what could possibly harm him temporarily or forever. That is why in the African tradition we pay attention to what the elders say. One learns the proverbs and one tries to put…
The senoufo language and the wisdom of Nyanyogo
Sister Nicole Robion : What I have learned from the wisdom of a woman of the traditional religion : While learning the Sénoufo language one day this woman Nyanyogo, came to the dispensary. As I had noticed her speaking clearly, I followed her to her home. For years, we had a beautiful friendship and this is what I can share of her wisdom. Welcome : God does not like someone to be sad. If your eye is bitter, your heart is also bitter and everything in you is sad. If people come to you, receive them with both hands. If we honor one another, God will honor us. An Enemy: Someone might hate me but since God who gave me life does not hate her, I cannot make that person my enemy. I laughed with her and she said: “What? You want us to fight? No, laugh…
The missionary heart has no boundaries
AFRICA…and then what? Sister Monique, Belgian Missionary Sister of Our Lady of Africa, returned from Burkina Faso several years ago. However, back home does not mean “retirement”! Rather, the missionary heart has no boundaries, and spontaneously she found places of work, or rather people to love, particularly the very poor. In mission at Louvain-la-Neuve “Our mission can be lived wherever we are sent,” we read in the MSOLA Constitutions. Upon my arrival in Louvain-la-Neuve, a multicultural city, I discovered that we could live the MSOLA charism in a special way. Africans are everywhere. We meet them while shopping, in parish activities, on the way to school. To share with young people what I have lived in Africa always gives me great joy: The director of a school in Ottignies (section of Louvain-la-Neuve), and a religion teacher, asked me for an animation. In the 39 high school…
Sister Celine Alie, pilgrim in Canada
What is this pilgrimage Marie Reine de la Paix? Set between the feasts of the Transfiguration and the Assumption, the pilgrimage Marie-Reine-de-la-Paix leaves the Montreal cathedral every year on August 6 and arrives at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Cape in Trois-Rivières on the feast the Assumption, 15 August. Founded 30 years ago, the pilgrimage has brought many benefits, including the increase in Quebec of the proposed routes. Fascinated by their experience, former pilgrims have begun journeys starting from Joliette, Nicolet, Sherbrooke, Granby, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec and elsewhere. They all converge on the Sanctuaire du Cap where they make a remarkable entry, one that we do not see every day, hundreds of pilgrims coming from across the province! For what, for whom did I walk? We followed Highway 139 along the river during these hot summer days, the refreshing breeze from there was like the breath of the…