Tag Archives: MSOLA

  From our Sr. Fides Mbabarepore On February 10, the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Ouagadougou celebrated their jubilee of 100 years of existence in the cathedral of Ouagadougou. This celebration closed several activities that the SICOs had carried out over 3 years of preparations and especially during the entire week preceding this wonderful celebration. The SICO, the first indigenous religious congregation in Burkina Faso, founded in 1924 by Monsignor Joanny Thévenoud (M. Afr-White Father) and formed by the MSOLA-White Sisters, including Sr. Delphine Aubazac who today is considered by SICO as co-founder of their institute. As Lavigérie’s family, we are proud to see the growth of this congregation which sends its members to Burkina Faso and to 6 other African countries: Algeria, Benin, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, and Togo and to 2 European countries (Italy and France). This was repeated several times by the Superior General, Mother Pauline…

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  From our sister Clementine Mukampabuka There is the desert I visited for the first time in 2004 in Ghardaïa and El Golea and where I sang the hymn of creation; where I met Blessed Charles de Foucauld; where I met Jesus of Bethlehem, Nazareth and Galilee through the presence of our sisters and brothers on mission there! There is another desert, the one where I meet my brothers and sisters detained in the different places of incarceration here in Algeria. They are truly in a desert which deprives them of certain freedoms including that of going where they want, of seeing who they want. In this desert, the angels who feed them are the authorities of the penitentiary establishments and we who share the Word of God with them. We print it and leave it with them as an appointment for the week. These moments of prayer in prison…

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  Sharing from Sr. Carol Garcia Murillo, Madrid, Spain   I keep thinking how essential prayer is in our lives. And I have seen in the parish that the families of the children and young people who are part of my community, are not used to this important moment of the day. I found a small image of the Holy Family: Joseph, Mary and Jesus, in a tender representation. I proposed that a child take this figure home for a week. I asked him, with his parents and siblings, to get together to ask or give thanks to God, all together, for something they wanted. Then, during the Sunday Eucharist, after all the people who wish to have received Holy Communion, this child shares in front of the whole parish community what he prayed or thanked God for with his family. Then, when he finishes, he hands the image of the Holy…

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Sr Lucy in her garden   Our older sisters in Germany show us the way towards Integral Ecology The Cologne-Klettenberg community continues to take small steps in our journey towards integral ecology: wasting neither water nor energy, for example, using the elevator with several people whenever possible, avoiding plastic waste, choosing meat-free menus, planting flowers that are useful for bees, collecting cigarette butts to protect the groundwater etc. As Jesus taught us, we believe in the power of small things. Although almost all of us are in our 80s and 90s, we can still take a few steps in the congregation’s journey towards Integral Ecology. Behind our house lies a small garden where we admire flowers and fruit trees all year round. Those of us with balconies create our own tiny gardens and we give preference to flowers that attract bees and other insects. Plates filled with water or seeds…

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    From Sr. Keneema Anosiata, Kinshasa Yolo, R. D. Congo   It is a great joy for us to share with you our experience of Missionary and Vocation Animation here in Kinshasa. Indeed, we give thanks to the Lord who continues to send us young people to discern their religious vocation through our congregation. We see that the Holy Spirit is at work, because youth is the future. During 2023, we welcomed and journeyed with several girls. Some of them have come to know our congregation through our apostolic collaborators, others through social networks such as Facebook and our website. On this point, we would like to say a special thank you to Sister Amani who has never ceased to put us in contact with girls who ask her questions on Facebook about their missionary vocational journey. Others have come to know us through the testimonies of some of…

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  From our Community in Nouakchott  Every year, between Christmas and New Year, the pastoral agents of the diocese of Nouakchott come together for a time of training, meeting and relaxation.  The theme of this year’s session was “Discovering current Mauritania through its religion, cultures and traditions” because of the importance of the number of pastoral agents newly assigned to the diocese, and because of the complexity of Mauritanian society. We were 48 pastoral agents of 23 nationalities. Among us 11 new people who participated in the session for the first time.   We had two speakers. Mr Gabriel Hatti is one of the faithful Christians, former official of the Mauritanian administration, and currently president of Caritas-Mauritania. He spoke about his life in Mauritanian society where he held important responsibilities which led him to a unique experience of Christian life in this land of Islam where the Lord sends us to…

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  From Bobo-Dioulasso Community, Burkina Faso   For us at the novitiate, JPIC-RD is a process of transformation that first touches us personally and then invites us to develop the right relationship with God and with all creation. Day by day, we discover that JPIC-RD begins with ourselves, with why we were created. The principles and foundations of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius help us to deepen our mission on earth. In the novitiate, we insist on a personal relationship with God Triune and with ourselves, in order to live just and peaceful relationships with our brothers and sisters and all other creatures. This is lived out daily in our personal prayer, in our work on ourselves and in all our interactions with people, animals and other creatures. We realize that whenever we are at peace with ourselves and with God, we become peacemakers and witnesses to justice. The…

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    From our community of Ghardaïa On January 26, 2024, at the cathedral of Oran, Mgr Davide Carraro, PIME Italian of origin, was consecrated bishop. It was also his birthday to the day. He was previously vicar general of Mgr Jean-Paul Vesco, Archbishop of the diocese of Algiers. A choice that surprised some and not others. Since the announcement of his appointment as bishop, a shower of laudatory testimonies has been heard non-stop. Davide is a handsome man, a beautiful soul, a good choice, a face always happy. He is simple, sensitive, generous, very human, accessible, he has acquired experience alongside Mgr Vesco. Why was the appointment delayed when the right man was there?   “God is Love” This is the motto of Mgr Davide Carraro “God is Love”, a motto which explains the goodness of God, painted on the face of Mgr Davide. He was consecrated bishop by…

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    From our sister Vickness N. Muleya, community of St. Julien, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Social exclusion due to allegations of witchcraft is violence against women, and the phenomenon is still rife, especially on the Mossi plateau. More than five hundred women are dispersed across the Mossi Plateau in shelters or precarious homes in insecure areas, because they are accused of being “soul eaters”. The women arrive stripped of all their possessions and dignity, beaten, wounded, their homes burnt down, and forbidden to see their children and families. Many die on the road, while others attempt suicide. These are common occurrences, and many victims die tragically without any help. In general, it’s the elderly, and particularly women, who are the first to take the blame when death or other dramatic events occur in a family. At present at the Centre Delwende, we have 178 residents, including 7 men; 70%…

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  The experience of our sister Béatrix Dagras   The door of room 506 of the “Résidence de Bon Secours” in Paris is accustomed to discreet and unexpected knocks: questions, services requested or rendered, information… are all occasions for friendly encounters, bringing the pleasure of their balms. Even at night, a joker or a person suffering from insomnia may knock on the door a couple of times. No need to open the door: by the time you get up to see who’s there, they’ve gone!   In our residence a parish-initiated reflection group was set up, for the reading of the New Testament. I took part along with other residents. When this parish activity came to an end, the comment was made: “We don’t know the Old Testament!” The group then became an in-house group, called “Biblical”, and they entrusted me with the task of leading it… Since last year,…

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