An old Catechist
As for me, I do not have a great devotion for cemeteries, but would go to his tomb each time I returned to Ipusukilo. In 1950, I arrived in Ipusukilo, Northern Rhodesia, Zambia. As a good White Sister, the first thing to do was to learn the Bemba language. My teacher, (at that time there were no language courses), was Sister Séraphine, one of the four Sisters of the first caravan of Sisters to arrive in Northern Rhodesia. In the afternoon, I went to Lubilo village to practice speaking with Gabrieli Kawimbe. Holding the hand of a patient, or of a dying person: this act makes all the difference. Old Gabrieli had understood this.Gabrieli was an elderly man. I found him still seated on his deck-chair made of animal skins and reciting his rosary. He had been one of the first catechists of Bishop (Moto-Moto) Dupont, the Bishop King of…
My vocation : I Had a Dream …
Sister Maite Oiartzun Baraibar, from Spain, tells her story… Tell us what led you to Africa: I went to Africa, Mali, as a tourist. I had been invited by a Spanish White Father I knew. The reality of Mali astonished me with its 1.8% of Christians. I felt the need for missionaries to share the faith, the Good News of the Gospel, so that those who did not yet know Jesus Christ could meet him.I was a teacher in Spain. Seeing illiteracy in Mali, I felt called to collaborate with others, so that children could learn to read and write. School is the base of education. I was very involved in Spain in the youth group ENCUENTROS DE PROMOCION JUVENIL. Christ was the driving force of my life, my treasure. Why a Missionary Sister of Our Lady of Africa? The sister who welcomed me in Mali was…
Apostolic activities in the noviciat
“Three Saturdays a month, in the afternoon, we spend two hours in tutoring children from this village which is almost abandoned. We work with two members of the community of Saint Egidio, which we were told upon arrival that “this is a school of peace.” Bénédicte cares for children from CE1 and CE2 (basic courses) and Aline those of CP1 and CP2 (preparatory courses). This phrase, “it is a school of peace” has marked us so much that today we realize that these children really need peace. Sometimes they fight one another to express their need for affection, as their great-grandparents were quarantined in the village because of their disease. There is a woman who spoke, saying, “it’s better when you’re here,” simply because these children who find it difficult to live together, fight and that is a disorder. Gradually the children get used to being…
God calls … How do I respond?
I will try to share with you something of God’s call in my life. How I heard God’s call, how I responded and how I continue to respond every day in the daily events of my life. My name is Mia. I am a Missionary Sister of Our Lady of Africa and I am from Ghent, Belgium. Here are some signs to help discern a call to a religious missionary vocation Listen to testimonials: Since I was very young, in primary school, I loved listening to the testimony of the missionary sisters who came to speak in our classrooms during their home-leave in Belgium. I thought to myself: When I grow up, I want to be like them, go to Africa, especially where people do not yet know God. I also loved watching on TV reports and documentaries about Africa. Listen to the Word of…
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…
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…
