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…
So That Life Might Prevail, by Sister Bibiane Cattin
Born in 1940 in Switzerland Bibiane Cattin is a member of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa. After spending three years in Guinea as a lay missionary, she lived in DRC Congo for thirty-five years as a religious sister. A social worker by profession, between 1999 and 2002 she studied at the Institute of Integral Human Formation of Montreal (IFHIM) where she was trained among other things, to Actualize and Restore vital human strengths after traumatic experiences. Bibiane Cattin shares in this book her experience of missionary life; especially the last ten years during which she worked with people traumatized by the war, especially women rape victims. With the approach of the IFHIM she was able to help “restore the strengths” of these people who had gone through traumatic events, to lift them up again. And this in a short time. The…
Beauty and feminine identity by Lucienne Brousse
“The art of tattooing as an attribute of feminine beauty was once the prerogative of North African women. As in all millennial civilizations, this pageantry which embellished the features of the face, the limbs or certain parts of the body formed the adornment of the woman following the example of its current practice in European countries with piercing, a new contemporary form inherited Hindo-Asian civilizations which today attracts casual and rebellious young people. The work which has just been published by Dar El Khattab editions looks with a corpus of signs, symbols drawn on the origins of Berber female tattoos in the regions of Biskra and Touggourt, spreading a little more in the regions of Kabylie, to provide a modest study that attempts an ethnographic understanding of the original symbolism of tattoos, often referring to testimonies of women who practiced it: “It is…
Sister Madeleine Allain and her passion for the study of language Kabyle
Sister Madeleine Allain She was a friend of Algeria who left there after having given much to the culture, especially the Berber language. She not only studied the language, but developed a Kabyle-French dictionary which was published in1982 by the SELAF Editions in Paris. The study of language Kabyle Sister Madeleine Allain arrived in 1939 in Algeria as a “White Sister” with her religious name: Sister Louis de Vincennes. From that date, she began with passion and method to study the Kabyle language in Ain El Hammam (Michelet) and Tizi-Ouzou. In 1953 she founded in Tizi-Ouzou a house of studies for young sisters (Center for Feminine Berber studies). The center later moved to Larbâa Nath Iraten (Fort National). In 1946 she helped found the FDB (Berber documentation file) that was set up with Fathers Dallet and Lanfry to collect Berber texts. In 1947 Sister Madeleine obtained…
Embracing the past and the present
On the way to Banzo It looked like 15 August would be a beautiful day for the Bobo Dioulasso novitiate community… First we had to get up earlier than usual and be on the road before sunrise. Besides the dirt road and deciding which pot-holes to avoid… After two hours of travel, well shaken, we arrived at Banzon, where this year would take place the feast of the Assumption. Also celebrated in our diocese is the feast of the Association of Catholic Women of the diocese (LAFCD). We were warmly welcomed by the parish priest of Our Lady of the Valleys, Father André Baro. He impressed us with his simplicity and openness. Under a tree, the first White Sisters to Banzo After greetings, he spoke about the history of the parish and the place of the White Sisters in it. “You see the little house below…
What did Lavigerie want when he founded the congregation in 1869?
Apostles! That is to say women having hearts burning with “a strong and ardent love” for JESUS CHRIST and belonging totally to Him. He destined these apostles for AFRICA. To proclaim the Good News of Christ to the African peoples: “Tell them that this Jesus, whose cross you show them, died on it to bring all the freedoms to the world, freedom of souls against the yoke of evil, freedom of conscience against the yoke of the persecutors, freedom of the body against the yoke of slavery.” (June 3, 1879) To achieve this goal and to prepare women-apostles dedicated to the apostolate among the women, religious life was for him the indispensable basis. Following Christ has always been the foundation of consecrated life. His understanding of religious life passed through several important phases: As a historian–professor of Church history at the Sorbonne–he was first impressed by the work…
World Day of Prayer for Creation
An initiative of Pope Francis It was Pope Francis who took the initiative in his message of August 6, 2015, to establish this world day in line with his recent encyclical Laudato Sì. “I wish to communicate to you my decision to also establish in the Catholic Church a “World Day of Prayer for the Protection of Creation. Starting this year, the day will be celebrated on September 1, as already happens in the Orthodox Church. Our common vocation, guardians of creation The annual World Day of Prayer for the Protection of Creation offers each believer and every community a valuable opportunity to renew their personal commitment to their vocation as stewards of creation, giving thanks to God for the wonderful work that He entrusted to our care and invoking his help in the protection of creation and mercy for the sins committed against the world…
Jubilees in the Netherlands!
Women apostles for Africa since 70, 65, 60 and 50 years! “Today, together with our sisters in the Netherlands – Boxtel, we are grateful to God for His uncountable graces. In a special way, for the gift of religious vocation and faithfulness of our sisters who have celebrated their jubilees and to whom we are saying “congratulations”! 70 years of religious life – Sr. Wil Hansen, 65 years of religious life – Sisters Angela Brekelmans, Tonnie de Bekker and Annnie de Groot 60 years of religious life: – Sisters: Marianne Kemmeren, Theresia Brattinga, Bertie Lintsen and Greet de Vries 50 years of religious life – Sr. Marie MacDonald A decoration for our sisters : To our great surprise, the Mayer of Boxtel, Mr. Mark Buijs, came not only to congratulate our sisters for their jubilees, but also to thank our sisters who, after 20 to 50…
In Sicily the “sisters of the world” with migrants
The “sisters of the world”: an international team of religious women in Sicily with the migrants. Pope Francis asked religious last year to get involved in welcoming migrants. At the request of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) the Missionary Sister of Our Lady of Africa (White Sisters) decided to participate in an inter-congregational, international team to welcome the migrants who land in Sicily. These migrants also come from Africa and for them, to be welcomed by African religious who can understand their drama is a valuable relief. Sister Vicky Chiharhula, Missionary of Our Lady of Africa, Conglaise, shares the first steps of this team. Sisters with migrants in Sicily We arrived in Sicily on Dec 12, 2015—from five congregations, different nationalities: Argentina, Eritrea, India, Poland and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We were very well received by everyone in the diocese of Agrigento and beyond. From…
Our jubilee of 25 years in Poland
A the University chapel Lublin The celebrations startet with the Eucharist at the University chapel KUL-Lublin where our cty from the first years was collaborating with the Jesuit-chaplaincy. The choir executed magnific african songs . They have already a big repertoire since many years.Our sisters in Lublin invited a youth group which prepared the procession for gifts accompagnied by dances and intercession prayers. The main celebrant in his introduction recalled in a few senteces the history of our presence and collaboration in the chaplain-activities. By the White Fathers The following saturday, at the White Fathers chapel we were thanking and praying with their friends and families for their welcoming and collaboration during the 25 years of our presence. In our Parish Then on the sunday 19th of june we continued our thanksgiving celbration in our Parish run by the Pallotine priests. The whole community of Missionaries…