On Saturday 12 November 2022, in Cameroon, we, members of the novitiate community, the Daughters of the Holy Spirit from Maroua, relatives, friends, acquaintances and faithful Christians of the parish of Our Lady of the Presentation of Marza-Ngaoundéré, gave thanks to God for the construction of the novitiate and all the work done! It was a great joy to participate for the first time in such a celebration presided over by Bishop Emmanuel ABBO, Bishop of the Diocese of Ngaoundéré.
In his introduction, Bishop Emmanuel reminded us of the meaning of the blessing of a house. It is a liturgical act to thank the Lord, while placing us under his protection and entrusting to him all the people who will come to this house.
After that, Sister Judith MBOUGOUL, as the person in charge of the novitiate community, took the floor to welcome everyone and briefly recall the history of the beginnings of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit in the diocese of Ngaoundéré: September 7, 2018, implantation of the FSE novitiate, first in the premises of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (in Mbamyanga-Hamadjangui) and then, on November 30, 2019, in the present community in Marza, through the anticipated steps of Bishop Joseph DJIDA, of late memory, of the construction of the novitiate completed in 2019,
Bishop Emmanuel blessed the water and sprinkled the entire novitiate, room by room, beginning with the chapel where we stayed to sing and meditate. After this rite, we gave thanks to God by joyfully singing the Gloria and listening to the word of God. In his homily, Bishop Emmanuel officially welcomed the Daughters of the Holy Spirit to his diocese. He took the opportunity to entrust the DHS with a legacy: the debt of mutual love. Then the other highlight of the celebration was the blessing of the tabernacle that we had been waiting for so long! For a long time we have borrowed the words of Psalm 121: “We have forbidden our eyes to sleep and our eyelids to rest, until we have found a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” Now our chapel has a real presence! Thank you, Lord, for this grace.
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, Sisters Angèle HARANGA SILIKAM, vice-provincial, and Justine AMANI, provincial bursar, successively took the floor to thank heaven for allowing this celebration, Bishop Emmanuel for his availability, the great Daughters of the Holy Spirit family and the benefactors for their multiform support, the companies, the workers and all the people of good will who have allowed our installation in the diocese of Ngaoundéré
The joy continued, of course, after the mass around the glass of water prepared by the novitiate community.
