From the evening of Thursday 19 October to midday on Sunday 22 October, we met in Vice-Province to look at what our choices should be and to commit ourselves in community with “those whom God has associated with us”, for the year 2023-2024.
The Assembly opened on Thursday afternoon. Sister Angèle, our vice-provincial, welcomed us and we expressed our joy at the official entry into the novitiate, the day before, of the four novices: Yvette, Marie, Edith and Nina. We welcomed Sister Séraphine Stéphanie, Daughter of Mary, who came from Yaoundé to help us reflect on the theme: “Living fraternal life in community”.
Following the different moments of our meeting : – the opening prayer led by sister Angèle and her counsellors, sisters Hélène, Geneviève and Simone, – the actions in favour of the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth, of “everything is linked”, – the sharing of those who were at the sources of the Congregation in France during the month of August and of those who have followed one or other formation… we were able to say that, personally and in community, the efforts to be pursued for our common mission remain, as last year, to hear the cry of the earth and the poor, and to make them our own. It was with this in mind that Sister Angèle once again took the floor to encourage us to live out our ESF charism more fully in our communities and places of mission. On the second day of our meeting, we continued our group reflection with these questions: What are the internal and external obstacles to fraternal life? What are the strategies and challenges for personal and community renewal? How do we react to fraternal correction?
During this Assembly, we rediscovered the beauty of community life.
Before Mass, each of us received a lighted candle, a symbol of Christ’s life, and at the end, we were all sent on mission. Together, we recited the Tercentenary prayer to renew our commitment to follow the gentle and humble Jesus, in the footsteps of our Foundresses, Marie BALEVENNE and Renée BUREL. This Sunday’s celebration gave us the opportunity to pray once again for our sisters Anne BRIANT and Jeannette LANDRIEN, who worked in Cameroon and who have now left us.
With God’s grace, we will meet again next year, not only for our traditional assembly, but also for the celebration of 70 years of DHS presence in Cameroon.
Sister Anne-Marie ABIONO, community of Djarengol – Maroua.
Published on 28 October 2023
3rd photo: Sister Seraphine Stéphanie, Daughter of Mary: facilitator
