From 7 to 11 April 2024, the camp for aspiring Daughters of the Holy Spirit was held in Touloum, a town in the Far North region of CAMEROON, in the diocese of Yagoua.
As soon as the camp opened, in a room in the parish, Sister Bertine BAYANG, who is responsible for young people aspiring to religious life, welcomed everyone. Each young woman introduced herself, indicating where she was from: 10 from Koza, 3 from Doukoula, 2 from Maroua, 2 from Sir et Guili and 1 from Touroua.
These few days of fraternity between the young aspirants and the FSE sisters present, the priests and the people of the parish of Notre-Dame de Lumière were joyfully enriched by three major events.
How to listen to the Holy Spirit and allow yourself to be guided by Him.
Sister Bertine drew her inspiration from Sacred Scripture to explain the pre-existence of the Holy Spirit from the creation of the world. She presented the three main forms of his presence: the cloud, the fire and the dove. Bertine stressed the importance of listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, who is within us, guiding us, protecting us, enlightening us and inspiring us in different ways every day. The discussion then continued in the groups with the following questions:
1- List all the distractions that keep the Holy Spirit away.
2- Do we have to be perfect to listen to the Spirit
3- What shows that the Holy Spirit dwells in us?
After this time in groups and the feedback from the floor, Sister Bertine concluded her talk by emphasising the signs of the evil spirit, such as lies, fear, doubt, envy and comparison, which slow down and prevent life from progressing.
The history of the congregation
Sister Anne-Marie ABIONO began by defining the term ‘history’ and explaining the orientation of our congregation when it was founded in 1706 by Marie BALAVENNE and René BUREL: a commitment to helping the poor, the sick and children. She then presented the spirituality and charism of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit. The young people asked a number of questions, mainly about what it means to be a Daughters of the Holy Spirit today, and how they see themselves living their lives…
This was followed on Wednesday 10 April by a half-day of recollection, led by the whole team of accompanying sisters, to entrust to the Lord all that had been thought about, said and shared. In the evening, happy and satisfied, we had a great time of relaxation, laughter and joy! In conclusion, two evaluations: one by us, the DHS, and the other by the young people.
We give thanks to God for this time spent together and ask him to be ever more witnesses to his love, which is changing our world. We are also grateful to all those who helped us to organise this camp. We continue to pray for more religious vocations in the Church, especially in our congregation. May the Holy Spirit always go ahead of us along the way.
