Ever since the announcement of the admission of novice Béatrice COMPAORE to take her first vows in the Congregation of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit, and even more so in the novitiate chapel in Marza-Ngaoundéré, Cameroon, everyone was overjoyed!
For the whole community, to experience such a Eucharistic celebration in our beautiful chapel was a wish come true! With joy and enthusiasm, friends and acquaintances didn’t hesitate to say: “We’ll see, for the first time here in Ngaoundéré, how things are going with you…’”
Everything went smoothly, because the Spirit was always ahead of us in everything: the practical organisation of the ceremony, the spiritual time with Béatrice and Sister Pauline, the learning of the songs, the shopping and all the practical arrangements…
Several DHS members travelled to join the many people who came on 15 March to support Beatrice in her ‘Yes’ to the Lord. Father Afrika and mother Rachelle were delighted to be the parents of Beatrice, the chosen one of the day.
At the altar were several priests, a deacon and a seminarian. André PAKEU, rector of the minor seminary and chaplain to the community. In his homily, making the link with our Rule of Life, Abbé André focused his remarks on three points: the texts of the Mass (1 Sam 3, 1-11; Ps 15, Lk 1, 26-38), vocational discernment and some of the current challenges of religious life, such as that of being missionary disciples following Christ to proclaim his Gospel, with these two questions:”What is a religious? What is a Daughter of the Holy Spirit?”
Béatrice’s religious profession and the various speeches added to the joyous atmosphere of the ceremony. Béatrice chose a calabash as her symbol. In her Mossi culture, it is used for many things, including drawing water to welcome strangers. Among the Mossi, welcoming strangers is very important: they are offered water with crushed millet, sugar, shea butter and, for a warm welcome, a little chilli pepper… All this is served in a calabash. But before the calabash can be used, it has to be carefully cleaned…. “This calabash represents me” says Béatrice.”For me to be an instrument that pleases God, I had to be cleansed and purified through training. May the Lord help me to continue the work I’ve started and to be useful in the service of my brothers and sisters, and above all in welcoming everyone. I am counting on your prayers”
The beautiful atmosphere of the celebration continued outside the chapel around a fraternal glass of water prepared for the occasion.
In the evening, with all the DHS who had come for the feast, the whole novitiate community and Sister Angèle, vice provincial, we reviewed the celebration together, which had been a wonderful achievement thanks to everyone’s contribution. Béatrice said: “I had no idea that the feast would be so beautiful. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone: to my sisters, to my parents here and in Burkina, to my co-novices… to everyone, thank you from the bottom of my heart”..
Béatrice, sent to Burkina-Faso to the community of Koudougou, travelled with the four second-year novices – Edith, Marie, Nina and Yvette – who were going there for their second internship. Happy mission to them.
Prayerful union to take up the challenges of religious life, which constantly call out to us today, in our world in search of values and reference points.
Sister Vedette NDAOKAÏ, Marza-Ngaoundéré novitiate community. Published on 26 March 2025
1. Beatrice taking her vows before Sister Angèle, vice-provincial, and her witnesses: Sister Vedette and the seminarian Michel.
2. During the vigil prayer
3. During the Mass of the day
4. Sister Angèle welcomes Beatrice
5 At the end of mass in the chapel
6. Sister Béatrice surrounded by her parents Papa Afrika and Mama Rachelle
7. Sister Béatrice with her sisters
8. At the end of Mass, Béatrice, the sisters and the novices
9. Beatrice and the novices
