The clock is ticking, the light is radiating, voices are heard in the down chapel of the SMA Generalate house, usually silent during the summer.
These are voices of the members involved in the Inter-Congregational Ongoing Formation (ICOF): General council of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles (OLA), of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritan Fathers), of the Missionaries of Africa (White fathers), of the Missionary Sisters Our Lady of Africa (MSOLA), and of the Society of African Missions (SMA).
They have been invited by the SMA General Council for a dinner. This a tradition which is usually held before a General Assembly or General Chapter of one of the founding congregations.
General council not being static, this tradition is used as a forum to thank members of the congregation who have or will be having their general Assembly or chapter. Their contributions, their accomplishments and the values they have instilled are celebrated and the opportunity is also taken to welcome new elected members of the founding congregations of the ICOF.
This year, the tradition has been held for the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles (OLA) and the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa (MSOLA) commonly known as white sisters.
The Olas are going to have their general chapter from July 08th to August 7th.
Its present council is composed of:
- Sr. Mary T. BARRON, Ireland (Superior General),
-Sr. Marie Hélène GOURDON, France (Assistant General),
- Sr. Anne FALOLA, Nigeria (Assistant General),
- Sr. Hortense DOUSSOUMON, Benin (Assistant General).
For Sr. Mary T. BARRON, the Ola Superior general: “the past five years have been a very fruitful collaboration where we have learnt a lot by working together with the four other members we have contributed a lot to the welfare of our members and members of other congregations and diocesan priests. It is a well-founded initiative it is much neeeded and it is continuously growing it is my hope that we will continue this collaboration for the good of our members”.
The Msola have already had their chapter from last May 1st to May 22nd.
The immediate past council members are:
- Sr. Carmela Sammut, Malta, (Superior General),
- Sr. Maria del Carmen Ocón Moreno, Spain (Assistant General),
- Sr. Juliana Karomba, Tanzania (Assistant General),
- Sr. Masirika Annonciata Mapendo, D.R. Congo (Assistant General).
They passed the baton to the new council:
- Sr. Angela Nemilaki Kapitingana, Tanzania (Superior General),
- Sr. Jeanne d’Arc Ouattara, Burkin Faso (Assistant General),
- Sr. Leticia Garduño, Mexico (Assistant General),
- Sr. Małgorzata (Gosia) Popławka, Poland (Assistant General).
Sr. Angela Nemilaki KAPITINGAN expressed all her joy at embarking on this ship and underlined how for her, “our different charisms are gifts that when put together bring something beautiful. When a charism meets with another charism it opens one to open up more and help you to even discover one own potential. I hope that as this collaboration grows, it opens the door to extend this beautiful gift of energizing each other for the mission that God has entrusted to us”.
In this delicate dance of transition, where the path of remarkable individuals departing and new great people coming in converge, ICOF through its founding members march forward, united in purpose,fueled by the Holy Spirit, and driven by the collective desire to provide for the well-being of its members and shape a better world.
As a reminder, the Inter-Congregational Ongoing Formation (ICOF) Program has been initiated by the Union of the five General Councils previously mentioned. The main objective of the ICOF Program is to make available opportunities for ongoing formation in Africa for priests and religious. The ongoing formation is focused on renewal of the participants. And the renewal is holistic: the spiritual, the human, the pastoral, and the academic aspects of the person.
The ICOF program as of date is being run in Tanzania and Côte d'Ivoire. There is a plan to expand to more African countries.
Brice Ulrich AFFERI
