Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa
The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa ( fr. : Sœurs Missionnaires de Notre-Dame d'Afrique , religious symbol : SMNDA), also known as "Sœurs Blanches" or White Sisters (by her white habit so called) are a missionary order in the Roman Catholic Church .
history
One year after the founding of the male missionary order White Fathers , Archbishop Cardinal Charles Martial Lavigerie of Algiers , who later became the Primate of Africa , founded the female missionary society “Our Lady” in 1869. In the same year, eight young women from Brittany were sent to Algiers, then another 14 from France and Belgium. In 1871 the first White Sisters took their vows . In 1882 the first general superior was elected: Marie-Renée Roudaut (1847–1930), her religious name was Mère Marie-Salomé.
The community sees itself as exclusively missionary , the sisters are deployed in Africa with the mission of evangelization .
Religious life
The missionaries put their lives at the service of the African people. They live as sisters and who vow to obedience, poverty and celibacy stored. The sisters live together in small communities of three to six women. The prayer and a simple lifestyle shape their religious life.
organization
From the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters another 22 independent Sisters' Congregations emerged, which are spread over several countries, but especially in Sub-Saharan Africa . In 2011 the order had 800 members from 30 different countries. There are 37 communities in Africa, 60 in Europe , 12 in Canada , the United States and Mexico, and Education Houses in Burkina Faso and Kenya . Carmen Sammut from Malta is Superior General . The most famous German missionary sister of “Our Lady” from Africa is Sr. Lea Ackermann .
In 2006 the General Assembly decided to merge the four African provinces into the Province of Africa by January 1, 2007 . The Provincial Superior of Africa is based in Nairobi . Other provinces in 15 African states received the status of regions of the order.
- The North Africa region includes Algeria , Tunisia and Mauritania .
- The West Africa region includes Burkina Faso, Mali , Chad and Ghana .
- The Central Africa region includes Rwanda and Burundi .
- The East Africa region includes Kenya, Uganda , Tanzania , Zambia, and Malawi .
Since 1999 the provinces of Europe have been amalgamated into one province - with headquarters in Paris. The 6 provinces were renamed regions: France / Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain.
The General House is in Rome . The regional house for Germany is in the Ruwer district of Trier , others in Cologne-Dellbrück and Bad Salzig . There are also elderly missionaries in the following Caritas houses in assisted living: Trier senior center of the Barmherzigen Brüder, Neunkirchen / Nahe , Sulzbach , Auersmacher , Cologne-Ehrenfeld and from 2012 Cologne-Klettenberg . The novitiate of the religious community are in Arusha (Tanzania) and in Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso).
In 2011 the Congregation counted 23 novices from 8 nationalities.
The last general chapter took place in July / August 2012. The question of "Mission today in a global and intercultural world" occupied the 30 participants. The guideline: "Justice and Peace" crystallized more and more as the focus of today's missionary activities. It became very clear that missionary activity for the Order of Africa can not only take place on the African continent, but that the sisters must also be present in Europe and Africa with their intercultural communities. One of the focal points of the work of the missionaries, since the foundation, is the dialogue with the religions , especially with Islam . It is therefore important to promote and live this dialogue not only in Africa, but also in Europe.