It’s 21st November Again… Since last year, the 21st of November has become an important day for us, as it marks the day on which our community grows at the foot of the altar. This year five applicants (two Ugandans, two Swiss and a French) were officially accepted as postulants; two Nigerian postulants received the religious habit and our French and Gabonese novices made their first Religious Profession. Deo gratias et Mariae! It all began when half of our community (most of them were to make a new step in this Congregation: towards postu-lancy, novitiate and religious profession) attended the eight-day Marian retreat preached by Father Daniel Couture, while the remaining half also took advantage of joining in all the conferences given in the afternoon. This extraordinary pres-entation of the mysteries of Our Lady’s life, done in a recol-lected atmosphere of the retreat, was a precious occasion

for all of us to deepen our knowledge and love towards Her who constantly watches over us.

Many many years ago St. Joachim and St. Anne went to the Temple to present their little daughter Mary that she might be entirely dedi-cated to God, to His divine service, to His Love.

Each of us, too, following behind Our dear Mother’s footsteps, has come to the Temple of God to offer Him our own life with its sacri-fices or, better still, to offer Him our constant struggle and effort that we may live only for Him!

November 2015– N°8

St Therese of the Child J esus

The Ceremony in Pictures… Novitiate: The reception of the religious habit is preceded by the traditional invocation of the Holy Ghost, after

which the postulants are invited to approach the altar as they ask to receive the habit of the Congregation.

The celebrant, Fr. Alain Marc Nély, blesses the Habits, Scapulars, Veils, Candles and hand them one by one to the postulants.

The two postulants leave the Chapel and go to the desig-nated place where they change their postulant uniforms into the newly received Habits. This is a moment of great sus-pense... waiting to see them come back with a white Veil on their head... Now wearing their new Habit, as they arrive at the foot of the altar, each postulant reads the formula of their Oblation, a sign of their first engagement with our Congregation. The celebrant then a n n o u n c e s their new reli-gious names after which he gives them the blessed

Rosary along with the Saint Benedict’s Crucifix, this latter is worn around their neck and will be part of their Habit.

St. Therese of the Infant Jesus, our patron saint, says that the Rosary is like a long chain that connects Heaven with Earth: one of its end is in our hands and the other is in those of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a formidable weapon which a Missionary Sister cannot do without as she lays the intentions of the apostolate in the Heart of Our Heavenly Mother. Finally, the two new novices return to their places in the Chapel. The novitiate period be-gins for them: for two years they will spend their life through prayer, work and study where they will discover the secrets of the religious life in the silence of the Novitiate. Religious Profession: It is the second year novices’ turn to pronounce their first religious vows: this act is of infinite grandeur because it marks their espousal with Our Lord, and from now on they will be deeply united with Him, the only Spouse of their soul. Hence, they have the obligation to strive to become holy every moment of their life. That instant is so great that even the celebrant will fall on his

knees in order to first implore Our Lady’s help and light through the chanting of the Litany. Then the Tabernacle is opened in front of which the novices, one at a time, make their vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience for the duration of three years. They also receive a ring being the “spouses of Christ”; the white veil is ex-changed into brown as a sign of their status as professed Sisters of the Congre-gation, and finally the celebrant gives them a Crucifix which is the “foundation of our Faith, the protection from all adversity and the perpetual banner of our vic-tory...”

Following the ceremony, a simple lunch was served in the convent gar-den, thanks to some benefactors. The day was honoured by the pres-ence of our reverend priests: Fr Alain Marc Nely, SSPX Second Assistant General who represented our founder Mgr Bernard Fellay; our retreat master, Fr Daniel Couture, SSPX District Superior of Canada; Fr. Loic Duverger, our District Superior of Africa; Fr. Prudent Balou, Prior of MIS-SION ST. PIE X, Gabon (for Sr Clara); Fr. Louis Pieronne from France (for Sr Helene-Marie); our Chaplain, Fr. Rainer Becher; our confessor, Fr. Nicolas Bely, Prior of Holy Cross Church Parish, Nairobi; Fr Pierre Champroux, assistant and resident priest at Holy Cross Parish; Brother Remy, resident at Holy Cross Parish. Were also present two friend

priests from SMA as well as neighbour religious Sisters; family members of the new Novices and Professed and some friends and benefactors from the Parish.

In the late afternoon, the rainy season showed its power: that beautiful day ended in a torrential rain... The abundant downpour clearly showed how many graces were showered upon our be-loved convent throughout that day! The two newly professed Sisters had the joy of receiving the Ap-ostolic Blessing for the occasion, thanks to the family of one of

the Sisters. This document bears the Papal blessing and an invocation for more abun-dant and divine graces through the interces-sion of the Blessed Virgin Mary...

We ended the celebration with some songs accompanied by recorders and guitar. We sang in different languages known in the Novitiate: Swahili, Igbo, Gabonese, Filipino, Swiss German, French, Italian, English and Latin! The prayer of the Holy Rosary crowned that eventful day.

The postulants, novices and professed Sisters as-

sure you of their grati-tude and prayers!

May Our Lady of Africa keep you

under Her protection!

The Missionary Sisters of Jesus and Mary

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