From 24 to 30 August in Maroua, in the Far North Region of Cameroon, where the Vice-Provincial House of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit is located, we held our traditional Assembly with great emotion.
Arriving on the 24th in the Galdima neighbourhood of Maroua, the Vice-Province, through the voice of Sister Angèle, Vice-Provincial, warmly welcomed Sister Olga, General Councillor from France. We were also delighted to welcome new novices – four from Burkina Faso and one from Cameroon -. and then celebrating Sister Marie-Claire CHARRIERE’s 50 years of presence in Cameroon… These were joyful and important events that we experienced together!
This Assembly was preceded by a consultation process for the election of a new Vice-Provincial. We then continued our reflection by reviewing last year’s Vice-Provincial Orientation. Each community shared how they had lived it out in concrete terms: it was a rich moment of sharing and suggestions…
With Sister Olga, we had the immense joy of experiencing the process of appointing the new Vice-Provincial, a process that helped us to take a realistic look at the context of our Unity, our strengths, our limitations and, together, to express our needs. For two days, we had intense times of prayer and personal and group discernment in order to be more focused on the future, listening to the Holy Spirit, not only for our vice-province, but also for the whole Congregation. We went through the consultation process in three stages: first, we were invited to look at the qualities required and what constitutes the mission of a vice-province; then, with the Word of God, we took time for prayer; finally, we looked at the reality of our vice-province with the various challenges, changes and ideologies of our world.
Sister Olga returned to the issue of abuse in all its forms, recalling the testimony of a victim from 60 years ago! We were deeply moved and challenged to reflect on our interpersonal relationships in community and in our mission settings; we became aware of the abuses committed and suffered. Hence the desire to achieve ‘zero abuse’ and to accompany, support and help everyone (perpetrators and victims) to conversion through forgiveness given and received. May the Lord always help us to have his words and feelings in the face of these situations in life so that we may always recognise his image in everyone.
Then came the time for the Eucharistic celebration, where we shared in the joy of Sister Marie-Claire CHARRIERE, who was celebrating 50 years of her presence in Cameroon: for us, it was like a balm that warms us after a blow of pain! In her moving testimony, Sister Marie-Claire expressed her gratitude to the Lord for the gift of her life, her vocation and the Congregation, thanking him also for the fruits of her labour through her sisters in the Congregation and all those who welcomed her, with whom she lived her mission in Cameroon.
It was an intense week! When asked about their impressions after the assembly, several did not hesitate to say that they thanked heaven because, looking back on the past years, progress had been made, even if only in small steps… The Spirit of the Lord is always at work! ‘Gathered together by the same gift… Lord, grant that we may always be united with those who, through you, are associated with us.’ (RULE OF LIFE, Art. 1)
Sisters Christine MAÏDOKLE and Bertine BAYANG. Published on 14 September 2025
