Caring for the earth means caring for ourselves, future generations, and our relationship with God.
It was with this conviction of Pope Francis, of venerable memory, that we spent a day of prayer, reflection, sharing and awareness-raising as we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ on 4 October 2025 in the community of Koudougou. We celebrated this important event as a spiritual family of 15 sisters, 4 associates of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit and two other people, in union with all the units of the congregation around the world, and in response to the call of the Superior General.
The Vice Province’s Laudato Si’ Commission is composed of Sister Clémentine TAPSOBA, Sister Edith YAMEOGO and Mrs. Marie, an associate.
We began the day with a Eucharistic celebration in the chapel with the pupils and their parents, as well as those involved in education in our nursery and primary schools. In the spirit of Laudato Si, we wanted to combine the blessing of the new primary school building with the children’s back-to-school Mass. So, at the end of the Eucharistic celebration, we raised awareness among the pupils who were present and their parents about protecting our environment by keeping it clean and planting trees. At the end of the ceremony, the pupils planted a mango tree in the school playground and promised to take care of it every day.
We continued our activities in the large hall of the nursery school, where we were welcomed by the Vice-Provincial, who read us the message from the Superior General. The opening prayer brought us into contact with nature and all creation, inviting us to contemplate it, marvel at it and give thanks to God.
After this time of prayer, we had a very enriching time of sharing about our role in creation: knowing that we are all stewards of the earth’s resources, we are also all invited to make good use of the creation that God has entrusted to us.
Before starting the discussion, we presented a sketch to highlight creativity: a nun visits a family and sees that the mother has gone to the market to buy everything she needs, even though she could have planted a small garden in her yard for her family’s consumption; she also sees that all the lights in her yard are on in broad daylight! The nun seizes the opportunity to raise awareness. While she is talking, another neighbour arrives and, after drinking some water, throws the container on the ground… The nun calls out to her and talks to her about Laudato Si, the Pope’s invitation to take care of our “common home”, hitch is the earth, and to play our full role as protectors of this earth.
This was followed by a short talk in French, translated into Mooré for the Associates present. It was a moment of sharing, remembrance, and encouragement to be consistent in our daily lives, our relationships with God, with others and with things.
For us, Daughters of the Holy Spirit and Associates, this vision is not optional. It is part of our spirituality and our charism: to contemplate God in his work, to recognize his presence in every creature and to let this contemplation inspire our lives and our choices.
We sang “Laudato Si’ Ô Mi Signore” with music and dance to praise God for his wonders.
It was a beautiful day spent reforesting the community and the schoolyard. We shared a meal together and thanked each other for the delicious local dishes (green balls, beans and tô with sautéed vegetables). Then we said goodbye.
Written by Sisters Edith and Clémentine – Laudato Si’ Commission – Burkina Faso.
