It was a wonderful experience to be part of the Phariyago community in Diébougou, Burkina Faso. After a period of learning about and integrating into the life of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit, I was given the opportunity to experience, feel and confront the reality of community life, mission and prayer life.
In this experience at Phariyago, I would say that this community is a special one, very dynamic, practical, fraternal, simple, and open. Its members: Sister Nathalie KAM on mission at the Health Centre, Sister Edith YAMEOGO at Saint Jean Primary School, Sister Delphine SOME at Saint Jean High School and Sister Clémentine TAPSOBA at Mater Christi, are very involved in parish activities… Open to all, their closeness shows what they mean to the people. As a novice, I was involved in various services: firstly, in community activities such as the garden, the henhouse and sheep and goat rearing; secondly, at the Lycée Saint Jean in the 5th year; and thirdly, at the health center, where I weighed children and gave vaccinations. I also taught catechism to the children in the parish every Saturday.
‘They will never be idle’. In this community, the sisters are always working and find ways to develop in a creative spirit. They herd sheep outside the community, shelling groundnuts for the rainy season. They also farm. As ingenious and generous women, they have always shared the fruits of their labour, such as mangoes…
In short, the Phariyago community is an active and practical community in every sense, very involved in various activities and missions, with a strength received from God every morning in prayer.
ZEMDE Edith, Novice at the end of the course in the Phariyago community.
Published on 23 June 2025
