A session for the young professed Daughters of the Holy Spirit on ‘Community life and its demands for inner freedom’ was held in Diébougou, BURKINA FASO, in the community of Bagane, from 27 to 29 March 2026.
The purpose of this time of reflection led by Sister Christine DIDJA was: to know how to reconcile the demands of community life that impose limits, with inner freedom.
All shared life requires requirements that contribute to better living together, the rules not being limits but rather roadmaps that allow individual and collective fulfillment. These requirements relate to a set of individual or collective expectations, requirements that motivate the implementation of commitments and constraints … such as the requirement of faith to enter the Kingdom of Heaven whose works are indeed the proofs of this faith. We seek to acquire true inner freedom which is not an absence of constraints but rather a capacity to choose them freely and consciously.
We also talked about individual freedom and community freedom which are manifested by a balance of mind, self-control, judgment with remarkable consideration for others and the realities that arise: it emerges that tensions can arise in the fact that individual freedom, without balance or self-control, can collide with the other or that blind obedience stifles freedom… Inner freedom, especially individual freedom, is a capacity to assert oneself without any influence from the power of others. To achieve this true freedom, the inner work, the training of the spirit, the letting go, the acceptance of facts are major steps. Finally, we deduced that community life and inner freedom are nourished by prayer, sharing and discernment under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
At the end of our session we warmly received a letter of encouragement from Sister Silvie ROAMBA, vice-provincial, who showed us her affection, support and trust. His message gave us joy and courage for our journey.
Lived in a climate of listening, exchange and active participation this session was an opportunity to meet among ourselves, young professed women, to talk, relax and live an intense time of fraternity. Thank you for the multifaceted support that contributed to the success of this session for our spiritual and intellectual human growth.
Sister Edith ZEMDE. Published on 8 April 2026
