From 1 to 4 October, in Maroua, CAMEROON, our usual annual meeting was held at the vice-provincial house.
This assembly began with the opening prayer, followed by a word of welcome from Sister MAMMA Catherine, vice-provincial, who invited the sisters to enter the assembly with a spirit of peace and openness to the Holy Spirit. As every well-ordered life is evaluated and oriented, the assembly had the objective of rereading the axis of the year 2025-2026 and building together the orientation of the year 2026-2027: “One heart, one soul to live communion and witness it.”
The reunion was warm. This is explained by the lack of opportunities for the sisters to meet more often due to the diversity and intensity of each other’s activities. Therefore, the assembly was a time of much awaited reunion and fraternal exchanges between us. The theme carefully chosen in advance was to strengthen this bond of fraternity and help us live our ESF charism in our diverse communities and peoples with whom we share our daily missions. Another equally important dimension was to review together the orientation axis of last year and build another one.
The preacher of those days was Father Christophe IDRISSA, vicar general of the diocese of Maroua-Mokolo. He reminded us that fraternal communion comes as a virtue or universal quality that imposes itself on the common life. At this level, the experience of the first communities mentioned in our Rule of Life -chapter II: “Related to those whom God has associated with us” – was highlighted. The first sisters lived this virtue because they had one heart and one soul. We are also invited to create this communion by working on ourselves, on our harmful convictions for an authentic communion, to give meaning to life through the unification of oneself through prayer, inner peace, self-emptying and humility, to move from the “me” to the “us.” Thus, remaining attentive to the Holy Spirit, we are united to others. Father Christophe also reminded us of the importance of keeping the issue of testimony in mind: How do our fraternal relationships help to witness to communion? To answer this question, we are each invited to reconcile our personal and community convictions. For communion comes from being rooted in Christ and in others. Unity engages our whole being.
Filled with this rich teaching, we continued our meeting by another highlight which was to build together the 2026/2027-year axis. This exercise has earned us several times at the ‘carrefours’.
The closing Mass of the assembly took on a very special tone with the jubilees of the sisters: Yvonne MAPOU, 30 years old; Pauline MAISENSO, Agnès DABAYA, Justride BESSIRI, Germé BAVA, 25 years old; Marceline KAADA, Christine DIDJA, 20 years old, Elisabeth MAIROUSKOU, 10 years of religious life. Then there was something to praise God, to rejoice and feast! It was a time of conviviality and joy between sisters, with families, friends and acquaintances.
Odette Maiblame community of Doukoula
and Bertine Bayang, Novitiate community – Ngaoundéré
Published on October 16, 2026
