Called to come from Cameroon to France for the service at the general commissary, I had the grace to participate in the session “Welcome Days 2025”, a meeting organized each year by the CORREF (Conference of Religious and Sisters of France) to allow foreign missionaries to enter into the dynamics of the pastoral care of France.
Gathered in Paris at the Maison St Vincent in L’Hay-Les-Roses, among the Daughters of Charity, from 13 to 17 October 2025, we were twenty-eight participants including five religious and twenty-three nuns of eleven nationalities, coming from thirteen institutes of consecrated life, present in twelve Dioceses here in France.
We had the joy of being welcomed by the sisters Elke Steinacker and Catherine Sesboue of CORREF as well as by the Daughters of Charity. This first day was reserved for the welcome, the fraternal exchanges between us and the various discoveries … which allowed many of us to contemplate and admire the splendor of the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral, the Eiffel Tower and many other historical monuments. Before ending the day with a Eucharistic celebration, we had an interview with Bishop Grégoire Cador of Coutances, former missionary in Cameroon: very moving sharing his missionary experience in Cameroonian land. For me, it was both a moment of discovery, rediscovery and awareness of the discreet riches of my country! With fraternal questions and sharing, we understood the need to know the reality of our land of mission in order to serve better. The Prelate invited us to “leave our usual tables of thought” and to agree to let ourselves be converted.
During the other four days, through teachings, Eucharistic celebrations, group work, we listened, reflected, dialogued, discerned together the challenges of interculturality, in this case communication, enthusiasm and the shock of novelty, the social facts, the values… and also tried to understand the notion of ‘Laïcité’ as it is lived today in France.
Other moments of relaxation such as cultural dances, films, preparations for celebrations and services have allowed us to know each other, relax and learn from the Other, from others.
By hearing again the cultural history of France, I understood better the journey of faith as well as the courage that our DHS sisters have always had to dare and accept to build a more fraternal and more human world in the different places of missions. I remember that we are constantly called to make our cultures dialogue in order to build a path together, dare to compromise, seek consensus and move from intercultural to fraternal communion and thus to witness to the Love of God.
We all returned radiant with joy and very happy about our meeting «Welcome Days 2025» in Paris. I am very grateful to all my sisters in the congregation and particularly to the Generalate sisters who allowed me to live these moments rich in graces. May the Lord help me and help us to live in communion with him and in solidarity with our brothers and sisters.
Sister DONTSA Simone, DHS – community of Rennes. Published on 21 October 2025
1) Photo During the Bamiléké dance with sister Elke, in a loincloth
2) Photo during the traditional Burkinabe dance
3) Photo taken of the Trocadéro where the Eiffel Tower is clearly visible
4) All of us at the end of the session
