D.R. Congo

Brief history of the Province

• A BRIEF HISTORY

The Canossian Sisters have been present in the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.) in the Province of “St. Josephine Bakhita”, since 1957 when Mgr. Alphonse Matthyssen (a member of the Congregation of the White Fathers), Apostolic Vicar of Lago Alberto, with headquarters in Bunia, then Belgian, asked M. General at that time, M. Antonietta Novello, to have some Sisters since evangelization on the outskirts of big centres was still at an initial stage.

General, being a great missionary, agreed to send 5 Sisters who eventually arrived in Luma on 15th September 1957 for the animation of parish activities, in particular the organization of the Catechumenate and to open a school for girls.

The pioneers were: M. Angelina Rivetta, who in 1950 had been expelled from Communist China with other missionaries, M. Anna Maria Sarti, M. Virginia Colombo, M. Rosetta Benelli and M. Antonia Robusti.

In 1960 the Sisters were called to open another community in Aru (80 km from Luma) where a new parish was being built and the foundresses arrived on 29^th June, the eve of the country’s independence; but since there was no house to host them yet, they spent the first night in a hut and then for two years they were given a hospital pavilion.

Unfortunately, in 1964, with the Simba revolt, the 5 Sisters who were in Luma were taken prisoner and miraculously freed after three months with 70 missionaries. The Sisters of Aru, however, were able to save themselves because, being close to the border, they managed to cross into Uganda.

In July 1966, only the house of Aru was reopened since the political-social situation was still uncertain and on 15^th September of the same year the first Congolese Postulant entered, the third African Canossian, M. Suzanne Akumu.

The country has known moments of dictatorship and war, but the Lord has given grace and the Sisters have continued to be effective witnesses of God’s saving love, increasingly widening the radius of their apostolic action.

A gift of Providence was the “Africa Appeal” launched in 1984 by the then M. General, M. Elide Testa, which brought the arrival of several Missionary Sisters or others for a temporary service that allowed the development of our reality: from Delegation, in 1988 it became Vice-Province and three years later Province.

• THE PRESENT

Today, in the D.R. of Congo there are 7 houses with 66 Sisters: 35 of Perpetual Vows and 31 Juniors, almost all Congolese since only 5 Italian missionary Sisters still remain.  Two Congolese Sisters are missionaries: one in Albania and one in Italy, where there are others who are carrying out a temporary service.

1. The Provincial headquarters is situated in the capital Kinshasa (2006) and M. Provincial is M. Maria Marcela Lopez, originally from Argentina, but more than twenty years a missionary in Congo.
This community, which is found in the south-west of the country, was opened as a formation house, first for Novices, and now for Postulants. A few years ago, a school complex was opened which houses a Nursery school and a Primary school.

2. Situated in the centre of the country, there is the community of Kisangani (1987), where we have a Secondary and Middle school, as well as a High school for Classics and Science with more than 800 students and a hostel.

3. To the east, in the Great Lakes area, is the community of Bunia (1986) with the S. Giuseppina Bakhita school complex that includes a nursery school, a primary school and, from this year, a lower secondary school. Here too, there are a great number of students

4/5. A little further north, there are two communities in Aru (one opened in 1960 and one in 2000) with a nursery school, a primary school, a high school that offers various specializations to more than 1,200 students, a college, a university, a cultural centre with a library and computers. There is also a dispensary and a maternity hospital, where specialized care is also offered for those suffering from leprosy, tuberculosis, AIDS and malnourished children.

6. Ariwara (1970) is 50 km further north. In addition to the nursery and primary school, there is a large hospital that serves as a reference for the dispensaries in the area, with a monthly influx of more than 1,500 patients.

7. Finally, 300 km east of Aru, there is Watsa (2011) where there is a hospital and a school complex with a nursery and primary school.

In all the communities, the Sisters dedicate themselves to parish work: they are involved in the ministry of Lector and Acolyte; in the pastoral care of children, young people and mothers, especially in groups and associations; they organize retreats and a few days of Spiritual Exercises.

They visit the sick at home and bring them communion.

They take care of the formation of the formators, especially the teachers and also the nurses and doctors, so that our works can maintain the Canossian style of humble service attentive to the person and that in everything the evangelical message can be communicated, according to the mission entrusted to us by St. Magdalene: “Above all make Jesus known and loved”. There is also a good presence of Lay Canossians who help us in our Ministries and where we are not present they contribute to evangelization according to our Charism with particular attention to the poorest.