Africa Angola and Sao Tomé – Delegation
Brief history of the Province
The Delegation ‘Mother of Mercy’ is present in two Portuguese-speaking countries, São Tomé and Angola. They are different in culture, history and geography. At the beginning of the mission it was part of Portugal, then it passed to the Province of Verona. With the restructuring of our Canossian presence in Africa, in 2008, São Tomé and Angola passed to the new Province “Santa Giuseppina Bakhita” together with Congo and Togo. On 2nd February 2015, the Region of Angola and São Tomé became a Delegation dependent on the General Council. The headquarters was established in Luanda/Angola.
The pioneer Canossian Sisters, M. Giulia Fogale and M. Paolina Casiraghi arrived on the island of São Tomé, on 23rd October 1959 with the aim of making Jesus known and loved. The archipelago of São Tomé and Príncipe is located about 300 km from the West coast of Africa, in the Gulf of Guinea with a total area of 1001 km2, corresponding to 859 km2 on the island of São Tomé and 142 km2 on the island of Príncipe. The main activity is the cultivation of coffee, cocoa, sugar cane and fishing. About 45% of the people live in extreme poverty. Data from the Agency of Social Protection.
In the year 1991, the Sisters, with the longing of Magdalene of Canossa, were going to open a new mission in Angola. One of the potentially rich countries of the African continent for the presence of raw materials, but it brings with it the challenge of fighting against poverty, access to health services, education and the availability of jobs for young people.
Our Canossian presence is carried out more in the Ministry of Education and Evangelization. In the promotion of the person.
In the Delegation we have 5 communities: 3 in Angola – 2 in São Tomé
| Luanda – Angola | Com. Nossa Senhora da Paz | 5 Sisters 3 Postulants |
| Viana – Angola | Com. Jesus Educador | 5 Sisters |
| Luena – Angola | Com. Maria Estrela da Evangelização | 3 Sisters |
| Cidade – São Tomé | Com. Santa Madalena de Canossa | 5 Sisters |
| Santana – São Tomé | Centre for human Promozione S. Giuseppina Bakhita | 4 Sisters |
We are 25 sisters in a missionary Delegation because of its composition with different nations present. We have come from a thousand different roads: Italy, Togo, São Tomé, Angola, Brazil. There are 19 Sisters of Perpetual Vows and 6 Juniors. We try to live inter-cultural relations, as a horizon of spirituality for the growth and acceptance of these different from us. Together we want to be “women of the Word who love without measure”.
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