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Province of West Africa: Diamond Jubilee of the Collège Sainte Monique de Koudougou

P eventFriday, 29 March 2024

Dear Sisters and Friends of the Assumption, the Collège Sainte Monique of Koudougou, directed by the Religious of the Assumption in West Africa, opens its Diamond Jubilee on Saturday 17 November 2022. On this beautiful occasion, this Jubilee opens in a very worrying socio-political and security situation for the Burkinabe population. We have decided to give thanks and to live this Jubilee as a sign of gratitude to God for all the work of transformative education and as a time of solidarity with the people who are internally displaced because of the insecurity. On the occasion of this celebration, we met Madame Kaboré, a former student of the College and the Boarding School, who tells us here about her journey and the education she received from the Sisters of the Assumption. We give her the floor.

Sr Marie-Madeleine

Presentation :

I am Mrs. KABORE Pauline, born KOURAOGO Ténin, married and mother of three children. I am a Catholic married to a very open-minded Muslim, a former student of the College from 1978 to 1982.

My memories: In our time, the College, nicknamed "Coline d'or" because of the training reserved exclusively for young girls, was directed by Sister Victoria Lucia. Among the sisters who looked after us in the school and in the boarding school, I remember Sisters Chantal de la Fournière, Guillemette, Lola and Yvelines Claude. In the dormitories, our beds were well made up, our belongings were tidied up, nothing was haphazard; those who refused to comply with this requirement were questioned and punished in case of a repeat offence. In the refectory, there was also order, the service was done in turn, as well as the washing up and putting away of the dishes.

In the study room, there was silence so that each one studied her lessons seriously before going to bed. The sisters were concerned to form "well-made heads rather than full heads", and to this end we organised cultural days, relaxation and celebrations. Through theatre and ballet, we learnt skills and attitudes, which are unforgettable moments. The sisters were dedicated to making us successful women.

The values received:

The first value was prayer, learning to meet God from the moment you get up before any activity.

The other values are: family spirit, courage, a sense of duty, commitment, working hard until the end, order and responsibility. As a young girl, I was imbued with all these values which helped me to build myself and my life on the rock of Jesus Christ.

After my studies in Philosophy, the sisters did not hesitate to hire me as a teacher at the college. I have been doing this for 21 years. It is for me a joy and a happiness to transmit to the young what I have received from the Assumption. "It is God who guides everything" said Saint Marie-Eugénie. The sisters trust me and have often entrusted me with responsibilities. I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to them. The occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of the College is for me a reason for thanksgiving.

Message to the younger generation

To you, dear young people of the Assumption, I ask you to integrate all the values that the sisters are inculcating in you, in order to be women and men of tomorrow, capable of transforming society. I insist particularly on spiritual values: simplicity, a taste for effort, discipline and work well done. It is at this price that each one will be able to carry out "a clear-cut action in his or her own little sphere" for a world of peace and justice, according to the wish of Mother Eugenie.

Happy Jubilee to all!