Religieuses de l’Assomption - Region d’Afrique Centrale - Noviciat Sainte Marie Eugenie - Yaounde - Cameroun
“The Lord is good, all the time”
The 10th September 2020 is from now on a very important date in the history of our Region: the Re-opening of the noviciate.This great event has been well prepared by all the communities in our Region (a Novena to Marie-Eugénie has been said). This Novena said helped us to bring together this re-openning of the noviciate before our Lord. That is why we chose the name “Noviciat Sainte Marie-Eugénie”. Then we dedicate this work and his experience to Marie-Eugénie our founder. The celebration started the day before, with the retreat for all the six novices and their novice mistress.On that day, we had a beautiful Eucharistic celebration by the Chancelor of the archdiocese of Yaoundé; father François Xavier. In his Homily, the father advised novices to be open-minded, free and empty. They have to be able to receive the formation and to incorporate it in their life. He invited them not to be afraid but to live in the truth, faith and hope. After the Homily, he blessed Françoise first (novice mistress); and after that, he blessed the novices too. Françoise got up and raised each novice, symbolizing welcome, hospitality and commitment to walk together with each of them. This was an element taken from the culture which means that, in the beginning of a new year, parents bless and welcome their children. These were the most important actions during the celebration. After that we proceeded with mass.It was a very nice celebration. Novices were really happy. They were ready for the new experience with God and with the sisters.This celebration was also the beginning of the pathway toward the consecration to our Lord. That is why the novices wrote this prayer: Lord, we thank you for the presence of the novitiate in our Region. It is a grace to form ourselves in a context that is ours and that of the entire congregation. On this reopening day, we realize what we want to experience in this community of the novitiate. We want to live this time as a time to come back on ourselves, to strip our old man in order to put on, in the end, the new man. A time of interior renewal, of personal conversion.Fill us with a great freedom of spirit which will make us abandon ourselves to divine providence and open us to the newness that we will bring to our formators with simplicity. We always want to seek inner peace more and more in our relationship with God, with others and with ourselves. We want to make a passage in God while respecting and putting into practice the means that the community will give us to promote this meeting in silence, listening and recollection. We want to come closer to you, take the path of fidelity, attentive and sensitive to your Word which converts us and transforms our life in the footsteps of our foundress and patron saint, Mother Marie-Eugenie. Like Mary, we surrender to your grace, your goodness and your infinite mercy.Amen Saint Marie-Eugenie Noviciate