At Sisters’ Jubilee in Angola, Archbishop Urges Renewal of Covenant with the Risen Lord

“The central attitude of this jubilee is the encounter with the Lord. It's not just a simple action of being with him and a time of contemplation, it's a time when you have to feel in love with Him and become attached to Him and not simply spend a year with lots of shiny, high-sounding achievements, but it must always be in the spirit of being marked with the stamp of Teresa of Avila, the one who deeply marked the heart of Christ and today invites you to follow in her path,” he said.

Also speaking during the December 2 event, the Local Ordinary of Huambo paid glowing tribute to the pioneers of the Teresian Mission in Angola.

Archbishop Zeferino Zeca Martins said, “We pay homage to the missionary impulse of the sisters who, in the driving furrow of Saint Teresa, led by Henry of Ossó, continue to bring evangelisation to all creatures.” 

“May God repay you and fill you with many, many vocations, Religious women who know how to read and interpret the new signs of the times so that you can continue today here in Huambo, in Angola and throughout the world to make the life of St Teresa of the Child Jesus your own, which after all is the life of Christ your own and the Mission of Christ your own,” Archbishop Zeca implored.

On her part, the Provincial Superior of the Teresian Sisters in Angola and Mozambique, Sr. Domingas Valemenlã, looked back at the beginning of their service in Angola, saying, "Since the first sisters arrived in our country in 1949, specifically at the Vavayela Mission, we've had almost 105 sisters spread out from Cabinda to Cunene.”

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The 75 years, Sr. Valemenlã added, “have not been easy because life itself presents us with many difficulties.”

“Firstly, when our sisters arrived, they really didn't have the necessary conditions to be able to carry out the mission, especially in the field of education. It wasn't easy because in the early days our sisters didn't have schools, but they actually started teaching under the trees,” she recalled.

Sr. Valemenlã further said, “It was a great challenge, but they weren't discouraged by it and today, I say thanks to God, through our benefactors we have built some structures, although with many difficulties.”

João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate.