Blogs from Kinshasa, West, Congo Democratic Republic, Africa

Monday night our PACE program closed with a joyful celebration in the assembly hall. Each student was presented with a certificate attesting to her completion of the program. As each came up to receive her certificate, there was much clapping and singing . . . and a bit of dancing! Then they presented the PACE teachers with lovely Congolese carvings. We had a lovely dinner right there in the hall, followed by word games, and lots of singing and dancing. Enjoy the photos of the Sisters with their certificates!... read more

During our weekend on the road, we visited Kisantu and stayed overnight there Saturday night. The Sisters of Notre Dame went to Kisantu in 1900 and established schools -- pre-primary, elementary, secondary -- which have become very well known and respected in the Kisantu diocese. More than 1000 students attend these schools. There are also plans to build a college. Kisantu holds an important place in the history of the Congolese province of the SNDs. A poignant experience during our stay was a visit to the cemetery where several Belgian Sisters are buried. We prayerfully remembered the countless Belgian Sisters who came to Congo as missionaries and sowed the seeds of the present Congolese Province. While in Kisantu we walked a bit in the beautiful Botanical Garden, established in 1900 by a Jesuit Brother, Justin Gillet. ... read more

In the liturgical calendar, this past Thursday was the feast of St. Ann. As we were coming into the dining room for supper, the Sister-students sang and presented me with a bouquet of flowers. I hope you enjoy the video snippets. They're a little choppy but they'll will give you the flavor of the "surprise."... read more

Clean drinking water is a precious commodity that we take very much for granted in the U.S. In Congo, as in many African countries, the people have to work hard for it. Here in Kimwenza the Sisters of Notre Dame have an underground well. Rain water is also collected in large metal containers. After water is boiled in large pots, it is set aside until it has come to room temperature. Then the Sisters place it in a container with eleven filters. The boiled and filtered water then goes into bottles and is stored in the refrigerator. Whenever I am enjoying a glass of cold water on a hot afternoon, I try to remember with gratitude all the care that has gone into making it safe for us to drink.... read more

A few days ago we visited the farm that the Sisters have on the compound at Kimwenza. When Sister Claudine Dumbi was studying agriculture at the Jesuit college in Kimwenza, she needed to do a practicum. She requested some money from her community and bought 200 chickens. That was in 1999-2000. Twelve years later they now have 1500 chickens, 100 or so rabbits, a small flock of baby turkeys and lots of vegetables. The farm provides not only income for the Sisters but also jobs for local people.... read more

Communication is so important for an international religious congregation. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur live and work in 16 countries in Africa, Japan, Europe, North and South America and Europe. In the past it used to take up to two weeks for important communications from our generalate in Rome to reach the Congo. Now because of the Photovoltaic Project the Congolese Sisters have dependable electricity and internet access. In some of the more remote sections of the country, they share this capability with the people of the village in cybercafes. You can read all about this project on our congregational website. Just click on this link -- http://www.snddencongokin.org/photovoltaique.html. All of the Congolese Sisters in this summer program are taking a class in computer skills. They are learning First Class, a program which supports an ... read more