Guinea-Bissau: The Gospel and Social Promotion
Schools, female entrepreneurship, microcredit. These are some of the initiatives of the Oblates of Mary in this small African country. Cacine is a village of mud-brick houses, covered with metal sheets or palm leaves, built side by side along two dirt paths, where hens, goats, and pigs roam, and where children play. This small town […]
Pope Francis: “Listening is a dimension of love”
In his Message for the World Day of Social Communications, scheduled this year for Sunday, May 29, Pope Francis says listening is an indispensable first step in human communication, and a dimension of love. “Listening is the first indispensable ingredient of dialogue and good communication. Communication does not take place if listening has not taken […]
The Youth Corner: We Are a Mission
In vocation, the missionary dimension is always present. We are a mission. Therefore, we put ourselves at the service of all those we love, those around us and even those who live beyond borders. One day, while I was walking around the city, I saw the following sentence on a painted wall: “Trees do not […]
Oral Literature: The Hare, the Rat and the Lion
One day, the hare, roaming through the forest in search of food, glanced up through the boughs of a very large calabash tree, and saw that a great hole in the upper part of the trunk was inhabited by bees; thereupon he returned to town in search of someone to go with him and help […]
Sahara: A Journey to Tadmekka – Sons of the clouds
In Mali seeking the ancient capital of the Tuareg. It was once one of the most populated and richest of the trans-Sahara cities in West Africa. Tuareg: the mythical name means ‘abandoned by God’, the name which the medieval Arab conquerors gave to the nomads of the desert. However, the local name of these people […]
Colombia: Afro Centre – A Place of Sharing
In Tumaco, Colombia, a decade ago, the Afro Youth Centre was established to enable young people to work for social transformation using art, culture, group work and a communitarian experience of faith. Tumaco is located in the extreme southwest of Colombia, in the Pacific region bordering Ecuador, far from the political and economic centres of […]
Mexico: Saint Joseph ‘the Worker’
‘Labour Day’, is celebrated on the first of May along with the religious feast of ‘Saint Joseph the Worker’ in the municipality of Chilapa, Guerrero, in south-western Mexico. The celebrations held in honour of Saint Joseph the Worker begin on 30 April with a great fair. Merchants from all over the region come to sell fruit, […]
The Youth Corner: Fertile Terrain for the Vocation
Vocation, a gift from God, is like a small seed that wants to germinate, grow and bear fruit; but for that to happen, we need to find the right terrain. Almanacs and calendars were once extremely useful. More than a guide to follow the chronology of events, they were away, especially for those who lived […]
Herbs & Plants: Euclea natalensis (Natal Garri) – An important medicinal plant in Tropical Africa
It is an important and frequently used medicinal plant in tropical Africa. It can be used to treat various human diseases. Euclea natalensis (Family Ebenaceae) is a dioecious shrub or small bushy tree with a straight trunk and a dense spreading crown. It grows to an average of 15 m in height. The bark is […]
Ukraine youth: Fighting for Freedom
In just a few weeks. The dreams and lives of many Ukrainian young people have been completely destroyed. But they continue to fight for their future and that of their country. Veronika, 19, says: “The months before the war were the best of my life. I was in the second year of university. But the […]
