India. At School with a Look of Love
Sister Nancy Thomas recounts her experience at Nirmala Bhavan, an institution for blind girls in the Indian state of Karnataka. The school where Sister Nancy Thomas, missionary of the Immaculate in India, has been working for twenty years is special: it is called Nirmala Bhavan and welcomes blind girls and young ladies aged 10 to […]
Bible & Mission. Mission is Salvation for all
After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and sent them on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself was about to come. (Luke 10: 1). The first verse of Luke’s last discourse about mission tells us the meaning of mission: it brings salvation to all people. Salvation is […]
Oral Literature. How the Hare Helped the Civet
Lion and Civet were great friends. One day Civet said to Lion: “Look. It is true that we have a very good life. But there’s one thing that we lack. And that’s cattle! You know very well how important it is to own cattle. So, let’s go out and get some.” The two of them […]
The Egungun cult among the Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest in West Africa: they live in southern Nigeria and Benin. They have developed a refined culture, at the centre of which is a religious world rich in symbols, mythologies and ceremonies. One of the most characteristic aspects of the Yoruba religion is the masks. One of these […]
Peru. The Asheninka Calendar
Although the Asheninka, an indigenous ethnic group, who live in the central forest of the Ucayali department in the Atalaya province of eastern Peru, follow the Western calendar, they give an Amazonian meaning to each month. The year begins in January, when the waters of the rivers overflow due to the heavy rains, the tangerine […]
DR Congo. A Light at the End of the Tunnel
Thousands of children are deprived of a future in the cobalt mines of the Congo. The commitment of a group of Sisters is giving them hope. Denise feels her way down the stony slope. Close to a huge mine runs a stream. The ten-year-old girl looks around shyly. Women immerse themselves in muddy brown water […]
Pope to WYD participants: Lisbon 2023 a chance to grow in hope
Pope Francis has sent a video message to young people registered for World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, on 1-6 August, and urges them to prepare themselves to encounter others and grow in hope. In his video message, the Pope praised the excitement the young Catholics must feel as they prepare to travel. “I can […]
Myth. The Creation of the Universe
Before the universe was created, there existed only a vast expanse of sky above and an endless stretch of water and uninhabited marshland below. Olorun, the wisest of the gods, was supreme ruler of the sky, while Olokun, the most powerful goddess, ruled the seas and marshes. Both kingdoms were quite separate at that time […]
India. The Sacred Rivers
From the beginning of recorded history, India has honoured her rivers, both for their beauty and their blessings. Seven of these rivers were singled out for recognition as goddesses, not for their hydrological profile but for the sacred and cultural associations surrounding them. First on the list is the goddess Ganga (the Ganges River). Her […]
Sudan violence forces South Sudanese refugees to return to the country they fled
Tens of thousands of South Sudanese refugees are returning home to escape the violence in Sudan, but many find themselves stranded in remote border areas. Alekiir Kaman Dau Ayuel, 25, sits under a tree outside a transit centre in Renk County, in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State, with her mother, aunts, and brothers. They have […]