CITY OF HOPE: A SAFE HOME FOR GIRLS AT RISK
In societies globally, like in Lusaka, vulnerable children, particularly girls, have been pushed to the sidelines due to the profound impact of HIV/AIDS, family struggles, and poverty. Addressing these voids, caring individuals such as the Salesian Sisters have set up a safe haven. The City of Hope, overseen by Sr. Mary John, is a haven providing comfort for young girls aged 7 to 18. These girls are rescued from the harsh streets and the injustices of the powerful and privileged. With Sr. Mary John at the helm, their aim is to provide solace and assistance amidst challenges.
People of different faiths ask- What is lent in the Catholic Church?
Lent is a 40 days’ period set aside on the Church liturgical calendar where we are invited to spiritually prepare ourselves before we celebrate Easter or the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are to observe the three pillars of lent – which are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We are to intensify our prayer in reading the scriptures and meditating on the sufferings of Christ to help us get close to our creator and our Redeemer. Prayer will help us to come close to God and build a deeper relationship of a loving Father and a child. Fasting is a call not only to fast from food and drinks that we like but also to refrain from bad habits which we have developed such as alcohol abuse, smoking, gossiping, stealing etc. Fasting helps to intensify our petitions and heed to the call from God in the scriptures Acts 14:23; Joel 2: 12; Joel 1: 14; Ezra 8: 21 & 23. Almsgiving is a call to reach out to our brothers and sisters who are in need economically, but also they can be in need of morally, physical or spiritual support. The important aspect is to reach out to the suffering Jesus in our brothers or sisters in need. Math. 25: 35- 40; 2Corit 9: 6-7; 1Jn.3:17; 1Tim 6: 18; Prov 19: 17; Heb13:16; The aim of observing these three pillars of lent is to try to be perfect as our father in heaven is perfect and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The season of lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday and this year Ash Wednesday is on the 14th February and Holy Saturday is on 30th March. On Ash Wednesday Christians are reminded that from dust we came and to dust we shall return and that we need to repent from our sins and believe in the gospel.
Unveiling the amazing journey of Sister Elizabeth as she embraces the path of becoming a nun.
Sister Elizabeth Muleya shares her inspiring journey of becoming a Catholic Nun and her reasons for choosing this path and some of the challenges she has faced along the way.
SISTERS APPLAUDED FOR TAKING CARE OF THE TEENAGE GIRLS IN SCHOOLS
Joy and jubilation characterised the mood of celebration at Ibenga Girls Secondary School as the school commemorated its Diamond Jubilee under the theme “60 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE IN THE LIGHT OF CHRIST”. The girls, parents and scores of people from other walks of life especially the Ibenga alumni flocked to the school for the festival. Mrs. Joyce Chibuye, the Alumni chairperson, who went to the school in 1975 could not hide her joy as she fully participated in all the activities lined up for the day. As Ibenga celebrates its diamond Jubilee in 2023, it gives me shivers, this morning I must have shed tears of joy as we were preparing to come to the celebration. It is really moving for me. Joyce Joyce has passionately commended the religious sisters who have worked at the school since its inception for gallantly taking care of the girls in their teen age stage. She says the teenage stage is one of the most challenging stages in life to manage. This why I give a big hand to the sisters at Ibenga for they took care of us and are still trying their best to manage teenagers who are actually very demanding to handle. Joyce She has encouraged the young Ibenga girls to listen to what the sisters and their teachers are telling them as they would never regret. It’s only when we grow old that we realise there are things we shouldn’t have done but when we were growing up as youngsters, we wanted to experience a lot of things because that’s part of life. I would like the girls to be attentive and take their studies seriously so that they end up like some of us or even better. We would like to have the first woman president coming from Ibenga. Joyce Joyce recollects the days of Ibenga in the 70’s and the many things she learnt from the then head teacher Sr. Alacoque of the Dominican sisters of the Sacred Heart. She says that Sister used to follow up the girls to make sure they did what was right. Am grateful to the Dominican Sisters especially Sr. Alacoque who is still living in Germany who taught me to glorify God above everything else. Each time I come to Ibenga and I look at the church, it gives me happiness because I learnt that God should come first in everything that one does as a teenager. Even today, we put God first and everything came back in full view of what we used to enjoy here at Ibenga. Joyce Meanwhile Joan Chipunza a grade twelve pupil who was the head prefect of the ushers during the celebration said the girls woke up with smiles and enthusiasm to put in the best to make the celebration a success. Everyone has put in so much that you could not know who the coordinator was anymore. I thank the girls for such great cooperation. Some are Ushers, Majorettes, Alter girls and others Stellas. Everyone is participating in some activity. Joan Joan also recalls how she had come to like the school and considers it the best school ever. Over the years, the school has had good results and great standards. They have taught us good morals, how to maintain cleanliness and how to have fun together during entertainment. On a personal level, I have learnt to put things aside and not jump to conclusion but to behave in a mature way. Joan Upe Nalungwe also praised the sisters for imparting good values to the girls. She recounts how Sr. Estella Kasonde, the head teacher always told the prefects to be alert and vigilant by looking around and making sure all is in place and avoid the sin of omission. And Mercy Kazembe, the president of the interact club is also proud to be at Ibenga saying, “It’s the best school ever and I cannot imagine myself elsewhere”. She has thanked the school management for running the school with excellence and all the activities that they organise for the girls as they teach them many things.