On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of their foundation,
the White Sisters and White Fathers
request your presence on Saturday, May 4, 2019 at 3 p.m.
at the Pontifical University Urbaniana,
in the Giovanni Paolo II auditorium
to a symposium on
the significance of 150 years of service to Africa
for the Universal Mission of the Church
The moderator of the symposium will be Father Diego Sarrio,
a White Father missionary (MAfr) specialized in Islamology.
He is currently the President of PISAI
(Pontifical Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies).
The symposium program will be as follows:
| 14:30 | Arrival and registration |
| 15:00 | Interventions and discussions |
| 16:30 | Refreshments |
| 17:00 | Round table discussion |
| 18:30 | Buffet |
| 19:30 | « Back to the roots » avec Arsène Duevi |
| 20:30 | Conclusion of the Symposium |
Presentations et discussions
Contribution of the two institutes to the missionary work of the universal Church.
Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald is a missionary of the White Fathers who has been committed throughout his life to Islamic-Christian dialogue. He was Secretary and then President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Then he became apostolic nuncio to Egypt and Apostolic Delegate to the Organization of the League of Arab States. He is now a member of a new community of missionaries working with migrants in the centre of Liverpool.
Women Apostles: some portraits
Sister Carmen Sammut is a White Sister missionary from Malta. She worked in Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania until her election as Superior General of her congregation in 2011. She is currently also President of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG).
Rond Table Discussion
Inheritance and spiritual fecundity of the “Lavigerie Family” in Africa
Father Antoine de Padoue Pooda, priest of the diocese of Gaoua in Burkina Faso, is a professor at the Faculty of Missiology of the Pontifical University Urbaniana in Rome.
Why evangelize? The contributions of the Bible and Small Christian Communities.
Bishop Richard Baawobr, a White Father (MAfr), is the Bishop of the Diocese of Wa in Ghana.
The “Fiat” of African women: foundation of 21 women’s congregations for the Mission
Sister Lea Belemsaga (SAB), is the Superior General of the Sisters of the Annunciation of Bobo-Dioulasso.
Back to the roots
Togolese singer and composer, Arsène Duevi arrived in Milan in 2002 and developed his talent as a musician and educator. In 2010, his song “La Mia Africa” won him praise and acclaim and led him to perform in concerts throughout the peninsula. He associates himself with our 150th anniversary of the Mission to Africa, reminding us with a certain pride that Africa is the cradle of humanity, even if migration movements continue to cause suffering to many African people even today.
“Everywhere you can live well,” he says, “you can find people to love and with whom to live and enjoy the beauty of life.”