Transition, followed by New Beginnings

In education, from the 1970’s onwards, the O.L.A’s in West Africa had the happy experience of seeing their secondary students graduate from university and join them as teachers in their old schools. It was the fruit of a century of hard slog and sacrifice, a cause for rejoicing. It signalled that it was time for the teaching O.L.A’s in the established schools to be thinking of other ways, or other places, in which to be a missionary.

Medical care and health services also had made giant strides forward. Still, as is the case practically world-wide, sick people in remote areas suffered much hardship because of lack of access to services - often because of bad roads and inability to get to a hospital. So, where possible, O.L.A’s opted for moving into remote areas, in the kind of pioneering spirit of their predecessors of a century before. Whatever their location today, all nursing and medical staff meet enormous challenges: drug resistant malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS are now the main killers. The nurse or doctor is not immune.

In medical services, nurses too have seen their former students return to work with them. Of recent times, one of the Sister-doctors had the satisfaction of teaching some of the future doctors of Nigeria at Zaria University. The pioneers of the 1870’s would have indeed rejoiced that such progress had come about!

Transitions

The process of transition beginning in the mid-1970’s was hastened by the coming together of two historical happenings. First, the newly independent African nations were moving towards taking full responsibility for education and medical care, including practically all of the institutions formerly managed by missionaries. So, the Sisters were being asked to let go of cherished apostolates.

Secondly, in the wake of Vatican 11, there was change in the air; it was a time of ferment, a time for updating one’s spirituality, and of re-thinking, re-evaluating, and re-orienting one’s life. While the uncertainty was unsettling for some, others were excited by the open future, the possibilities. Some dropped out of the direct missionary endeavour; others looked for the best way forward within the congregation.

Among those who remained, some continued in the schools to support what had been built up there over the decades. Some would re-train for new ways of being a missionary. Creating programmes and providing training for teachers of religion in the schools and parishes was an option for some. Further studies in their own academic disciplines led to some moving on to fill university teaching posts. Advanced studies and training in spirituality, missiology, etc., enabled some to became resource persons for the congregation and the local church. Others learned how to foster Basic Christian Communities. Some trained for social work, counselling and community development work. And some got the option of moving out to the new areas of Mission.

Another important development over the past decades within OLA has been the commitment to the work of Mission Animation. At first considered somewhat peripheral to the main missionary endeavour, it is today a main-stream activity, and is central to the O.L.A’s commitment in all of our countries of work.

New Missions In the 1980's and 1990's, new Missions were opened in places such as Papiri, Kwimo and Tafawa Balewa, allin Nigeria. Irish Sisters were involved in the new mission to Argentina in 1988 and a new mission to Tanzania was opened in 1991. Both of these missions have three thriving communities there today. The most recent New Mission for OLA is the Mission to Botswana which opened in 2008.

For more on the Irish OLA history follow the links below
1. The early decades: 1876 to the 1920’s
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2. From the 1920’s to the 1970’s
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3. From the 1970’s to the present: Transitions and New Beginnings.Read more...