The feast of St. Joseph at the novitiate in Nianing

      March 19 and 24, 2019

This event began when our novice mistress told us that the feast of St Joseph was going to be celebrated in community. This surprised us as the novices have often been to Casamancefor this feast.

After receiving this news, there was a community meeting to organise the spiritual and party preparations.

On the spiritual level, we made a novena from March 10 to 18, either at morning or evening prayer, depending on the day. We took a prayer or a text about Joseph, or a message written by our Superiors to mark the feast; or some days we took a prayer for vocations, or a reading from "One Month with St Joseph". Each of us took our turn to prepare and lead the prayer. We also had a community recollection led by Sister Michelle, with sharing during the evening prayer.

On the morning of the 19th, the community celebrations began, starting with Morning Prayer, well animated – there was even dancing with the final song. by the young people in the parish. It ended around 6 p.m.

  Also in the spiritual context, on Sunday 17th, the priest invited the parishioners to join our feast on the 19th, during the Eucharistic celebration of 6:30 p.m. animated by the novitiate. We had some intense rehearsals with the whole community and a few youngpeople from the parish, who are our associates and who helped us with the organ. The celebration began with an entrance procession (the servers, the community, and the priests), a grandiose, beautiful, and prayerful celebration where the songs were accompanied by the pianist and the tam-tam drummers. The celebration was so beautiful that the last song never ended.

We were surrounded and supported by the large, fraternal presenceof the parish community of Nianing and at the end of Mass they greeted us and wishedus well for our celebration.

At the festive level, invitations had been extended to pastoral agents, priests, brothers of the Sacred Heart and nuns. Many were able to come for the Mass and forthe meal in community; there were about thirty of us.

As with all parties in community, we had shared the tasks of preparing of the meal, the cleaning andthe decorating. Each of us was involved in ensuring the success of the party.

We, "The St Joseph 2017-2019 Group", welcomed our guests warmlywith a song, then served the aperitif, and the rest...

On the menu, there was a variety of dishes (attieké, tô, fries, small vegetables, chicken, pork, fish, fruit salad), representing the various nationalities present at the novitiate. Our guests all expressed their enjoyment.

Between each dish, there was entertainment led by the Group: music, ‘the news’, games, skits, etc.

The evening had to end at midnight because the next day was a working day...

 

The party did not in fact end on March 19. For us, the octave extended to Sunday, March 24 with our associates, our friends and all those who couldcomeafter Mass for an aperitif, a meal and singing and dancing under the trees in the garden.

It was a very pleasant and agreeable day We have all the memories of this party, because everything was filmed - the preparations, the cooking, the Mass, the afternoon - by the great cameraman Brother Marcel.

We give thanks to God because this feast was beautiful, even very beautiful and we celebrated it with simplicity, joy, and brotherhood.

                                                                                          St Joseph's Group in Nianing

Song of the 2017-2019 Group, lyrics and tunes composed by a novice.

Refrain: We salute the sisters of Saint-Joseph, Africa and Europe,

We novices of 2017-2019, want to mark this great day

In honour of St. Joseph.

1- We want to walk together,

     with you towards the silent St. Joseph.

2- This day is forus and for you (3 times)

Simply to wish you happy St. Joseph’s day.