When people think of religious life in the state of Vermont, the example most are familiar with is the Benedictine sisters at Immaculate Heart of Mary Abbey in Westfield, the Sisters of Mercy, or perhaps the Edmundites of Saint Michael’s College. Far fewer, however, are aware of the presence of a missionary order within the diocese – specifically, seven members of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, who after many years of service now reside at the Our Lady of Providence community in Winooski.

Those familiar with Vermont could be forgiven for not readily assuming our snowy, forested home played host to anyone involved with missionary work in Africa. So often, the Church in Vermont is referred to as a “missionary church” of her own – our view turns inwards, towards the issues facing our immediate parishes and communities. This is a commendable instinct; as Goethe once wrote: “If everyone swept around his own doorstep, the whole world would be clean.”

But equally, we are exhorted to look outwards, to frame our own problems in a wider context, to take stock of the gifts we have been given in our own time and place and look towards those whose needs are much greater than our own. This long view is difficult to maintain – more difficult still, to act upon. And yet, for the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, this difficult undertaking is not merely optional – it defines who they are, how they order their lives, and how they live their faith. For most, the calling has been lifelong, both to religious life and specifically missionary work. “I knew I wanted to be a sister early on” says Sister Felicia Nowak. In school, her desire to join a religious community became increasingly motivated by the injustices she saw in the world. “I didn’t like what happened to the American Indian. This was their land, and we came and took it…in my senior year of high school, a missionary from Africa came to our school, and I thought, ‘That was worse! We took them from their home, and made them slaves here.’” The desire to right past wrongs led her soon afterwards to join the Missionary Sisters.

Formed in 1869 in France, the Missionary Sisters (sometimes known as the White Sisters) remain active in some twenty African nations today. While their express goal is evangelization, the Sisters’ mission does not limit itself to spiritual formation; wherever they go, they work to meet the material needs of the communities they are in, from food and clean water to education, healthcare, and infrastructure. “I had this image in my head that I’d be sitting under a mangrove tree, teaching the Gospel to a circle of children”, Sister Martha Grageda recalls with a laugh. “Instead, they put me to work in the garden! We did whatever was needed.”

From about 1880 to the eve of World War I, the major empires of Europe brought most of Africa under colonial rule; in the second half of the century this process reversed, with African nations asserting their independence and taking important steps towards self-reliance. Many of the nations the Missionary Sisters operate within have made this transition in relative peace, while others have weathered years-long internal conflicts between democratically elected leaders and those who have sought to perpetuate sectarianism, prop up authoritarian regimes, or simply plunder the people of the region for private gain. “I remember having to go through roadblocks and show papers” says Sister Regina Ramos, “and I also remember singing with the president (of Tanzania) at Mass…we were always aware of these changes, but our work never changed.”

Amid these upheavals, Christianity has advanced apace; in 1900, approximately 7% of the population of Africa was Christian, with most of this number living in historically Christianized parts of the continent such as Ethiopia and Egypt. Today, approximately one in two Africans profess the Christian faith, with a significant portion of these baptized Catholic. The Church in Africa has become increasingly prominent, both demographically and politically; it is estimated that one in six Catholics alive today reside in Africa. The faith no longer exists on the periphery; it is an established, thriving institution, maintained by native populations and less reliant each year on missionary efforts from Europe or the Americas.

What becomes of a missionary order, when the area they have evangelized adopts the faith? “This is exactly what is supposed to happen – exactly why we went” says Sister Francine Maas. “You plant a seed so it will grow.” The Missionary Sisters are still active, still missionaries, and still largely in Africa – but their goals and identity have changed. Although the affectionate nickname of “White Sisters” refers to their habits, several decades ago it could have easily applied to their demographic makeup as well; nearly all sisters in MSOLA communities were, at the time, white Europeans or Americans. Today, the community’s ethnic makeup is almost the exact opposite, with an overwhelming majority of new sisters derived from the nations the order operates within. The focus of the order has shifted from the establishment of institutions such as schools, hospitals, and charities, to their continued maintenance and improvement. The seed of faith, once planted, cannot simply be left as-is and expected to grow; it must be constantly nourished, renewed, and reaffirmed.

There is a lesson here, for Vermont Catholics living thousands of miles away from Africa in a part of the Church facing very different issues: evangelization does not end with any single generation. Just as the Church in Africa has grown far beyond the expectations of the missionaries of the nineteenth century, so too has ours grown beyond those of our own predecessors, such as Saint Isaac Jogues and other missionaries who dedicated – and often lost – their lives bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to North America. It is the continuation of that missionary zeal which makes Africa an increasingly vital arm of the Church today – and so it can be with us, as well.