Comboni Lay Missionaries

Our new home!

LMC Peru

For the first six months of my mission in Arequipa (Peru), I lived in the house of the Combonian Fathers close to the parish church. With the arrival of Rossie – Comboni Lay Missionary from the United States, we were able to move to our new home in Villa Ecologica – the parish “district”, where we are to implement all our projects. During the pandemic, the owner of the house made a makeover, thanks to which each of us has her own room. Apart from that, we have a living room where we can have guests, a bathroom, a kitchen and … a garage. We don’t have a car, so we don’t use it, but it can be turned into an extra room at any time in case our community grows. When we go out to the street, we immediately notice the snow-capped peak of the Chachani volcano and the ubiquitous dust here 🙂

Due to the relatively short stay on the mission, we decided not to take a dog to defend the house, even though it is a very popular practice here. However, three neighborly mongrels decided that we looked quite nice and in exchange for additional food they offered their help as guards of the household. After a few weeks together, they even let themselves be petted and want to play with us. The only problem is their huge appetite, no matter how much food they have already received on a given day, they are always open to more. Our relocation coincided with the celebration of Independence Day in Peru.

On that day, practically every house had a red and white Peruvian flag. Father Conrado – the local parish priest asked us if we had put up a flag in our new apartment and explained that it was a civil duty and that people could get a fine for not having a flag. However, he laughed that when the mayor saw that a Pole and an American lived in the house, he would rather forbid us to hang the Peru flag 🙂

Ewelina, CLM Peru

CLM American Meeting

America

On September 25, 2021, the American CLM Committee: MCCJ Fr. Ottorino Poletto, Beatriz Maldonado and Mireya Soto, with the accompaniment of Alberto de la Portilla, were pleased to meet with the CLM of America and some of Europe, to have a formative conference, given by Father Dario Bossi, with the theme “the vocation of the laity in the socio-political and ecclesial context of America“.

America

Father Dario Bossi is a Comboni Missionary, currently provincial coordinator of the Comboni Missionaries in Brazil. The theme was developed in three important points: Colorful spots (to understand the situation where we are), Christian lights (lights that from the faith and the Church help us to understand the reality and provide ideas) and CLM Mission (some ideas that as missionaries, in our case Comboni Missionaries, we can develop).

He explained that America is a continent with cultural richness, natural resources, and in the face of the storm that humanity is going through, we CLM have the commitment to dialogue and act in favor of the poor and the needy, hence the hope and the lights that we have such as the Encyclicals of Pope Francis in which he speaks of the commitment to nature and the need for a Church to go out; The mission ad gentes and our relationship as Comboni family.

The conference has been recorded and you can listen to it and analyze it (here below in Spanish) for further enrichment of our groups.

Our meeting ended with the prayer that Christ taught us, giving thanks for having gathered and shared.

Divine works are born and grow at the foot of the cross“. St. Daniel Comboni.

Mireya Soto, CLM American Committee