The General Councils of the Comboni Family – Combonian missionaries, Combonian sisters, Combonian seculars, and Alberto de la Portilla, coordinator of the Central Committee of the Combonian Lay Missionaries – met for their annual meeting from the morning of Saturday, 31st May to noon on Sunday, 1st June, at the General Curia of the Combonian missionaries in Rome.
Moved by the desire to revive hope in the exceptional circumstance of the Jubilee, the traditional annual meeting of the General Councils of the Comboni Family (GCCF) took place on Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June at the General Curia of the Comboni missionaries. Present were the members of the General Councils of the Comboni Missionaries (MCCJ), Comboni Missionary Sisters (CMS) and Comboni Secular Missionaries (CSM); the Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM) were represented by Alberto de la Portilla, the coordinator of the Central Committee. Father Austine Radol Odhiambo, a new member of the General Council of the MCCJ, who was at his first meeting of the CGFC, was welcomed.
The participants experienced intense hours of prayer, reflection and dialogue, helped by Brother Alberto Degan, who presented a reflection entitled ‘Spes non Confundit – The Spirit, source of our Hope’.
The meeting began with a prolonged sharing both on the journey made by the various realities over the past year (highlighting the main steps taken) and on possible developments in the near future.
They then discussed the situation in Sudan, which worries the whole Comboni Family, especially the Comboni missionaries and Comboni sisters, who in recent years have seen their presence reduced to a small group of confrères and sisters. If the desire to return to Sudan is clear and strong in everyone, it is equally clear that we cannot simply ‘return’ to do what was done in the past, because the Sudan of today is no longer the Sudan we knew. The dialogue will continue on the basis of more precise information, which we hope to obtain shortly.
They then spoke about the Comboni Forum on Integral Ecology, which will take place in Belém (Brazil) in November, to coincide with the 30th Conference of Parties (Cop30), offering precise information and indications to facilitate participation in the event.
The dialogue then better defined how to proceed in the drafting of a common instrument (a dossier, or an insert, to be presented in the Comboni magazines and websites, or made known through other dissemination tools of the Comboni Family) that can highlight the fact that the Comboni charism is lived as a common charismatic origin, but with different styles of presence and different methodological emphasis, and with a fruitful collaboration in different geographical and cultural contexts.
Lastly, Interculturality was identified as a topic of great relevance and common interest, which will be the underlying theme of the next meeting of the GCCFs, which will take place on 30th and 31st May 2026 at the Comboni sisters’ General House in Rome.
The meeting concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist of the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, presided over by Father David Domingues, Vicar General of the MCCJ.
Brother Daniele Giusti, MCCJ
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Comboni Missionaries (MCCJ): Father Codianni Luigi Fernando, general superior; Fr. David Costa Domingues, general vicar; Bro. Lamana Cónsola Alberto; Fr. Radol Austine Odhiambo; Fr. Sindjalim Essognimam Elias.
Comboni Missionary Sisters (CMS): Madre Anne Marie Quigg, general superior; Sr. María de los Angeles Funes Rodríguez, general vicar; Sr. Alicia Vacas Moro; Sr. Veronicah Wangũi Mbũrũ; Sr. Eleonora Reboldi.
Comboni Secular Missionaries (CSM): Dal Zovo Maria Pia, general responsible; Zenere Teresa; Villamar Ultreras Gina; Paula Clara Macedo Ferreira Carvalho; Ghelfi Paola.
Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM): Alberto de la Portilla, coordinator of the Central Committee.
Fuente: Comboni.org
