I am honored and excited to step into the role of Executive Director for the North American Province (NAP). My journey prior to this position includes serving as a Comboni Lay Missionary in the U.S, Mexico, and Arequipa, Peru, where I had the profound experience of proclaiming the good news and serving in various tasks.
The values I embraced during my missionary work—service, compassion, and outreach—are deeply aligned with the mission of the North American Province. I am committed to continuing the Province’s vital work and fostering greater community engagement and support throughout North America.
I look forward to collaborating with our talented team and partners to innovate, grow, and strengthen our collective impact. Thank you for welcoming me into this meaningful mission. Together, we will continue to serve and inspire.
Warm regards,
Rossie Patlan (Executive Director, North American Province)
It was an experience that touched our hearts with the light of the Gospel, inviting us to recognize Jesus even when our human blindness prevents us from seeing him. He manifests himself in every moment of our lives, offering us the freedom to choose our paths. Inspired by the attitude of the disciples of Emmaus, who chose the path of proclamation and the breaking of bread, we understood the necessity of sharing this experience with our brothers and sisters, thus transforming our lives and our commitment to the mission.
As Comboni Lay Missionaries, we are called to follow this same path: to proclaim with joy and to place ourselves at the service of those most in need. This learning experience was deepened during the retreat held on August 1, 2, and 3 at the Laudato Si’ Center in Lima, Peru, under the guidance of Fr. Gianni Gaiga MCCJ, renewing our commitment to live and transmit the love of Christ in the world.
Everything has been a GIFT from GOD. An undeserved super gift, for which I am infinitely grateful. I am overflowing with joy at the details, the tenderness, the caresses and embraces of the Lord during these days through people and situations….the Lord cares for us day by day with such delicacy…and this certainty, which is sometimes clouded in the daily stress of Madrid, has become clear and explicit in every minute of my missionary journey in Kenya: (passing through Nairobi) in West Pokot, Kitelakapel, a community of Comboni lay missionaries who have welcomed me so amazingly well, and in each of the Pokot people in the parish, in the schools, in the town or village… everything was like being in heaven, “I am in Heaven” I would say to the missionaries. It was a privilege that I feel unworthy of, but for which I have been infinitely and consciously grateful every day.
In the small difficulties, I always had the help of my guardian angel, who made me discover that “every cloud has a silver lining.” More than once, my guardian angel manifested itself in Belinda, a young Kenyan lay missionary from Nairobi, who accompanied me at all times, always attentive and willing, also in Pius with his joy and spirit of service, and in Linda with her good organizational skills and energy. All of them had a fervent missionary spirit rooted in their deep faith in God. And let’s not forget Father Justus… there are no coincidences… 100% divine providence.
The hard-working Pokot farmers and ranchers, especially the women who raise families of 10 or more children! From such a young age… so much tenderness and joy… and they feel so fortunate…
Anyway… there are so many people there who have made me see God face to face… that I want to go back right now.
Grateful and enthusiastically contemplating the wonders of His Creation: rain that watered the fields and made them beautiful, even though it sometimes made it difficult for us to move around, nature with all its living beings: animals of all kinds and conditions living alongside people… and what wonderful people! I am still moved by the memory of the ladies of the CWA of the parish or neighbors and their babies, of the men transporting on piki piki (motorcycles) what we would carry in a truck (unimaginable), the children dancing, singing, playing, and learning so many things… and their creative clapping… (elaborate and dedicated applause)… Overflowing joy…
In today’s ever-changing society, we ask the Lord for the ability to listen to the needs of all humanity and all of creation, performing gestures of benevolence, respect and care for our “common home”. Lord, hear us.
This Sunday (20), the Father Ezequiel Ramin Community celebrated a historic and symbolic milestone: the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Comboni missionary Ezequiel Ramin and also the 40th anniversary of the existence of the community that bears his name, in the municipality of Mirante da Serra (RO). The event brought together around 300 people, with representatives from neighboring communities and the Father Ezequiel Settlement, which also celebrates 25 years of its foundation.
The celebration was part of the 10th Pilgrimage of Father Ezequiel Ramin, which will take place on July 27th at the Fr. Ezequiel Ramin Community in Rondolândia, Mato Grosso. The Pilgrimage aims to keep alive the memory of the young missionary, who dedicated his life to defending the poor, rural workers, and indigenous peoples of the Amazon.
One of the most moving moments of the celebration was the presence and testimony of Fabiano Ramin, Father Ezequiel’s younger brother, who came from Italy especially to participate in the program commemorating the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom and the founding of the community. In his speech, marked by restrained emotion and profound gratitude, Fabiano emphasized the power of the memory that remains alive among the people Ezequiel chose to serve with his life.
“I feel like crying, but I won’t. Old people feel like crying when they’re very emotional. So, I’m in that situation. I’m the youngest of the Ramin family, and I’m very grateful to you for this celebration, for this occasion that commemorates not only the murder of Father Ezequiel, but also the birth of the community, the baptism of a people who continue to fight.”
He emphasized that the celebration is not just a remembrance of the past, but an act of hope and continuity: “I’m very happy to see that this community is alive. It fights, resists, and organizes itself. As the parish priest said, it requires sacrifice, time, and effort. The Christian mission, as Ezekiel wrote, is proclamation and denunciation. Denouncing injustice is part of faith. And you continue this mission.”
The presence of Comboni missionaries in Mirante da Serra throughout Missionary Week reaffirmed the continuity of the charism and mission of Father Ezequiel Ramin, who was also a Comboni missionary. They participated in pastoral activities, home visits, and moments of listening and prayer with the families of Our Lady of Migrants Parish, Diocese of Ji-Paraná.
The missionary presence reinforces the international and liberating dimension of the Church in the Amazon—a Church that walks with the people, listening to their pain and hopes. By visiting homes, the Comboni Missionaries strengthened community bonds and also revived Ezekiel’s missionary spirit: a faith that denounces injustice and proclaims hope.
The celebration continued with a community lunch, listening to residents, a performance by Clown Liro and closing with community bingo.
One of the most symbolic moments was the mystical performance performed by young people from the community, which portrayed the struggle for land and denounced the structures that led to Father Ezequiel’s martyrdom: “He was murdered because he defended the landless, the squatters, the indigenous people. Because he believed in a just society.“
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