Alberto de la Portilla – Page 155 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

“Mission in the world today”: Meeting of the Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM) in Mellatz on 3 and 4 July 2015

12 August, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

On 3 and 4 July 2015, some members of the Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM) met with the Comboni Missionaries Fr. Franz Weber and Br. Friedbert Tremmel in the mission home in Mellatz to exchange views on the theme “mission in world today”. On Saturday, some members of the “Mellatzer Weggemeinde” arrived at the group and we increase at least 15 persons.

At the beginning of the meeting Fr. Franz Weber gave a brief introductory presentation: the term “mission” is quite negatively affected by the history of the conquest and colonization that sometimes went hand in hand with the evangelization of the peoples of Africa, America and Asia. Today, this term should be rediscovered. The mission must come from the heart from where one can live and act as missionaries, that is, the mission begins with me.

Jesus was the “first missionary and the source of all missionary work” brings good news to the poor, and this is testified by his life and his cures. The core mission is the Good News, the Kingdom of God is present with Jesus. “We have to speak about the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

After this introduction to the topic, the group began to think about how they can act in the sense of Jesus, as individuals and as a group. One of the options that can be done starts in the family, with friends, at work or in the parish.

In conclusion, we can say that the mission is made by and for men and women. The essence is given by me. It is give and take. The day ended with a Mass in which we thanked God for our skills and talents.

The next time the CML Group will meet in the Comboni house in Nuremberg will be on Friday night (9/10/2015) till Sunday (11/10/2015) at noon. The theme will be the new encyclical “Laudato Sí” from Pope Francisco. All people who are interested are invited.

CLM Germany

The joy of Gospel the source of mission spirit

28 July, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

Polish CLM celebrated a greatly unusual thing. Three girls from our community officially entered to the CLM community. God bless them!

During the meeting from 12^th till 14^th June we co-organized and participated in 4^th Mission Congress of Poland. On Friday we began with the Holly Mass and entering of Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Magda Fiec and Anna Obyrtacz to CLM movement. Friday Mass was the very beginning for girls to join our community. They had arrived to Warsaw the day before to have some spare moments for prayer and meditation in silence. During the mass, the girls our friends have been reading the special prayer prepared by themselves for this particular occasion and undersigned the official declaration of participation. The Delegate of the General Father of Combonians fr. Gianni Gaiga submitted girls’ declaration with other Comboni’s fathers celebrating the mass. It must be emphasized that we hosted a family and colleagues of Kasia who arrived especially for this day from Silesia province. Kasia is willing to go to Mozambique, Anna is designated to go to Central African Republic and Magda is still making decision about destination about her mission. Later on the day there was a time to take care about stomach as well – we organised big barbeque. Fr. Guillermo Aguinaga Pantoja who is the superior of the house said that we are always very welcome and the Warsaw community is always open for the CLM. There had appeared our first missionary – Danuta Krol who shared with us the experience from Uganda. We took the possibility of speaking “last minute” with fr. Andrzej Flip who serves in Mozambique and had a return flight the day after. Our well known sister Ula Bayer with the group of children from Mosina near Poznan was also present.

We were in the city centre the next day. The organiser of the congress was Polish Episcopal Commission on Missions and Papieskie Dziela Misyjne (The Catholic Church’s official charity for overseas mission). “The joy of Gospel the source of mission spirit” was theme of the congress with a patronate of John Paul II. It was an unusual meeting because such congress is not a regular one and takes place in ten of fifteen years or even few decades.

Three forms of participation was prepared up to the age of visiting people: for children, youth and adults, so we had divided into three groups to work in parallel. All locations had been in the centre of Warsaw and the adult part was held just in front of the central church. The place and the open nature of the meeting had attracted many people. We promoted the CLM and missions in general, giving leaflets and promotional materials. We had an opportunity to speak and encourage people to this forms of actions in the Church. We had met many orders, congregations and communities also lay organisations involved in mission ad gentes. In the neighbourhood we had met our familiar mates from Akademickie Kolo Misjologiczne w Poznaniu (Mission Academic Circle in Poznan). We spoke with the representative if MIVA (Mission Vehicle Association) who sponsor all kinds of the vehicles to the missions to help missionaries. One of them will go to Equator to fr. Adam Zagaja MCCJ in the nearest future. The congress hosted many NGOs (Non-Government Organizations). One of the most attractive was Szymon Holownia’s: The Kasisi Foundation. Holownia is one of the most popular catholic journalist, writer, blogger and TV presenter who is involved in many actions in Africa now. In the conference panel Holownia emphasized the essence of the lay mission and real meaning of brotherhood help not only in Africa but also here in Europe e.g. for the present massive African immigrants in south Europe. There was also one point of the World Youth Day with youth people from east Europe. They encouraged us to help people from East willing to participate with Pope Francis next year. We met also Karol Pawlowski who had been inspired by Saint Adalbert and the pilgrimage way of Santiago de Compostella and now is trying to establish and promote the way of Saint Adalbert from Gniezno in Poland to Magdeburg in Germany (the web: http://www.droga-swietywojciech.pl). All those meetings helped us to understand that our Church is so rich and diverse and there is still a lot of things to do.

At the end all participants joined the Holly Mass leaded by cardinal Fernando Filoni – Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The homily was told by Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz from Warsaw. Cardinal emphasised that every single man who believe in Gospel must live as a missionary. All walked to The Holy Cross Church in the procession with the cross and icon – the signs of World Youth Day. The day was fulfilled by worship concert and finished with singing the Appeal of Jasna Gora (Jasna Gora is the place of pilgrimage to Virgin Mary).

That rich day and all of the meeting gave us a joy the same as Gospel. Let us joy then and move together on our mission ways keeping the smile and Gospel in heart!

Tomasz Wierzbicki

CLM Krakow

My experience of mission in Arequipa – PERU

21 July, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

This first year has just flown thanks to the Father. All mission experience is rewarding because you share your life and surely is more what you get than what you give, or we better say “share”. Jesus invited me through St. Daniel Comboni to recognize the African Mission in the Comboni parish of “The Good Shepherd” in the city of Arequipa and more specifically in the community of St. Daniel Comboni in Villa Ecológica. You have to encourage yourself, especially with prayer asking that we can discover the way where He wants to lead us and be docile to follow. The CLM brothers of Spain Gonzalo, Isabel, Jose and Carmen left a living experience in the community of Villa, they cannot forget. They allowed my arrival to be warm and now I feel increasingly identified with the community.

I began my service teaching a course in electricity and plumbing to a group of high school students. We hope to repeat this year in the new environment that is being completed to build. With Brazilian sister Sharliman Alencar Lobo, who stayed with us for six month and started the project at the library to help children with their homework. A single mother or father alone constitutes many families. Many parents go to work because of low income, so many of these young families cannot afford the time to be with the children in the afternoons to help with their homework and to complement the education received in schools. In some cases, they ignore their responsibilities as parents to their children. Many children are not well fed and are in need during the evenings until the arrival of their parents. The learning experiences in the communities of HUARIN and RONDOS in the Sierra de Huanuco has served us well, and therefore we share a glass of milk and a piece of bread to complement the opening hours of the library, doing more bearable daily life of children. The truth is that we are missing hands and would be nice to have help from a CLM brother, to form a community, tired together with happiness and feel that we are in community returning something that gives us the Lord’s love.

I also assumed the catechesis of adults. I accompanied a group of 12 adults in Villa in preparation for confirmation and two couples were married. It is a great joy to see them eager to know their faith and I always ask the Holy Spirit to give me the necessary lights to share the issues and my life experience with my limitations, trusting in the presence of God who gives us the strength to continue this work.

Due to the circumstances I have happen to be alone. I live in the parish house and make community with the priests of the parish, this has allowed me to continue strengthening me spiritually and be part of the parish reality, but I’m a little distant from the reality of the community of Villa Ecológica. My mission is divided in two. On one hand my profession as plumber and electrician and a bit more knowledge allow me to serve the needs at home and in the parish. All this is performed mainly in the morning. On the other hand, the development of pastoral work in the afternoons or evenings as required. The community of Villa is young, is learning to walk with the help of its own people and is necessary to let them have their own experience of being church and simultaneously accompany to further deepen their faith and help them to discover the style of St. Daniel Comboni “Save Africa with Africa”. I try to encourage them and help them discover how the Lord is working in their lives.

This month ends the collaboration of Anna, the German Lay young volunteer who came for one year to assist in the “cradle St. Daniel Comboni” in Villa Ecológica. She has participated in choirs and brought some economic aid to the most needed families of the area brought from her German home parish. Anna has collaborated with Pamela in the catechesis sector called “Canteras”. In Arequipa there is a pending work, to encourage the formation of a CLM Group. Mary our mother, who cares for me and my family, care also to help you, brothers from the group of Lima to pronounce the Yes to the mission, so that this mission can continue and others start.

Pedro Enrique García H. CLM Peru

The relevance of the social teaching for our society

14 July, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

On July 11^th, we held our formative meeting at Abor. Pierre Ngayo, a comboni Scholastic doing a pastoral experience at IMFH shared with us on the topic: The Comboni charism and the Social Teaching of the Church.

At the beginning of the meeting, Rev. Fr Joseph Rabbiosi welcomed everybody and wished to the group to grow and be engaged.

The Scholastic started by mentioning the credibility of the Soc. Teach. of the Church that is the theological, which is to respond to the appeal of Jesus in Mat 25 about the final judgment and the second is social, the proximity of the Church to the daily life of the society. He later continued by presenting the Topic into three parts.

The first part is the Relation between the Soc. Teach. and the Word of God. In Lk 4, 16-21 and Is 61, 1-2 the Scriptures speak about bringing good news to the poor, to free prisoners, to bind up broken hearts, give sight to the blind and to proclaim God’s year of mercy… The Soc. Teach. finds here a biblical foundation.

The second aspect he developed was the relevance of the Soc. Teach. for the Church in Africa. What is the role of Christians in our society? Issues of corruption, Human right, poverty, rural and urban migration, Human dignity are met all over our continent. Why is it that most of our countries which are populated by Christian in majority are experiencing such things, very high rate of corruption? Two synods were held to reflect upon the challenges that the Church is facing in our continent. The first one was held in 1994 during a period whereby there was a socio political instability all over Africa. The conclusion was published the post Synodal Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa. The second synod held in 2009 and its conclusion was published in Africae munus. The hope of the Church is that we Christians, mostly lay faithful should make our society a better place to live in: “You are the salt of the earth, the light of the world.”

The third aspect is JPIC and the Comboni charism. Comboni came in Africa where slavery was going on, a reality that made him so sensitive and close to Africans. The aspects then of Justice, Human Dignity were so needed and Comboni engaged himself totally for it. The Scholastic suggested that the aspect of JPIC could be well developed by lay comboni missionaries in the province of Togo Ghana Benin. He then added some guidelines for us which are first to be fond with the Soc. Teach. of the Church by reading the Magisterium, especially those encyclicals and Apostolic Exhortations that treat the topic e.g. Populorum progressio, Rerum novarum, …Africae munus,… The second one is to take time to study the Word of God. The third one is to be sensitive towards the needy and vulnerable and the fourth is to develop fund raising activities. In the conclusion, he left with us three questions for our meditation:

How can our encounter with the word of God help us to change our society?
Why do we think that the Social Teaching of the Church is relevant for our situation as African Christians?
What is our experience in the domain of JPIC and what are the challenges to develop it in our Province?

After this presentation, we were clarified about the kind of services we can render to In My Father’s House Institution by the Administrator of the Institution. We agreed to meet on the 8^th August and proceeded with the concluding prayer followed by the community food.

Justin Nougnui, coordinator.

Missionary joy

12 July, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

The June monthly meeting of the CLMs of Mexico DF It was held in the house of the Comboni Missionaries in Cuernavaca. A beautiful and quiet place next to the famous devil´s alley. Yes, you read that correctly, the devil. According to the legend, more than five centuries ago, the intrusive devil helped to jump Hernán Cortés on his horse Rucio, a ravine five meters long for safekeeping of tlahuicas ancestors who closely followed his footsteps to kill him.

Juanita, CLM for several years and frequent visitor of the seminar for many others, was in charge of preparations for our arrival. The reception was warm although a little rainy, which did not stop performing activities under an atmosphere of friendship and joy. In the morning, we did the prayer of Lauds. The main theme for those who came to know the group was the action of the laity in the church. And in the afternoon Father Joseph Infante, brother of Pedro Infante, as he presents always with a big smile, shared with us the devotion to the Sacred heart of Jesus who lived St. Daniel Comboni and how he trusted that divine heart all his projects and concerns. In the evening, we had the celebration of the Eucharist and in our prayers we do not forget all the Comboni family, absent CLMs, and the election of the following day.

On Sunday, some had to leave early. Others took a little walk around the cathedral, where indeed we received the blessing of Bishop Ramon Castro for all CLM Group. So our meeting this month invited us to advance in prayer, sacrifice and keep walking united by the mission, encouraging one another. Thank God for his presence.

CLM México