Alberto de la Portilla – Page 159 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Give thanks in everything!

2 May, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

I arrived to Carapira in full celebration of Easter! It was a great gift! A festive Mass on the night of Saturday and one on Sunday morning, both with the dances and songs that deserve every great Easter. Afterwards a nice lunch with the missionary team, the Comboni Family.

It is the first time I leave my country, my beloved Brazil. And already it has spent the first month! The work that I am calling to do is to accompany the youth of the school (Industrial Technical Institute) run by the Combonis in Carapira. 130 are the young people who study and live here. Learn professional techniques offered in courses, learning to be a family, be smart and able people to build a better world are the main principles to follow with these young people. I took up nursing of the school, a room with beds for the rest of the sick children and medicines and basic utensils for care. I remain a big part of my time in this room (the pharmacy) and make my ministry here, my service, my daily renewal of my Yes to the mission. I also accompany students to the hospital when needed, help them to take medication, wound care and various injuries.

As a child in catechesis, I dreamed to be a doctor to go to Africa… I finally studied psychology and not medicine, but was a great choice! Now I look what I have been called and see me in a nursing care hurts and pains. There is a peace that invades the soul! There’s a smile that shows when looking to improve the way to cures, or even when I call attention to a boy for skipping his medication. And the soul rejoices when our pharmacy is not only the physical space to administer medication but becomes space to share, to discuss a variety of possible topics. We talk about family, we talk about the heavy situation faced by Mozambique and Brazil in politics, we talk about school difficulties, dreams and love; We smile together and play, and in addition we also have some time to correct ourselves and find the best path for each day. I have two students working with me, Cacossane and Mendes. They help me in everything and always try to improve our communication to better understand and optimize the service to all other students. I am pleased to see small achievements, curtains, pot for tea, cup holders, dogfish soup, etc. Small things that make the difference, cheering!

For now, we are two at home, Beatriz (from Mexico) and me. She tries to teach and guide me on things here, show me the realities and correct, if necessary, my quick way of speaking that generates misunderstanding. The Portuguese is actually much! The mission begins at home! Community life is an invitation to forgiving love and forgiveness that loves is a joint growth, it is a constant learning. In this way, we build and prepare to welcome Kasia from Poland and Barbara from Italy who will be with us soon and my heart is already on holiday with their arrival.

We are a large and very rich missionary team: priests, brother and laity! We come from different places, cultures and ways of being different and this is a beautiful treasure for the mission. My Brazilian roots are with these Italian, Mexican, Portuguese, Mozambican roots… Longing Brazil dwells in the heart, longing for people, places, even more for food! Nostalgia also supports the mission because it reminds me that the mission is not done alone, the mission is collective. I came to Mozambique, but there are many people who are elsewhere and pray for me and the mission without prayer support fades. Maybe that is why my heart is full of gratitude, because I have many people who supported me from many corners of this great world. Therefore, also on behalf of all these people every day I renew my Yes to the mission, my yes to God, my yes to this school in which I live and work and my yes to each of these guys.

Here they say “Vacani, Vacani”, little by little. And so it is! One-step at a time, slowly but without wasting time when it comes to improve, to move forward, to evolve. One-step at a time to improve communication, specific things needed to make a good missionary way, practical things for the work, in everything step by step. Remembering that take care of me is the first step to be complete for the people I am called to serve. Therefore, my path moves through step by step and I can sleep peacefully at night, with a heart full of joy for all that has allowed me to live in this holy land. I thanks everyone who accompany me with the prayer and wish you well. We are together!

The good and loving God, Father and Mother, care for us and strengthen us!

Mother Africa, you welcome me, teach me to live you!

Priscilla Garcia – CLM

Comboni Family Meeting in Spain

27 April, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

This past weekend was held the third meeting of Comboni Family in Spain under the theme “Comboni Family: Together on the Way“.

We were present 60 people between Comboni´s religious and laities and also we could count this year with Isabel as a representative of the Secular Comboni Missionaries who could participated with us during the week-end.

It was a weekend to get deeper into our dreams and fears in this Comboni Family path, with time to express commitments that will facilitate to follow this path together.

On Saturday, we count on Carmen Sara and Luis Guitarra to motivate the meeting. Unhurried and dynamically they helped us to go deeper in this issue, sharing our hopes, through stories, tales, songs and group dynamics we have built among all the tree of the Comboni Family.

Sunday was time to share the concrete projects we are doing together as the Vocational Youth Ministry, the Missionary Animation taking place in Granada or the project we will carry out this summer on the Camino de Santiago. Small steps that make possible, securing and assessable this common path.

All seasoned with moments to share the liturgy, with celebrations that helped us to vibrate and placed at the foot of the altar this common dreams and a nice vigil prayer where we join all those who pilgrimage as a Comboni Family on four continents.

Let´s the Lord help us overcome our fears and inspire us with the passion of St. Daniel Comboni to make concrete our Comboni Family with concrete experiences for the sake of the mission to which we try to serve every day.

On the way…

20 April, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

I have no idea how fast the time is passing. I noticed that from my last post was added over a month ago!! So I think that it’s the right time to write something again 🙂

Not many things have changed. I mean, my time is full of various meetings, activities etc. But I’ll try to write shortly about last events. In the mid of March all lay people (candidates and missionaries) took part in the retreat in Viseu which was led for us by one of the MCCJ Fathers. Although that was not my last meeting with CLM I have already heard, ‘how I imagine that I will go to the Mozambique and leave them?’, And I thought, they were right, even though we have known only three months I have felt that they are so close to me. I cannot imagine I could feel it in such a short time. I think it was not just me who was thinking that way. Why? Because during the meeting they did for us a little surprise. They sent us to the mission on Sunday Mass from their community. I know that I have been sent by Archbishop in Poland but they wanted to do it again. Imagine that it wasn’t my last sending. I will write about this more later on.

Besides normal common duties and schedule I had to organize time for Bible course and the other documents necessary for get a visa. Imagine that bureaucracy in Portugal is more complicated than in Poland. This all journeys between offices and doctors … every human being may feel exhausted. Fortunately I ended collect all documents before the Holy Week. Why it was so important? Because in the Holy Thursday me and Barbara catch a flight to Madrid. The community from Spain invited us to the common celebration Triduum and Easter.

Time in Spain was fantastic! The community composed of families what made that our Easter felt like home. One of the Father picked us up from the airport and took us to the small, mountain village near Madrid where LMC had meetings. He was there for all meeting. Usually most of the formation meetings was separate for children and adults but always we met together after that.

We started meeting from sharing our arrival reasons, our feelings of coming and our expectations. We ended it in common meeting with children and later we went to the attic which was our Chapel for the time of Triduum. We celebrated Liturgy of Holy Thursday and had common diner, prayer and time for a rest. On Holy Friday and Holy Saturday we had a mini-conference, meeting in the small group, some time to walk, talking and meeting again 🙂 …I met a few people who were on the mission in Mozambique and I could know more about the place where I am going to serve. Holy Friday was a little calmer than usual. Common liturgy and evening’s adoration were very beautiful. How I mentioned before I had more than one sending 😉 . Next one happened during Paschal Vigil. Along with Barbara we were invited to sit down in the middle where we had get crosses. Alberto with his family and David who is going to Africa during holidays joined to us. Together we created small circle inside and the rest of the community did the other on outside. We started dancing and during this, Father read blessing, and sent us to the mission. After liturgy we started celebration, singing and there was no end of joy! Unfortunately next day we had to come back to Madrid because the day after that we had flight to Porto. The rest of the time we spent walking through the city. After return we ate early dinner and we packed up our luggage. Next morning we had flight to Lisbon not to home in Braga. We lived in the house of MCCJ where we met with great kindness like before. Why Lisbon? Because there I could got a visa. Of course I could not get a visa without any issues, as some sympathetic lady told me that I hadn’t got one document…fortunately I was able to organize it and the next day I could made all necessary documents without difficulty. Now I am just waiting for getting a visa and in the middle of the month it should already have it!

We visited Lisbon too. It is amazing city! You could see on the photos. For the most of the time Vanessa was with us. Vanessa helped me with my visa and her help was invaluable. When you will be in Lisbon you should go to the trip to Sintra! There are some marvelous castles. I liked Castelo dos Mouros the most. It is on the hill and view from up is breathtaking… land, ocean, river, city, bridge… at the end of our holidays we go to the Cacia on the Friday. Sandra and Carlos lived there and we decided to stay and live the community life.

Next Thursday I have got a final exam from my course, Barbara’s family will visit us, then some rest, CLM and … the time to come back home!

As you can see, the time is going so normal 🙂 ….

I wish you all discovery of empty tomb and rejoice of Christ resurrected!

Kasia. Polish CLM

Starts the cause of beatification of Father Ezekiel Ramin

18 April, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

The diocesan phase of the beatification process of “Servant of God” Father Ezekiel Ramin – already proclaimed “martyr of charity” by Pope John Paul II – began with the first public meeting on Saturday 9 April in the Italian city of Padua. Father “Lele” Ramin, a Comboni Misionary of Padua, died on July 24, 1985 in Cacoal, Brazil. Research on the reputation of holiness, based on the “super martyrdom” shows an awareness that the religious died in defense of its own faith, of peace and justice.

The work on the rogatory process opened in the church of the Comboni Missionaries in Via San Giovanni Verdara in Padua, with the institution of the court on the process “super martyrdom” and the oath of components. After a moment of prayer, Archbishop Pietro Brazzale, general coordinator of the rogatory presented the motivations and meaning. This was followed by the oath of Bishop Claudio Cipolla and members of the Tribunal for the diocesan rogatory: the delegate judge Mgr Giuseppe Zanon; the promoter of justice Fr. Antonio Medio; notary attorney of the minutes, Mariano Paolin, and notary and deputy general coordinator of the rogatory, Msgr. Pietro Brazzale.

Acceptance for a Better Europe

14 April, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Forty Comboni Missionaries and Comboni Sisters stationed in the provinces of Europe took part in the Limone Symposium 2016, an event organized by the European Group of Theological Reflection that took place at St. Daniel Comboni’s birthplace on the shores of Lake Garda in Limone, Italy from March 29 to April 2. The topic for this year was, “Migration and Mission.” Refugees ad migrants must be treated s brothers and sisters and seen as an opportunity for building a more pluralistic society and for strengthening inter-religious dialogue. The European Union should stop the sale of weapons and should instead foster an end to injustice and war. What follows is the Statement of the Comboni Family, signed by the participants of the Symposium.

A Statement of the Comboni Family

ACCEPTANCE FOR A BETTER EUROPE

At the conclusion of the Symposium of Limone on Lake Garda 2016 (March 29-April 2, 2016), held on the topic of “Mission and Migration,” we, Comboni Missionaries, Comboni Missionary Sisters, Secular and Lay Comboni Missionaries working in various countries in Europe, want to express our solidarity with our brothers and sisters who come to us as they flee from war, persecution, dictatorships and environmental crises.

We state that accepting the stranger, as Pope Francis has strongly underlined = “refugees are the living flesh of Christ” – is a fundamental dictate of the Gospel. We also wish to stress that our openness to others, to their cultural and religious diversity is a source of growth which enriches our identity as human beings and as Christians.

We worry about the increase of prejudice and of feelings of Islamophobia in our society, peddled by politicians and intellectuals who, by way of gross simplifications, do not seem to want to distinguish between Islam and Islamic terrorism, often insinuating that violence is part of the very fabric of the religion of Islam. This prejudice and these hostile stands strengthen feelings of exclusion in our Muslim brothers and sisters. The consequences are particularly destructive among the young members of second-generation immigrants, who more easily than others may end up joining the ranks of the Islamic State.

We unequivocally state our commitment in favor of inter-religious dialogue, of the deeper understanding of other faiths, and our common stand in the rebuilding of a society based on respect for diversity and religious plurality. We can only envision the existence of a pluralistic humankind.

As members of the Comboni Family in Europe we wish to express our total condemnation of the recent agreement on migration between the European Union and Turkey (March 18, 2016). The closing of borders by several European countries in order to block the entrance of refugees and the deportation of so-called illegal immigrants is a clear violation of international agreements legalizing the right of asylum. We believe that the presence of immigrants in our countries is a social, cultural and even economic asset.

While Europe is busy building walls to block the exodus of refugees – exodus determined mainly by wars in the Middle East and in Libya – too little is being done to put an end to these conflicts that are the reason for this forced migration. Therefore, we demand that our governments stop the sale of weapons to warring nations and exercise pressure on these countries so that they may arrive to a peaceful solution.

As members of the Comboni Family we apologize for our silence as we face the scandal of the race towards global rearmament. We recognize our complicity with this financial-economic system that allows a few to own almost everything, thus robbing a large segment of humankind of what is necessary, a system that needs weapons and wars in order to survive.

As Christians, disciples of Jesus of Nazareth, we renew our commitment to the building of a more just and livable world for all.
Limone sul Garda, Italy
Saturday, April 2, 2016