Alberto de la Portilla – Page 30 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Triple Celebration in Kenya.

17 October, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

It was a triple celebration in Kenya when the feast of St Daniel Comboni coincided with the 50th celebration of Comboni MCCJ presence in Kenya as well as the Kenya nation was also celebrating “Huduma Day” loosely means Service Day.

The celebration was held at the Community of Postulants in the outskirts of Nairobi. The celebration started by a talk from by Fr. John Korir who is the vocation director. The theme of the day was “Rooted and Grounded In Christ” this is well in line with the writings of St Daniel Comboni .. “We will have to labor hard, to sweat, to die; but the thought that one sweats and dies for love of Christ and the salvation of the most abandoned souls in the world, is far too sweet for us to desist from this great enterprise” St Daniel Comboni, from the beginning knew where his strength will come from, which is Christ himself.

This celebration marked the 20th Anniversary of St Daniel Comboni Canonization, by St John Paul II who said “we need evangelizers with enthusiasm and apostolic outfit of St Daniel Comboni an apostle of Christ among the Africans” this reminds us to be apostles of Christ among those who are in the same reality and those who are abandoned. Comboni discerned and a abandoned his parents for the most abandoned in Africa.

On the Jubilee Celebrations for the MCCJ presence in Kenya, a brief history was shared how the MCCJ came from Uganda to Kenya in 1973, during the reign of Uganda dictator president Idi Amin. The Comboni Missionaries (MCCJ) came through the north west of Kenya in Kacheliba West Pokot, and then spread to other areas like Turkana, Marsabit, Wote, Naivasha and Nairobi. Some of the missions were handed over to the diocese. True to their charism of the most neglected and abandoned. The MCCJ presence is felt in areas that no one dares to go and evangelize, to date the Kenyan MCCJ are 30, Brothers – one in novitiate formation, Comboni Lay Missionaries – 6, Comboni Secular Missionaries – 4. Comboni sisters came to Kenya earlier in 1963.

It was a holiday for us also to celebrate the “Huduma Day” where citizens come together to help their brothers and sisters who are less fortunate, and offer services to the nation.

St Daniel Comboni said am dying but my work will not die, lets pray for more vocations for our youth and the laity that they may be sent to priestly ministry wholeheartedly.

Martin Onyango, CLM Kenya

Comboni feast

6 October, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

St. Daniel Comboni Parish, in Guriri, Diocese of São Mateus, in the state of Espírito Santo, began the feast of St. Daniel Comboni on Sunday, October 1. The celebration began with the blessing of the image of the patron saint containing the relic of St. Daniel Comboni, followed by a procession from the residence of Bishop Emeritus Aldo Gerna to the parish church. The image of St. Daniel Comboni was carved in wood especially for the first Comboni parish in the world by the sculptor Werner Thaler, from the city of Treze Tílias, in Santa Catarina.

Fr. Raimundo Rocha

Provincial of the Comboni Missionaries of Brazil

For the Synod

2 October, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

Prayer Intentions of the Comboni Family October 2023

1 October, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

That the synodal journey of communion, participation and mission we are celebrating may involve us as Church, so that she may truly become the home of all. May the breath of the Spirit keep the communities alive in their pastoral and missionary journey. Let us pray.

The beginning of a vocation

29 September, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

The desire to belong to the Comboni Family motivated Lucien and Ulrich- in Benin_ to contact Alberto through the blog. Alberto led them to the Coordinator in the Province who contacted the two friends. They started thinking together on the best way forward. The chaplain was contacted and Brother Pascal who accompanies the group of Friends of Comboni in Benin was informed.

To bring together all the friend candidates in the province Togo-Ghana-Benin, a WhatsApp platform was created. Online meetings started for us to know one another and to help each one to have an idea about CLM realities in the world. Through this platform, communication was established and necessary information shared. Some CLM resolutions were also shared for each candidate to have an idea on the vocation and mission of CLM.

For a while, the two friends far from each other, couldn’t communicate if not via phone calls and online meetings. But the ardent desire to journey together burning in them prompted Lucien to move from Bohicon to Cotonou -about 125km- to visit Ulrich. This encounter was so wished by each one and the visit was a success and Lucien was received warmly according to his testimony. Now that they met, it is left with the formation to start. By God’s grace, this 17th September, 2023 at St. Francis of Assisi Parish of Fidzrosse (Republic of Benin), at Bakandja Catechetical Center, the first formative gathering was carried out. Together with two members of the group of Friends of Comboni, Lucien and Ulrich heard the sharing of Father Eugenio about “Obedience”. In the sharing, Father Eugenio has presented the life of Jesus Christ as the perfect example of obedience. Jesus, indeed, was obedient till death, death on the Cross. The second example, continued Father, was St. Daniel Comboni who followed on the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Comboni didn’t hesitate when his vocation for the mission in Africa was confirmed to him by Father Marani (W.13). We are called to do the same.

The two friends, Lucien and Ulrich were so impressed by the sharing, because Father Eugenio, they said, went into depth with some concrete realities of this evangelical counsel.

They are, thenceforth, determined to continue the journey and wait impatiently for the second formative sharing.

Justin Nougnui, CLM coordinator.