Comboni_en – Page 12 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

The celebration of the 10th October in Ghana

21 October, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

For the first time, we celebrated as lay group the Solemnity of our Founder. We took the opportunity to talk about the founder, ourselves and the process of formation.

Everything started on Wednesday, the 7^th of October. Mr Adze Daniel, an old Comboni student, presented the life of Comboni. He talked about his birth, his parents, his vocation and mission. The presentation was so seducing that the workers, the youth and children around were filled with admiration towards the zeal of Comboni.

On the second day, the 8^th, Rev. Fr Joseph Rabbiosi, MCCJ, presented the Comboni Family. He presented the four branches, the Priest and Brothers, the Comboni Sisters, the Seculars and the Comboni Lay Missionaries. He emphasized a little upon the history of the male Congregation, the MCCJ, how it has started and how and when they came to the Province Togo-Ghana-Benin and what they are doing.

On the third day, the 9^th, Mr Justin Nougnui talked about the formation process for the MCCJ priest and clm. He insisted on the need of having a spiritual director, the disposition of community life, the disposition to witness the good news to the poor and vulnerable for both MCCJ and CLM; the academic performance so necessary to journey towards priesthood and the professionalism necessary for the CLM. The CLM can be married or single and we do not make any official vows. To a question, he explained clearly that some of the works we do cannot free us to give ourselves totally for the proclamation of the Good News and to fulfill what is required for a CLM candidate. Nevertheless, such workers can be friends of CLM and support them financially for achieving their goals.

The 10^th was a diocesan programme for priestly ordination. So the 10^th Mass was celebrated on Sunday 11^th to thank the Lord for giving us a so committed person in the name of Daniel Comboni who did not spare any effort to work for the regeneration of Africa. We prayed for the Comboni Family and especially for the CLM in our province that the Lord may strengthen them and provide them with means to carry out their activities.

Justin Nougnui, coordinator.

The mission is a plan of love for which we shouldn´t spare any effort

10 October, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

This is one of the many phrases that Comboni has left us as a proof of his donation and the conviction of his vocation.

Every day we hear, see and read in the news the world’s inequalities. Every day we find so many people who need hope.

A world, home of all, that is deeply interconnected, that need from us to wake up and unite all efforts to propose a new way of living, more just and dignified for all. It needs that we roll up our sleeves and get down proposing and carrying out a new humanity. Need people ready to be with those men and women who suffer most from exclusion and have no consideration from others. Needs people that carry the tenderness and love of God to every corner of the planet where necessary.

In a world where the money find facilities and people barriers, we need to recover and make present the love of God. Mercy that restore wounds and brotherhood and solidarity that allows us to share this land that is everybody’s home. We all have the right to enjoy it, no matter where we were born or the possibilities of the family that has welcomed us.

We need you to step forward and join us. The mission is a plan of love for which we shouldn´t spare any effort.

XVIII General Chapter of the Comboni Missionaries

7 September, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

This last Sunday has officially started the XVIII General Chapter of the Comboni Missionaries with the Holy Opening Mass.
The chapter members had a previous week of preparation.
The chapter will end next October 4th. During this time, we will remain in prayer for the good progress of it, for the good of the Comboni Family and the mission to which we are called.
For a constant information you can visit the official website of male religious institute www.comboni.org where besides daily news, you may find a series of videos called “Voci the capitolo” where the chapter members provide some important aspects they are treating and the progress of the sessions and meetings.
United in prayer.

[Mozambique] Arrival of the youth group “Faith and mission”

1 August, 2015 by Flavio Schmidt

Chegada01 Today arrived at the mission of Carapira a group of 5 young portuguese to stay 1 month of missionary experience in this reality. They are part of the vocational group called “Faith and Mission”, and since October of last year they have come through a process of reflexion and discernment of their missionary vocation. This vocational path culminates with this moment of sharing in a factual mission.
They arrived animated. Three boys, Germano, Leonardo and Pedro, and two girls, Sofia and Mariana, followed by father Jorge, combonian, and the secular Paula Clara, that are members from the training team of them.

Thereby, at this night we had a brief moment of welcome and sharing as missionary team.
Let us pray that this will be a “time of grace” in each of their lives.
We are together!
CLM Mozambique

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