English – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Silent Retreat – A Time of Encounter with God and with Ourselves

29 October, 2025 by Alberto de la Portilla

From October 15th to 21st, our CLM members experienced a truly special silent retreat at Napenda Kuishi in Nairobi. It was a week filled with deep spiritual experiences, inner reflection, and encounters with God, with ourselves, and with the community. The retreat was led by Father Daniel Villaverde, who guided us through this time of prayer, reflection, and discovery of the spirituality of Saint Daniel Comboni.

Each day of the retreat followed a gentle rhythm: morning prayer, the Eucharist, inputs from fr. Daniel on human aspect, catechesis and Comboni’s spirituality, and personal time for meditation and adoration. The silence that accompanied us throughout the week became a sacred space where we could hear God’s voice more clearly and look more deeply into our own lives.

During the retreat, we had the opportunity to delve in the missionary spirituality of Saint Daniel Comboni – a man who dedicated his entire life to proclaiming the Gospel and serving others. His example teaches us that true mission stems from a personal encounter with Christ and from love for our brothers and sisters.

In silence and prayer, each of us experienced profound inner spiritual moments – times of emotion, discovery, gratitude, and peace. It was a period when we could allow God to speak to us without hurry and without distraction.

At the end of the retreat, we shared our personal experiences with one another. Although silence had accompanied us most of the week, it was precisely during these moments of sharing that we came to know one another more deeply and truthfully – through heartfelt testimonies that touched our hearts.

We return from this retreat with renewed strength, peace in our hearts, and a desire to live more consciously – in a spirit of trust, simplicity, and missionary commitment. We thank Father Daniel for his spiritual guidance and all the participants for their openness and companionship on this journey of silence and prayer.

“In silence, God speaks the loudest.”

Iza Tobiasiewicz, CLM Kenya

The beauty of our vocation as a source of joy

28 October, 2025 by Alberto de la Portilla

This was the theme with which we began our national assembly of the CLM in Portugal, which took place last weekend, October 25-26, at the MCCJ house in Maia. In her reflection, Sr. Graça, a Comboni Missionary and our advisor, inspired us to recognize God’s gaze on our CLM vocation and to realize how our vocation permeates our daily lives, like “yeast in dough.” She also invited us to recognize that it was God who called and chose us! She invited us to contemplate the beauty of mission and vocation, and to seek to recognize the presence of perennial joy, of mission as relationship, as a dynamic of communion, from which we radiate God’s Love.

Next, the Activity Plan and the annual budget for 2026 were presented and approved. Each local community also had space to share its plans for the coming year.

The following day, the Letters of the Ministries that make up the CLM Association were approved, which were drawn up since the last assembly, which took place in March this year.

At the end of Sunday morning, we celebrated Holy Mass, presided over by Fr. José Vieira, a Comboni missionary working in Ethiopia, where all the CLM members present, including those participating online, renewed their CLM commitment.

The weekend was a favorable time of encounter, reflection, and fellowship, with the participation of 15 CLM members, 3 of whom participated online. We thank God for calling each one of us and for always accompanying us on this missionary journey!

Saint Daniel Comboni, pray for us!

CLM Portugal Communication

Our life and mission routed in prayer, in the footsteps of Jesus

28 October, 202527 October, 2025 by Alberto de la Portilla

In the silence. If today you hear his voice hardened not your hearts. God is in the silence

1st Kings 19:11-12

When the prophet Elijah fled from his enemies to the mountain to seek the help of God.

The Lords presence was not in the strong wind, earthquake or in the fire but it was felt in the small whispering sound

As missionaries we should find our mountains and in silence we hear the sound of God, like Moses we find the burning bush which is not consumed by fire, take out our sandals which is our sins and comforts

Create silence and peace within yourself offer the silence as a gift to others

PRAYER

Jesus was a man of prayer we learn from his style of prayer in silence and in solitude. Lk 6:12, Mk 6:46

He taught us to pray a simple prayer that carries great reference to our Father in heaven which is the Lords prayer Lk 11:1

A real prayer is in silence, you listen to God and He comes to you, through you it reaches the others.

We should pray without ceasing and with understanding a Christian who does not pray is proud and is not humble.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

Luke 3:21,5:16

In our prayers the Holy Spirit should be present for he is the Spirit that comes from our Father in heaven to teach, cleanse and to strengthen us during tribulations and persecution

Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit, he prayed with the holy spirit and the spirit testified that he was the beloved son of God during his baptism.

We learn from the disciples of Christ they were full of the Holy Spirit and they preached the gospel to the ends of world facing persecution and even death

REFLECTION OF COMBONI’S LIFE

God shaped and modelled Comboni through the people he lived with and interacted with

The environment of his family and village influenced his Spiritualty, his parents were very religious, rich in faith and rich in devotions

What brings out the uniqueness of Comboni was his characters, he was impulsive, lively jovial, highly passionate, emotive which made him highly sensitive to other people’s sufferings. He fostered and cultivated friendships from all walks of life

His love for the mission, sacred heart of Jesus and Mary, St Joseph and the people of Africa is an inspiration to all of us

THE TRINITY

Mistry of the blessed trinity

Three in one and one in three, equal but are different. Father, son and the Holy Spirit they share everything, they have constant communication and there is equality in love

The Trinity teaches us to share our values, emotions, experiences on a very intimate level, when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, we evoke empathy from others the goal is to create a loving atmosphere of caring and understanding of each other

In the Trinity communication is perfect, for us communication is not perfect yet with the smallest steps with the right direction we can help it to improve.

We should learn to see the trinity in each and every one of us and also ask ourselves which aspect of our relationships are not in line with the blessed trinity

There is no trinity without you and I, if we want to enter into the mysterious heart of our faith we fix our eyes on Jesus who is visible among us He draw us to our Father in heaven and the Holy Spirit comes and lives in us

Through Christ we learn the ministry of the trinity ” The one who sees me has seen the Father and his spirit will live in him, me the Father and Holy Spirit are one being each one himself”.

The vocabulary of trinity is complete with all of us included.

Belinda, CLM Kenya

ECOPAX in Ecuador

26 October, 2025 by Alberto de la Portilla

The Comboni Peace Teams ECOPAX is a civil association founded in Mexico, inspired by Brother Joel Cruz MCCJ, which is now taking root in Ecuador. It already has three Cultural Centers for Peace in Guayaquil, one of which is virtual, and one in the city of El Empalme. The Comboni Lay Missionaries of Ecuador are also part of these teams.

ECOPAX is a community made up of lay people who form teams and communities to reduce violence. How? By creating structures for training, planning, and accompanying groups and communities.

One of these Peace Teams has its center of activities in the Parish of Our Lady of Czestochowa, accompanied by John Villarroel CLM in Ecuador. On October 23, they had a gathering led by Fr. Serafin Kakwata MCCJ on the theme: “Peace in Families.”

This Saturday, October 25, the Afro Cultural Center of Guayaquil ECOPAX in Ecuador held its assembly, as established in its operating charter, in which the “Pillars of Peace in ECOPAX” were discussed.

John Villaroel, CLM Ecuador

Put the seed in the ground, it will not be in vain, don’t worry about harvesting it for your brother.

24 October, 2025 by Alberto de la Portilla

Hello brothers, I am Tito, a Comboni Lay Missionary from Brazil, currently on mission in Mozambique, Africa, more precisely in the mission of Anchilo, province of Nampula.

My job here is to coordinate and guide a group of workers in agricultural, horticultural, and animal production so that they can work the land and earn a living for their families.

Here in Anchilo, at the Paulo VI Catechetical Center, production is intended to help feed the leaders who participate in training meetings, as we have two to three, and sometimes even four, training meetings every month (Catechists, Elders, Justice and Peace, Family, Youth, IAM, Mothers, among other ministries).

I am happy to be able to help in this way in the formation of leaders.

This is also a mission.

Tito, Comboni Lay Missionary in Mozambique.