English – Page 14 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Our journey in Ecuador during 2023

29 January, 2024 by Alberto de la Portilla

At the beginning of the year we had a meeting with Fr. Seraphin Kakwata, MCCJ, who since 2022, is in charge of the Divine Word parish of the South Vicariate of the Archdiocese, located in the South East of Guayaquil, in the sector known as Guasmo Sur, who was concerned about the missionary animation that Fr. Enzo Ballazo maintained, wants to resume the activity and left his proposals for the future.

However, we could not leave aside the activities that we had planned with the candidates and those that were already part of our pastoral, such as:

RESA Foundation, accompaniment of foreign immigrants and their families;
Annunciation of Mary Chapel, of the Claretian Fathers, accompaniment in masses;
Archdiocesan Prison Ministry;
Immaculate Conception Parish, in the Extraordinary Ministry of Holy Communion;
Sanctuary of Mary Help of Christians, in Catechesis, Animation and Bible Study Group.

At the beginning of September we received from Fr. Seraphin the proposal of the Project of Pastoral and Community Integration of the Comboni Lay Missionaries of the Province of Ecuador in Guayaquil, where we want to link not only the CLM but also other lay people who have accompanied Fr. Enzo in missions and who know the Comboni charism, so that together with the priests and MCCJ brothers they can live together and form a community collaborating for the benefit of the members and people of the Divine Word parish. This proposal has a duration of one year until October 2024.

So in October 2023, until the present date each lay person, alone or accompanied by another, we take turns each week and spend two or three days in the parish house, we participate in the activities that are held with the groups, masses, meals and others.

In a particular way, this missionary experience has been very fulfilling for the CLM because it has helped us to reinforce our charism and the importance of community life among Comboni Missionaries.

(PHOTO) Meeting of the CLM together with the lay collaborators, with Fr. Seraphin and Fr. Antonio in the Verbo Divino parish.

Unfortunately, it was not possible for the candidates to participate in this project, so they opted to withdraw from the formation.

We are trying to get some of the lay people who accompany us to join the CLM community, having already experienced the experience of the Divine Word parish.

Susana Ortega, CLM Ecuador

Thank you Lord!

22 January, 2024 by Alberto de la Portilla

Yes we must thank the Lord at all times and more especially in some particular moments. It is the case in our province of Togo-Ghana-Benin.

Father Leopold, MCCJ did a great job with the CLM group in the province. With him, we started getting known to other MCCJ as CLM candidates and later as CLM. We have been invited to MCCJ zonal meetings at Accra. We also witnessed the inauguration of the Postulancy at Kaneshie, Accra. With him, we started moving in the province for pastoral and missionary experience. We started at Cape-Coast (Republic of Ghana), we moved to Esse-Ana (Republic of Togo) and participated in the continental Assembly of CLM in Cotonou (Republic of Benin). We have other experiences at Mafi-Kumase which consolidated our CLM vocation. On top of all this is the promise of three members as CLM on the 10th October 2022 and of another one on the 3rd December 2023.

We are so grateful to the Lord for all of this.

The news of his transfer shacked us a bit but even before his departure, we were introduced to a new chaplain in the person of Reverend Father Ephrem Badou. Why shouldn’t we praise the Lord for His wonders for us!

The day the new chaplain was introduced to us, we have two new candidates, Elisabeth Kpanazo and Gabriel Agbeewornu. Wao!!!

“What shall I repay to the Lord for all the things that He has repaid to me? I will take up the cup of salvation and I will call upon the name of the Lord” Ps115, 3-4.

For the Lord to continue what He has started in father Leopold in his new mission, for father Ephrem to lead us to become “holy and capable” CLM.

May St. Daniel Comboni intercede for us. AMEN!

Justin Nougnui, CLM.

Happy New Year from Kitelakapel

19 January, 2024 by Alberto de la Portilla

Greetings from Kitelakapel!

We hope you are doing well. We are doing great. We are starting the new school year. Linda and Pius return to schools to teach life skills. I spend more and more time in clinics. I am patiently waiting for my official work permit. Our pastoral work, the Why Blue Sky project supporting teachers, also return to the regular schedule.

Last 3 weeks, the turn of the old and new year, we spent on the road. Just after Christmas, which we spent in Kitelakapel, we went to the Turkana region inhabited by the tribe of the same name. We went there together with Guilia and Hani who visited us again 🙂 . We went to visit two Comboni missions in Lokichar and Lodwar. Built from scratch by the Comboni Missionaries. In the middle of nowhere. In Lokichar there is a church, a school and a center for children with various disabilities. In nearby villages there are further schools built by the Comboni and handed over to the people. Similarly in Lodwar. Schools, chapels, health centers. From people to people. Created with love to serve others.

On Monday we returned from Nairobi. We spent a week there, completing various formalities, but also getting to know numerous projects such as a children’s center in the middle of the largest slums in Africa, run by our friend from the CLM community, or the Kivuli Center street children’s home founded by the diocesan priest Kizito. As an international community, we also participated in the annual meeting of the Kenyan CLM group. Together we summed up 2023 and planned 2024. During the meeting, new leaders were elected and at the solemn Holy Mass, one of the candidates, Mercy, officially became a lay Comboni missionary. It’s amazing how much we feel part of this group.

We have various ideas in our heads and planned workshops. The new year promises to be intense. We will keep you updated on what’s going on with us.

Marzena Gibek

Comboni Lay Missionary –Kitelakapel, Kenya

A year that reflects the face of Christ

18 January, 2024 by Alberto de la Portilla

Throughout 2023 we encountered many emotions and realities, full of joy, sadness, comfort, longing and cross…

The CLM of Guatemala began a year full of hope in the nutrition program Chispuditos, which grew incredibly to the point that we managed, along with professionals, to make medical and dental days, since the supplement, training and food were not helping children to get out of anemia and their illnesses. We have made great efforts to innovate and train ourselves, but it has not been enough because when the pediatrician, the nutritionist and the dentist arrived, they observed a high degree of malnutrition, psychomotor problems, useless dentures, genetic diseases, speech and growth deficiencies, often caused by the same malnutrition of the mothers and poor nutritional education. They are 6 years of an arduous road, working the mind, the heart and the stomach, without a doubt it fills us with joy to see the 6 year old children that leave the program without anemia and with an average size and weight, it is to give glory to God!

At the same time we went into JPIC knowing that St. Daniel Comboni had a special interest in justice for the marginalized and forgotten; we immersed ourselves in the formation to learn about migration in Guatemala and this led us to human trafficking, a terrible and very latent situation in our country. We discovered that Comboni fought hard against human trafficking, preventing them from taking so many blacks as slaves. We understood through talks, personal encounters and several Cineforums about human trafficking, we knew the reality and rawness of the life of women in prostitution. Our hearts bowed before such a situation and we started an awareness campaign. Guatemala suffers from human trafficking, women, children and arises from migration, which is one of the biggest problems of the country, from there these social problems arise, culminating in poor nutrition of children, dismembered families, single women and children practically orphaned.

We believe that it has been a year marked by a deep awakening to the way of Comboni. We had enriching formations, we formed new CLM candidates, we met several times with a small group of lay people in San Luis Petén who are doing their CLM formation, we broadened our vision towards new projects and we grew in the Comboni charism.

A 2024 awaits us with new and great challenges, at the community, mission ad gentes and economic levels, but we trust in the holy intercession of St. Daniel Comboni, we embrace the hearts of Jesus and Mary and we ask St. Joseph to help this small group to be light and salt wherever we go.

Happy beginning of the year 2024, may it be filled with many blessings and new paths for each CLM.

A fraternal embrace, CLM Guatemala

Happy New Year Saints from Kenya!

17 January, 2024 by Alberto de la Portilla

We from CLM sure hope that your 2024 is going great so far.

We are grateful to God for his grace that saw us through to a new year and that continues to surround us. Our community is growing and we couldn’t be happier! Surely, His love endures forever.

What better way to plan for our new year than to reflect on the year that was? We had our annual CLM meeting this past weekend from Friday 12th January to Sunday 14th January. It is always so joyous being together. Over these three days, we reflected on our activities and brainstormed new ideas for 2024, plus improvements on what we are already doing. We also went through our finances and discussed our income versus expenditure. We are grateful to God for his providence. We are especially grateful for people like you and me whom God has called to support ‘the littlest’ in his Kingdom. In 2024, we pray for more Grace. Grace to give up more of ourselves for the Kingdom, Grace to serve in the most difficult situations and grace to live like Christ did – loving each other without measure.

We also had the commissioning of one of our own. After two (2) years of formation, Mercy Chepoghisho is now a full member of Comboni Lay Missionaries. She has been trained, she is baptised and she is now ready to be sent to do the Lord’s work. We are all so very proud of her. May her faith always light her path.

On Sunday we had the sending of two Comboni Secular for missionary work in Uganda. Lucy and Ruth. We wish them well.

This new year also happened to be CLM election year. As part of CLM constitution, elected leaders are to serve for a renewable two-year term. We are grateful for our leaders who took on their roles very well the past two years. Our new CLM leaders are Fr. Maciej Zielenski – Assessor/ Chaplain, Martin Juma – Coordinator, Maria Ajiambo – Secretary and Mukami Muthee – Treasurer. Martin, Maria and Mukami will be our representatives through January 2026, when we will have the next election. Congratulations to the three.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the MCCJ, who generously hosted us all through the weekend. Thank you for the hospitality and the resources that you availed to us. Our words are not enough, but may our good Lord remember you for your hospitality.

We’ve had a great start to the year, and we are all very hopeful for 2024.

May the Eucharistic Jesus be our strength always. (St. Daniel Comboni – Writing 6044).

Warmly, Cecilia Nyamu

Comboni Lay Missionary – Kenya.