English
Children and poor rejoice in my presence
Testimony of Leticia Ordoñez Bañales
Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, this Comboni Lay Missionary (CLM) decided to accompany the Catholic community of Rondos, a small town located on the heights of the province of Lauricocha, in the department of Huanuco, since November 2011. She ends her commitment this year and now tells us about her experience.
My vocation began when I was 16; I attend a Mass of missionary sending. The parish organized the event to send a Comboni priest who was leaving for Africa. I felt the call of God and in 1988 and I joint the religious Missionaries sisters of Guadalupe. However, I didn´t feel my vocation realizes and in 1999 I retired to participate in the mission fields in Guatemala with the Episcopal Pontifical Mission Societies of Mexico (SSMO) until 2000.
In 2001 I joined the CLM while working in the parish notary of Saints Crispin and Crispiniano of Guadalajara. In 2004, I had to drop everything and travel to Mexico FD to participate in an experience of community formation with other Comboni Lay Missionaries.
I first came to Peru with Rocío Quintero, my Mexican partner, in 2005. We were both sent to Huarin, in the Sierra de Huanuco. Salome Flores, a Peruvian lay, joined us and accompanied us for a year. Rocío had to return to Mexico after the second year. The third year came the Peruvian laities Doris Pereira and Enrique Garcia. I returned to my country and between 2009-2011 participated, along with Mexican CLM Marcela Alanis and Olivia Ayala, of the new mission in Metlatonoc in the state of Guerrero.
Currently, Rondos is the town where I perform my mission since November 2011. When I arrived, I found again Rocío. Together we carry out the work with the “mamitas” and an education program for the children of the town. We give religion classes in primary schools and biblical catechesis for children and youth. We keep the library open during the summer months and organize “useful vacation” workshops for students. Besides, we have training at the School of Mothers and prepare candidates for the sacraments. Especially, we encourage couples to marry in church, but only there was a marriage in 2013. The patron saint fiestas are times of increased demand for sacraments. We always consider on our agenda visiting the sick and helping the poor and vulnerable elderly.
This second experience in Peru has been characterized by the loneliness that many times I have lived. After six months Rocío had to return to Mexico. After a while came Daniel, a Peruvian CLM, with a great desire to work and a great friend of children. But he only remained seven months. The time he was, we make a great teamwork. Last year they sent Sharliman, a Brazilian CLM, who could not get used to the altitude of 3650 m and had to ask to be transferred to Arequipa one month after reaching Rondos. However, the whole time I was alone, God and Mary have been my company.
I confess you that many times I say to God: “What do I do here alone?” And the answer comes from children who knock on the door to ask me something; mamitas who ask me “How are you?”; young people who say, “I have come to visit you”; the sick and abandoned that rejoice in my presence. The school kids exclaim with joy sister Lety! Behold my reason for being present among them! You may wonder why I did not stay? Because I need my blood family and they also need me. In addition Rondos has the right that YOU take my place.
Magazine “Missión Sin Fronteras”
CLM Group Meeting in Ghana
On the 21st October 2014, I met the Father Provincial about the journey of the CLM Aspirants. A chaplain was given to us and a new strategy was defined by the Province about us. Our chaplain is Rev. Fr Godwin Kornu. Since then, we were planning to meet and this 5th December, we held our 17th meeting at Mafi-Kumase the Quasi Parish where our chaplain is. We were in all 8 lays with our chaplain. After the opening prayer, we proceeded with the Spiritual Reading from He lived only for Africa by B. Ward and A. Mondini. The passage read was the Experience of the Cross. For the first meeting with our chaplain, we introduced ourselves. From our previous meeting’s minutes, we heard about the work of two Committees, Formation and Fund Raising. The two Committees reflected upon the formation process and the various ways of generating income. Their suggestions need now critical analysis and for that matter, any decision was not taken, for us to go and reflect more about the issues with the help of our chaplain. The report about our activities since the beginning was then given. Our chaplain took then the speech to tell us the journey he has to make with us. His service is to form us, a spiritual formation which involves”lay, Christian, missionary and Combonian formation”. He explained how he intended to proceed with us: themes to present, recollections, retreats… The place, time and date were at once decided for the coming meeting and the topic to talk about. After this, few matters were discussed and the meeting came to its end with the concluding prayer (Prayer of the Comboni Family) with blessing. We took our family picture and the lunch before departing from the place.
We are very happy of the attention and zeal of the Province towards us and we thank, of all our heart, for all the decision taken for our spiritual and vocational growth. We saw how serious and dedicated our chaplain is. The experience he had with CLM when he was at Chicago and also some years in formation predisposed him for this service assigned to him by the Fr Provincial and His Counsel. May the Lord strengthen him spiritually to strengthen us and lead us on Comboni’s steps. We are so blessed because we are surrounded by so dedicated persons and zealous priests who believe in the CLM reality. May we too be inspired and ceased by their missionary and combonian zeal.
Justin Nougnui, coordinator.
Annual Assembly of the CLM Brazil
The CLM in Brazil went back to the origins of their vocation, update the directory and assess progress made throughout 2014.
“In short, who is the missionary? Short, short, it is the one who transmit the love of God for others in order to become disciples”. On the first day of the annual meeting, which began on December 5, the Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM) in Brazil were able to return to the origins of their vocation by reflecting with the Provincial Fr. Alcides. Which emphasized the importance of the church to encounter people and ask what the Spirit speaks to such a complex reality today. The provincial of the Comboni Missionaries in Brazil – which cited several times the II Vatican Council and the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis “The joy of the Gospel” – wanted to remember that “every place is a land of mission and who saves is Christ, not the church”.
The meeting included several Brazilian CLM – João, Lourdes, Guilherma, Valdeci, Adélia – three Italians – Emma, Valentina and Marco – and a Paraguayan, Alejo. In the afternoon came also Father Adriano, who was appointed as the MCCJ representative for the laity.
Another important theme of the meeting was to review the Directory of the CLM in Brazil, which is a document that was written almost 20 years ago and was in need of an update. Among other things, the board now anticipates the arrival of CLM from other countries and defines the modalities of cooperation with the other provinces in these cases.
The meeting, as always, was also an opportunity to learn more about the performance of the various CLM both in Brazil and in other countries: Mozambique, Peru, Rondônia, in Nova Comtagem (MG), in Itauna and other cities (APAC). Also announced the availability of the Mozambican CLM to receive Guilherma, Brazilian CLM, already next year. Among songs and dynamics in the afternoon was also made a report on the economy of the CLM.
The meeting was also an opportunity for the CLM to share the progress during 2014 in a more informal way, lunching and dining together at the Comboni House of Nova Comtagem. This Saturday, December 6, will be the second and final day of the meeting, with a very rich agenda: The schedule for the next biennium, the report on the meeting in Guatemala and the situation of the laity in Açailândia (MA) Adélia, the choice of the CLM coordinator in Brazil, reflections with the psychologist Richardson and other matters.
CLM Brazil
