Comboni Lay Missionaries

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World Mission Day

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In the past weekend we celebrated another world mission day and nothing better than to celebrate this day with your family! Well, another missionary party in the house of Famalicão which became a time of fellowship and sharing within our Comboni family. The community life of Porto, of the Comboni Lay Missionaries, was also present.

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the canonization of St. Daniel Comboni, we began to prepare our hearts for this party on Saturday night with a missionary vigil. With the participation of some persons from the parish we could be in prayer and communion with the poor, remembering this year, all the slaveries that continue to exist and those that are emerging nowadays.

On Sunday, early in the morning, started to arrive buses and cars that brought all people who wanted to participate in this missionary celebration! Despite the threat of rain and, in some cases, the age and leg pain that does not forgive; We do not want to stop sharing the gift of joy of being together, to pray for all the people who suffer and is forgotten by most of the society and to be a missionary church, leading the good news throughout the land.

Conforming the welcoming, the tombola and the meeting led by Fr Victor Dias, we experienced an environment of fellowship and joy of being together. The highlight of our missionary celebration was the Eucharist. This year was officiated by P. António Martins, recently arrived from Peru and that it will integrate the community of Famalicão in which he will continue its mission. Also the Young from Lemenhe and Mouquim as members of the JIM group wanted to be with us, encouraging the celebration with singing.

After a nice packed lunch and a soup highly praised, we had the afternoon recreational and cultural groups from Vila Nune, Santa Maria de Oliveira and other local artists who sang and charmed our afternoon! Once we were all together celebrating 10 years of the canonization of St. Daniel Comboni, we ended the day by praying the Comboni family prayer, which continues to respond to God’s call, being perseverant and never losing hope.

Participate in this missionary celebration, sharing this ideal of Daniel Comboni with all these people who collaborate and make the mission possible is to realize his words: “I die but my work will not die”.

bySandra Fagundes

CML discernment: Everything and everyone for the Mission!

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The community life of Porto, of the CLM from Portugal, initiated in the past weekend the discernment regarding the subject of the economy that was launched by the Central Committee. This is a topic that will be, little by little, worked at community level and we hope to conclude as soon as possible in order to respond to this international urgency that concerns and touches everybody.

Mealheiro

Indeed, the creation of an international common fund (subject that has been debated for at least 20 years!) Is now a necessity that needs to be addressed, not just for the sake of the movement itself, but especially for the Mission that we all are called to participate.

In this sense, our reflections at the community level of Porto, consider that the CLM in Portugal have a duty to feed its national fund to support the CLM who are on a mission across borders, to pay them their social security contributions, among other obligations.

However, we think it is also our duty to contribute to the creation of an international fund, since this also constituted a sign of our sense of belonging. In fact, this is also our fund, as it is of all and for all. We thus share, within our means that we have to give.

In Portugal, this discernment will continue until the end of the year. In fact, beyond our community life, there are two others (Viseu and Lisbon), who are also making this discernment, so that early next year we can give an answer to the Central Committee.

If it is true that the mission challenges us, it is no less true that this impels us and requires concrete gestures of generosity and community spirit, vocation and goods.

by Susana Vilas Boas

Why be a lay missionary?

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AdamAdam Lewandowski comes to the NAP Comboni Lay Missionary Program from Madison, Wis.  During this time of formation in LaGrange Park, Ill., the Comboni community welcomes him and prays for his discernment. Here is a reflection from Adam.

When we encounter God our perceptions change and we are changed. How we understand our world and how we live in the world are shaped by that experience. When I was studying as a physicist I had such an encounter that transformed my perception of reality. I saw that creation was knit together fundamentally by love. Nothing at all is required of us to earn this love.

This encounter was relational and invites me to seek solidarity with all of creation. Though loved by God we are certainly no better than our poorest brother or sister. In fact, out of great compassion God chooses to take the lowest place. Therefore, he is more visible in the suffering and abandoned. He leaves the cathedrals of the wealthy and incarnates in the dung heap. And so I find myself desiring solidarity and simplicity with the poor of the world to be closer to God.

I know that nothing is required of me to earn God’s love. I also know that I am imperfect and fallible. But maybe in serving for three years as a missionary in service and solidarity with the poor I can make one small step in the right direction. And perhaps in reaching out to others in service both I and those I meet will be witnesses to God’s love and be changed and transformed.

Happy world day of missions

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Domund 2013

Hello dear friends,

in this world day of missions;

We want to share with you

the joy that comes from our hearts.

 

On this special day,

We are asked to trust

that love always overcomes the challenges

that we may find!

 

We cannot stand still,

while there are people suffering,

forgotten people in the world

people without right to live!

 

If we are call missionaries

cheerful we accept this mission,

to bring the world of today

The truth of evangelization!

 

To be a Christian is to be a missionary!

So we cannot stay apart!

With Christ and Comboni

we dare to go further: we dare to love! …

 

Happy world day of missions,

We wish you with all our hearts!

Let us continue always together,

On the paths of the mission!

 

With the best wishes: Comboni Lay Missionaries (original in Portuguese)

 

 

Gives life to this October missionary in the heart of the local Church

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Comunidade de vida do Porto

The weekend of 11-13 October, the community life from Porto (Portugal) of the Comboni Lay Missionaries, held a missionary animation in the parish of S. Martin of Bougado – Trofa. The CLM participants were: Susana Vilas Boas, Sandra Fagundes, Franquelim Alves, Carlos Barros and Father Manuel Lopes.

On Friday evening, a presentation was made to the Young and the officers of the parish with the intention of making known the CLM and the Comboni family project for this year. This project – “ZO KWE ZO” – aims to help the health care of the pygmies of the Central African Republic.

We participated in the Eucharist on Saturday at 16:30 and 17:00 pm, and Sunday Masses at 8:30, 11:00 and 19:00 hours, where we gave the testimony of our presence in the Central African Republic and explained the project of the Comboni Family for this year 2013/2014.

At the request of the parish priest of Santa Maria de Alvarelhos, We also participate in the 15:45 Eucharist at the Sanctuary of St. Euphemia.

Thanks to Fr Luciano, pastor of St. Martin of Bougado, who very kindly welcomed us, and the whole community that proved to be quite interested, motivated and generous.

We also thank the parish of Santa Maria de Alvarelhos generosity and openness to welcome us and share with us the joy of this October missionary who leads us all to cross boundaries and go “beyond” in our being Christian.