On Sunday, October 27 at 10 a.m., the Pontifical High Mass was held presided over by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Cotonou to mark the 50th anniversary of the presence in Benin of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus. After this great celebration which was attended by the Reverend Father Provincial of Togo-Ghana-Benin and several Comboni religious, the Reverend Father Chaplain invited us to the fraternal agape organized for this purpose by the Community of Comboni Missionaries residing in Benin.
After the feast, an information session and official launch of the formation of the Comboni Lay Missionaries was presided over by the Reverend Father Chaplain of the Comboni Lay Missionaries in the presence of Rose, Ulrich, Isabella, Dénise, Esperanzia of myself and the Scholastic Constantine. The Reverend Father Chaplain entrusted us to the good care of the Scholastic Constantine for our formation. From 10 a.m. when we started the celebrations, we left at 3:45 p.m. We were all very happy with the feast of COMBONI and the beginning of our accompaniment by the Reverend Father Chaplain.
From September 27 to 29 we had our national assembly in preparation for the international meeting 2024, the appointment was in Mexico City where 15 CLM from different groups of the national movement participated, Fr. Filomeno Ceja MCCJ as our companion present and Fr. Luis Enrique Ibarra invited to give the theme of Missionary Animation.
In an atmosphere of prayer and dynamism we were able to address the issues provided by the central committee that we had to work, we made groups where each one of us had the opportunity to express our missionary feeling about the reality presented, in addition we established our commitments based on what we can do in our place. We have managed to address all the issues, we are still preparing the documents that will be sent to the central committee and we managed to make the work plan for next year.
We have established dates where we highlight the moments of prayer in the monthly retreat in each group, dates for virtual prayer where we all participate remembering key moments in the life of Comboni, as to strengthen the spirit and our retreat in person at the national level, as well as the date for our next assembly.
The dates for the beginning and closing of the community experience.
The formation for the following year.
The activities that will be carried out to gather economic resources for the following year. To continue sending our contribution to the central committee, to sustain the community experience and the mission house in Metlatónoc.
Each one of the members wrote our letter of commitment where we specify what we are going to commit ourselves to for the following year. This letter was received by the Assessor and the Coordinator of the CLM movement in Mexico. It was really a moment of happiness to see something concrete for each of the CLM members present.
The party was not long in coming and we all shared the typical things that each one has in their region. Thank God we all returned safely to our cities.
That the Comboni Family, rooted in hope and joy, may accompany the young people who are preparing to live the 39th World Youth Day, supporting their search for happiness and fullness, helping them to become protagonists of a new humanity. Let us pray.
Our dear laywomen, Mercedes and Carolina, spent from September 13 to October 11 in a small experience of community life in a community of the Little Vincentian Sisters of Charity, who welcomed them with much love and generosity.
On their return they attended the feast of St. Daniel Comboni, which we celebrated as a Comboni family at Casa Comboni. It was a very joyful afternoon, full of enthusiasm and many surprises, we all had lunch together and shared with the people who study in the school of evangelization run by the MCCJ. We also played BINGO, an activity with many prizes that turned out to be a great success.
During the mass Mercedes and Carolina introduced themselves, they told a little of who they are and where they are going, many were admired for their decision and collaborated with joy for the cause.
On Sunday 20 we were ready to celebrate as a community the DOMUND, with a special event.
At 7:00 p.m., the sending out mass for Mercedes and Carolina was held at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary, patroness of Guatemala. The mass was presided by Monsignor Tulio Lopez, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Guatemala, who, with much admiration, dedicated part of his homily to the missions and the courageous decision to say Yes to Christ through the mission of the agents, he told them that his heart is young, full of ardor for service and that Guatemala sends them together with the prayers of this people. Fr. Juan Diego Calderón, provincial of Central America, presided together with Monsignor Tulio the celebration and together they did the blessing and sending.
As a community we feel very happy, joyful and encouraged, because Christ has chosen these lay women to continue with His mission, that of building the Kingdom, and we are participating in sending them, working together with them, opening our hearts to this fire that burns for Christ and does not go out.
We trust in Providence, that the road is being smoothed by God and that all the obstacles are being overcome little by little, we believe that St. Daniel Comboni intercedes for this small community and accompanies us with hope, so that we can continue with this work of giving “a thousand lives for the mission”.
We continue to work and pray that our dear Mercedes and Carolina will soon be in Peru, so that they can tell with their testimony, the wonders that God works in their lives.
Wishing you abundant blessings in your missionary life, we greet you Mercedes and Carolina, Comboni Lay Missionaries of Guatemala.
We would like to share with you a little of our personal history.
My name is Mercedes, I am a widow and I am 80 years old, mother of 3 children, 6 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.
Before becoming a missionary, I worked in pastoral communities in the preparation of readers, acolytes, missionary children, and I was instituted as a minister of the Eucharist, also forming open cenacles at home; despite all this work done for the Lord, I had the desire to know the mission and I began to mission with the Comboni Lay Missionaries of Guatemala traveling to San Luis Peten, once a year, for four years. One of the activities we did was to visit marginalized villages deep in the mountains, without access to electricity and water. I would go on mission listening to the needs of the people, sharing and living with them.
I have been on the road of mission and the Comboni charism for fourteen years now, in various situations and projects, such as in Santa Cruz Chinautla, a municipality with a high indigenous population, evangelizing children and women of scarce resources, working in the program of evangelization, formation and nutrition of children in Santa Catarina Pinula in some peripheral villages and doing some community life experiences, both in El Salvador in a peripheral neighborhood and in Santo Domingo Xenacoj, in marginalized indigenous villages. My desire to go on mission outside of Guatemala has been growing.
My name is Carolina, I am single and 68 years old, mother of 2 children and 3 grandchildren. Before being in the mission, I worked for many years in a Catholic Christ-centered group, in open and closed retreats of first evangelization, also giving talks of personal growth to adults who joined the group from the retreats, at the same time to the children who met on Fridays in the group assembly meeting.
For four years Mercedes shared with me about the mission and her experience in it, until one day I agreed to go to the Comboni Lay Missionaries and I stayed, I have eight years of being in the mission and in the way of the Comboni charism. I was in formation for two years, then I went to visit a village called La Salvadora in Santa Catarina Pinula and I have worked with the local people, I have seen their needs and I have felt that strong call to go on mission outside Guatemala.
Like Mercedes, I was with her in Santa Cruz Chinautla and in the experience of community life in El Salvador.
AT THIS MOMENT we are living our experience of community life and specific preparation, to be able to leave in a few days to Villa Ecológica in Arequipa, Peru.
We are living this experience in a Home for the Elderly located in Quetzaltenango, five hours from Guatemala City, which is where we live. We have left our home, families, loved ones and all our usual work to prepare ourselves for the mission Ad Gentes.
This experience has allowed us to live together and get to know each other better. Alberto de la Portilla has given us formation, which has been very enriching to discern our vocation, we have prayed together and we have asked ourselves if we really want to leave Guatemala because of all the problems that come with arriving in a place with a different culture and customs, but the answer has always been YES, trusting in divine providence that goes ahead of us. It has not been easy to adapt to the climate, because here it is very cold and it has rained a lot, otherwise, we have been welcomed with much affection by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, from whom we have learned a lot about the organization of the Asylum, the way in which they harvest their own food and take care of the 32 elderly women in their care. The missionary should always learn everything he can to be able to serve in the missionary journey.
Receive a cordial greeting, Mercedes and Carolina.
CLM Guatemala
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