The Comboni Lay Missionaries in Ecuador received on August 31, 2021, the visit of the Provincial Continental Referent of the CLM, Fr. Ottorino Poletto MCCJ, who taking advantage of his coming to Guayaquil, wanted to have a small meeting with our community.
After updating us on personal news and telling us about his visit to Mexico, he made us the proposal to have as CLM in Ecuador a place of mission, where we can establish ourselves and work in unity offering missionary service to the communities in the areas of education, health and other specific pastoral areas, taking into account our personal, professional and missionary reality. This initiative of leaving our zone can be a motivation for the new members of the lay community.
It was also a good opportunity to clear up doubts and above all to encourage us in the formation projects to get new members for the CLM, which we have taken up again with the help of our local reference person, Fr. Joseph Ng’ang’a, MCCJ, since July of this year.
We hope that St. Daniel Comboni will accompany us on this journey and help us to make the best decisions in order to be able to fulfill and become the place of mission for our CLM community in Ecuador.
“I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.”
Sam 1, 27-28
I chose this quote from the Bible because my mother always asked God that I met Him and fall in love with His works before I went to college. She asked for it so much that it was given to her. It was given to her so I would not lose my way and I would always adhere to the values that she taught me.
Today I thank God for allowing me to be closer to Him. I thank for the family who have always supported me in my projects. I thank for those friends who have brought me closer to Christ and for all the people who have supported me on this path, especially with their prayers. I thank to Comboni Missionaries and the Combonian Lay Missionaries (CLM) who have become a real family to me and with whom I have had many beautiful experiences in this so far short period of my missionary journey, and…
“TODAY, BEFORE GOD I PRESENT THIS LETTER OF COMMITMENT IN WHICH I EXPRESS THE WILL TO CONTINUE THE FORMATION WITH THE CLM GROUP. ALTHOUGH I AM STILL CLARIFYING MY VOCATION, I FEEL DEEPLY ATTRACTED BY FOLLOWING CHRIST IN THE CHARISM OF ST. DANIEL COMBONI, SERVING THE POOREST AND MOST ABANDONDED.”
One of Comboni’s writings says: THE LORD HAS GIVEN HIM A LOT, BUT HE KNEW ALSO HOW TO USE WELL WHAT HE HAS GIVEN HIM.
I thought that God has also given me many qualities and talents that I can offer in the service to others and thus “BE HIS TOOL AND REFLECT HIM WITH MY WORK.”
That the celebration of the XIX General Chapter of the Comboni Missionaries may light up their way in humble service to the mission of the Church. Lord hear us.
This is the third time I have come to Portugal. But a pilgrimage to Fatima and a city break in
Porto was a completely different experience than the three months I have spent learning the language, volunteering and living with a local family.
I have been a Lay Comboni Missionary since last October. On September 12th I will be
officially sent on a two-year mission to Mozambique. One of the most important stages of preparation is a language course. From May 20, I lived in the village of Duas Igrejas (the name means literally “Two Churches”, although there is only one temple there) together with Gloria and António, a married couple cooperating with the Comboni Lay Missionary movement.
Initially, I compared the Portuguese reality to the Polish one. Portugal is a country with a standard of living similar to Poland, where in the past, due to poverty and joblessness, also many people decided to emigrate. A country where many people still practice their faith; they have a figure of Lord Jesus of Our Lady of Fatima in theirs gardens. Many catholic holidays are celebrated very solemnly there; among others non-working days are Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Fr. João Pedro Martins Ribeiro, local pastor of the three parishes (due to the small number of vocations, parishes are very often combined) presents a more pessimistic picture of religiosity in the country. He says that only a small fraction of the faithful goes to confession, is aware of what they believe and adheres to moral principles. Football is a religion for many Portuguese. Then the most important for them is to eat well and their favorite team to win the game. They go to church for the most important opportunities during holidays or at a funeral, when one of your friends dies – Padre João complains.
People in Portugal are very calm and conflict-free. I have witnessed many times like someone
forced right-of-way, cut the road or blocked the passage. It is never used on this occasion
horn or profanity. It just slows down or waits. Someone will make a mistake on the road, but
I can also forget myself or not notice someone. Why should I react nervously to the mistakes of others? Better to be calm and understanding about everything – says Augusto, the extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and the working driver in the house of the daily stay, when I was a volunteer. Only once did I hear someone speaking a raised voice, I did not notice anyone drunk, I did not encounter any manifestation malice or aggression. The Portuguese are very helpful too. Repeatedly they let me leave mine a backpack in a cafe or ticket office at the station, they bought a beer or dinner when they heard that I had arrived to learn a language. It happened that when I ran to a train station late, the driver heard mine calling and waited for me to jump on the train.
I also experienced a lot of care and love from Gloria and António, who hosted me for three
months at home. They took me to lessons and volunteering every day, cooked meals, took me to
trips and bought a couple of language study books and two pairs of pants (after I destroyed my own,
by unskillfully disinfecting the soles of shoes when entering the house). We joked that I was like them fourth, adopted, child.
Soon, as a child who still has a lot to learn, I will go to my new home in Mozambique.
I will get to know a new culture, have a new job and build new relationships. Just like in Portugal and before in Uganda, I will leave a piece of my heart there and come back gifted with pieces of hearts people that I will met there.
Today’s challenges remind me of those of Comboni. They are not the same. Of course, in Comboni’s time they were much more difficult. The desert crossing, the various diseases, the fevers, the broken arm that had to be broken again to put it back in place (I shudder just to think of it), etc.
But now we are also living in a time of desert. The expectation of the trip to Africa, the sending of documents, the pandemic, the wait for the vaccine, the request for renewal of documents and the wait again. All for a greater cause, which is Jesus.
But through it all, I can’t complain. I was welcomed with great affection and the work is producing results.
After a stop for life: because the virus does not mess around and we value the welfare and life of our people, the people of God. Little by little, and following all the WHO guidelines, we are resuming some pastoral work.
We have restarted the adult and children’s choir, but with only two members at a time. (photos of the rehearsals).
The catechesis is done online to preserve the health of the children. The participation is very good, even in spite of some difficulties such as the lack of Internet in some families. So that these children are not harmed, we have chosen to visit them without entering their homes and without them going out. It is a catechesis from the door of the house, in the street, without physical contact, without proximity.
Group of catechists from the community of Nossa Senhora Aparecida (Ipê Amarillo neighborhood).
We have resumed the liturgical formation with the team of the community, since there are few people, we do it in person without forgetting the care.
We participated in the triduum of the martyr Fr. Ezequiel Ramín, together with the parish and the parish group of Comboni spirituality.
We have made and participated in some videoconferences.
In the coming days we will celebrate the national week of the family in the parish, the catechesis meeting with the confirmation group, in addition to the existing works.
A few days ago I discovered a new hidden talent (laughs), I discovered myself as a wall painter. Together with the Camey family from Guatemala, we painted the façade of the Comboni House. Modesty aside, it looks beautiful!
In social work we are together registering and distributing baskets of basic commodities. This is a collaboration with the diocese. These baskets come from the fine that the mining company Vale paid for the Brumadinho disaster.
And so we continue the mission in the way the Lord presents it to us.
It is rewarding and I can say with certainty that I will miss Ipê Amarelo, its people and especially the children.
Maria Regimar, CLM at the Mission House of Santa Teresinha, in Ipê Amarelo, Contagem/MG. Brazil.
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