English – Page 52 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

An update on our progress as CLM-Kenya

2 July, 2021 by Alberto de la Portilla

As has been our norm as the CLM in Kenya, we had our monthly formation meeting this June. This time around we were hosted by the MCCJ in their provincial house, organized by our director, Fr. Maciek MCCJ. The main lesson was the Catholic Social Teaching. During this weekend-long meeting, we had a chance to participate in the World Refugee Day celebrations organized by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Kenya in Nairobi. It was an amazing experience, being able to meet our brothers and sisters refugees from various countries who showcased their talents and capabilities.

One of the highlights of our formation was the chance to not only meet but learn from the Bishop-elect of Rumbek Diocese in South Sudan, Fr. Christian Carlassare MCCJ. Having been aware of his recent attack, we as CLM-Kenya were really glad to see him recovered and even accompany us to the celebrations of World Refugee Day. He shared with us more on the Catholic social teaching and also examples of challenges faced during mission work. His sharing was very helpful to us all especially it being that we are soon having some of the members finalize on their formation by the end of the year. We also got a chance to learn from the Provincial Superior of the MCCJ in Kenya, Fr. Austin Radull MCCJ. They both shared their vocational journeys with us and various challenges encountered in the process.

It is said that growth is the only sign of life, and we as CLM-Kenya are proud to say that we are improving in terms of membership and formation. Other than there being some of us who are almost done with formation, we have been blessed with new membership over time regardless of the COVID 19 pandemic. Our financial projects are still progressing well, and we are hoping to establish a new mission for the lay in West Pokot County. God willing, we will be in a position to host our fellow CLM members from other countries for mission work in the near future.

Angeline Thiong’o, CLM group in Kenya

Prayer Intentions of the Comboni Family July 2021

1 July, 2021 by Alberto de la Portilla

That, in social, economic and political situations of conflict, we may be courageous and passionate architects of dialogue and friendship. Lord hear us.

Last webinar on ministeriality

28 June, 2021 by Alberto de la Portilla

This past weekend we held the third and last webinar on the ministeriality of the Comboni Family.

During the first two we were receiving as participants many proposals and challenges. The commission presented us the great work of the information gather on all the projects that the Comboni Family is carrying out throughout the world in different countries and continents.

There is a great wealth of service being carried out.

In this last meeting we had plenty of time for conversation.

On Friday, in addition to update the progress we have made, we were able to share in small groups the concrete work that each one of us is doing and to deepen our understanding of it. It was a very nice moment to know firsthand the direct service of the participants of the group and the importance of it. It is true that it is only a sample of all that is done as a Comboni family, but we were able to discover the passion with which it is done and the interrelationship between a service and another.

On Saturday we continued in this line analyzing the impact that these services are having in the different communities and even tried to broaden the vision of our work, the need to network with the rest of the Comboni family as well as with other groups inside and outside the church and to be aware of how the macro structural aspects influence the concrete communities and make this networking more and more necessary.

We ended by sharing ideas on how to continue the collaboration as Comboni family as it has been done during these meetings.

We are thankful to the commission on ministeriality of the Comboni Family that has made these meetings possible and to the great work of systematizing all that has been shared during these years, which offers us a lot of material for analysis to improve our missionary service.

The idea of continuing to collaborate by sectors was very much repeated, so that those of us who share the same type of services can collaborate and exchange experiences.

On the other hand, we talked about the importance of being able to meet regularly as a family. From the meeting we get to know each other deeply and new ideas for collaboration can emerge. Perhaps having an annual meeting in each country would be an idea to consider. A place where we can get to know each other in greater depth, share the services we are performing and respond as a family to the challenges of the mission from the place where we are. From there will emerge initiatives that can also be carried out both at the continental and international level.

May the charism of Comboni inspire us in this collaboration for a better missionary service.

Alberto de la Portilla. CLM Central Committee

Visit of Fr. Ottorino to the CLM group in Mexico.

25 June, 2021 by Alberto de la Portilla

As we well know, the laity have an advisor at continental level, in America we are accompanied by Fr. Ottorino who serves in the province of Ecuador and was physically present in our country on the occasion of the vows that the already scholastic Larzon Alexandre Angulo Burbano made.

I had the opportunity to go to Mexico City, to accompany his visit and so I was able to walk a little accompanied with Fr. Juan Diego Provincial of Central America, Fr. Gabriel and Fr. Filomeno in order to visit Our Lady of Guadalupe. Besides walking around, we discussed the way in which the meeting with the Laity could be, since we are in different cities and we had to define the best option. With the group from Mexico City the date was set and without any problem the meeting took place. We had to adjust the way in which we would meet with the other groups since we thought of visiting each of the houses where there was presence of Laity, but by suggestion of the Provincial Fr. Enrique it was decided that he would only go to Sahuayo, the CLM of Guadalajara and San Francisco del Rincón would try to get there to be present. To facilitate the presence of the coordinating team where all the groups are present, a virtual meeting was organized where all the groups could be present, Vero from San Francisco del Rincón could not make it to Sahuayo for reasons of force majeure, but she connected virtually, so only Juan José from Sahuayo was missing, responsible for National Formation.

Fr Ottorino visited us, he listened attentively to each one of us and took note of everything we talked about, it was a lot of information in a short time. He proposed that soon we could meet, have our assembly, present reports, establish agreements, it is very good to have an advisor like him who is interested in each person and for the group to know how we are progressing, he also told us that he was already vaccinated and that he had had a quiet trip.

On May 10, which is celebrated as “Mother’s Day in Mexico” we had the opportunity to walk in the city of Sahuayo, visit the “Sacred Places” as the Shrine of Joselito, Cristo Rey, Catacombs of the Sacred Heart and the chapel of San Francisco where the MCCJ Fr. Tonino works; as well as Mexican handicraft stores, Huaraches (woven shoes) and the Municipal Market where the father could greet the family of Monica as they have a stand of seeds and dried chili peppers. In the afternoon we went to have lunch with the family at a farm and in the evening we enjoy a coffee in front of the main square. We know that on his return he would meet with Katarzyna and Adán a couple from Mexico City and before making his return trip he would meet with MCCJ Fr. Gustavo, advisor of the CLM in Mexico.

“Thank you for your sharing” Fr. OTTORINO.

Beatriz, CLM Mexico

African Memory Project: Daniel Villaverde

17 June, 2021 by Alberto de la Portilla

We continue this series with Fr. Daniel Villaverde, a Comboni Missionary.

For 20 years, Fr. Daniel worked in northern Kenya with nomadic populations such as the Turkana. He talks about this and other tribes, the difficult terrain and the growing (and perhaps unstoppable) influence of Western values on the new urban Kenyan generations. (Interview in Spanish).