English – Page 53 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

A collaboration from fraternal LOVE…

3 July, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

Hello! I am Sylvia Durán Jovel from Costa Rica and I took the decision and my desire to be a Comboni Lay Missionary after listening to one of the most beautiful testimonies on Radio Maria, a Catholic non-profit radio station where I am also a volunteer and where I have witnessed many acts of love, faith, perseverance in prayer in every sense, but especially with the prayer of the missionary rosary from its oracles.

Being part of the formation to be CLM involves gathering on the second and fourth Sundays of each month at the seminary located in Sagrada Familia, a marginal urban neighborhood where the parish priest is Father Fabio Loaísiga, who by the way is also the director of Radio Maria.

On June 25 we would have our meeting which coincided with the retreat “A New Pentecost”, organized by the radio in the Curridabat area with a priest who came with his ministry Dei Verbum from El Salvador and a proposal full of love to praise our Lord that would definitely burn more hearts for the love of GOD as Comboni is passionate about and it is really his exquisite madness. My mind and heart were struggling between which of the two activities to attend, and well one is that an activity to know the deep love that God has for us and the other is a commitment with the LOVE of COMBONI to change hearts mainly in Africa, but we also have a small Africa where we are and where we go. God makes everything perfect, our CLM formation meeting was cancelled and it opens the opportunity for the 2 CLM aspirants and our leader to attend together for the first time as a CLM group to support this extraordinary retreat MISSIONARY opportunity during our formation. Giving that small but great bit of sand filled my heart with joy, and I did not care about my spleen pain (which still bothers me writing these lines), I was happy. In this retreat where almost 2000 hearts attended and we also saw how the LOVE FOR MISSIONARITY gave us the opportunity to see and be the missionary who seeks to know Christ and his faith more and more each day.

To have responded urgently to the call for help from the brothers and sisters of Radio Maria and to be a testimony of the joy that convinces and increases it in our own life for knowing Christ in that place. We arrived in Curridabat ready to serve, each one in different activities, and little by little we saw the transformation of moments, having put our gifts at the service. Little by little the activity progressed and the time of the Holy Eucharist was approaching where, to our pleasant surprise, the Comboni Priest Guerlain Joachim Biseka (a native of Congo and who works hard in the Comboni Parish of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal located in Barrio Cuba, another urban slum and for whom I pray a lot and for whom I have special admiration and affection), had also been called to give support in confessions. And how could I not jump with happiness because COMBONI wanted us to be where we were most needed, with our gifts and charisms, and also where we could confirm and reaffirm our vocation and love for Him and also shout it with crazy love. It was a time of grace in my life and even more so knowing that Comboni knew that women were the key to carry out the mission by creating the first women’s missionary institute in Italy. Thank you Comboni.

Sylvia Durán Jovel, candidate of Costa Rica

Prayer Intentions of the Comboni Family July 2023

1 July, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

That the first anniversary of the memorial of Blessed Joseph Ambrosoli (on 28th July) may help all Comboni missionaries in the service of the most fragile to renew their commitment to a journey of holiness in faithfulness to the circumstances of daily humble service to the sick, the suffering and the fragile. Let us pray.

Speak, for your servant listens…

27 June, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

Last June 16 we celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a very special day for all of us Catholics, and for the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, also from now on for this humble servant, who, with a heart full of great joy, under the protection of the Virgin Mary of Nazareth and the intercession of St. Daniel Comboni, makes his Commitment as a Comboni Lay Missionary.

It has been a dream since this whole journey began, knowing that it is a commitment with much meaning, being the first Lay Committed under the intercession of St. Daniel Comboni in Costa Rica, knowing all that this represents in all aspects, but with great joy and hope knowing that God will not abandon me and always ready to listen to the voice of our Lord.

It was a very special day, to be able to celebrate this feast together with the whole Comboni Family, Priests, Brothers, Sisters and Seculars, also part of my family, my father, brother, aunts, some friends including 5 people who are making their first contacts to make the decision to join the CLM, let us pray to God that they can sharpen their hearing and listen to the voice of God, to realize what he wants for their lives too, full of signs that will help me always keep in mind this step, the covenant with God, the cross; As St. Daniel Comboni would say, “The works of God are born and grow at the foot of the cross”, the Rosary to keep in mind my prayer.

In this same Eucharist we were accompanied by 12 sisters and brothers who took their commitment as Coordinators of the Comboni Cenacles, who also begin to be part of the Comboni Family in Costa Rica.

In total we were more than 50 people who celebrated this Solemnity in the Comboni Seminary Martyrs of Uganda, as a family and we were witnesses of the mercy of God, personally with much joy and hope to respond as the Creator wants and putting myself at the disposal of the entire Comboni Family for wherever it is necessary and to be able to serve.

I thank God for taking notice of this servant, who, although he is very full of weaknesses, knows that Mother Mary, St. Daniel Comboni and the prayers of all, will struggle to bring the word of God in the best way to wherever God wants it.

Jose David, CLM Costa Rica

MCCJ Mission Assembly in Europe

21 June, 202321 June, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

The Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ) from all over Europe celebrated last week the “Mission Assembly in Europe”. These were days of prayer, reflection, sharing of experiences and searching together for ways of a missionary journey in Europe.

Some members of the Comboni Family were invited for this occasion: Maria Luzia Ziliotto, Comboni Secular Missionary, Maria del Prado Fernandez Martin, Comboni Sisters and Alberto de la Portilla representing the Comboni Lay Missionaries.

Here is the final message of the assembly.

The European Mission Assembly brought together in Rome (June 6-10, 2023) some 30 confreres and representatives of the Comboni Family working in the mission sector. We recalled the previous meeting in Maia in March 2017. The reports of the various circumscriptions, and that of the European Mission Council, allowed us to review the work done during this time.

The meeting with missionary realities present in the diocese of Rome helped us to take suggestions and provocations from the work of others, especially lay people who are committed to the proclamation of the Gospel and human promotion.

The challenges that Europe poses to us today, both social and ecclesial, were explored thanks to the intervention of Serena Nocetti, theologian, Msgr. Roberto Repole, archbishop of Turin, and the reflections of some confreres. We are now more aware of the challenges and changes that the church and European society impose on all of us.

From the group work, and from the sharing of the participants, some instances and proposals emerged that we would like to share with you.

We feel that we need to personally and communally clarify the meaning of mission in Europe today. Reaching a shared vision would help us to transform our mentality, to work in tune with one another, and to stand before the ecclesial community and society with a specific identity. This path of retraining must be the result of ongoing formation aimed at making us better understand the languages and methodology of today’s society.

A particular path opening before us is the synodal one. It is a path that European churches are already embarking on that will enable us to change our readings and perceptions of mission and society. It is a process that requires research, to be done in the light of the Spirit and in communion with others. We are confident that by renewing our identity and rediscovering our mandate we will know how to better present the values of the Kingdom to the people we meet.

Mission in Europe today demands that we think of our action as collaboration. We are challenged to develop a qualified reflection/vision identified with a shared praxis.

We are also aware that, like any journey, ours needs continuous evaluation. We think that the European Mission Board also has as its task to help us carry out continuous feedback and always stimulate us to veer in the right direction.

We have made some proposals:

1. Mass Media Field.

We see the training of competent personnel as a priority for our field. This indicates the selection of personnel, the offering of professional or refresher courses that prepare the person for the service required of him or her. The editors of the various newspapers resume continental meetings, strengthen Southworld.net for continental service and with a view to a European media center.

2. Missionary Animation Area.

Organize a European course for mission animators to improve the competence and knowledge of animators (anthropology, critical political-economic analysis, etc.) to give them the necessary tools to competently present the instances of mission, in Europe and other continents.

3. Scope Parishes and Rectories

We would like to see the formation in each province of at least one community embedded in a pastoral context (parish/rectorate) that promotes qualified missionary ministry. It should be international, capable of cooperation and fraternal action; according to the values expressed in AC 2022, 16. Such a community could provide for welcoming young people who intend to know and live our charism. The staff should be qualified for missionary service in Europe. This would also make it possible to contribute to the missionary formation of diocesan clergy and laity, helping them to live synodality. Let there be a contact person of the parish sphere in the provincial mission secretariat.

4. Scope Collaboration as the Comboni Family.

We note that there are some experiences of collaboration. These should be encouraged and supported. We see it as important to continue the path begun with the FC Social Forum. We wish to form and/or strengthen the national commissions of the Comboni Family.

We favor the annual meeting, in each country, of the provincial councils and the CF coordinating team to organize missionary service and reflection in each circumscription. We also propose an annual meeting of all CF members present in each country to reflect, pray and celebrate, and think about common actions as CF.

5. JPIC and Migrant Scopes.

The choice to work in the area of JPIC and alongside migrants is a choice in line with our charism. There is a need to build skills for this work, getting help from trained personnel, not only Combonians, who already work in this field. The person in charge of this be full-time. In 2024, a European meeting of JPICs and migrants should be organized in Castel Volturno, and our provinces should become more engaged in the issues of justice, peace, and commit ourselves to the Laudato si’ platform.

6. Mission to Europe.

The European Mission Council, in collaboration with the continent’s ongoing formation, would provide pathways to prepare personnel destined for Europe for active service, giving them the tools to interact with a complex reality, new cultures, intergenerational dynamics, networking with the local church and civil society.

The participants

Comboni Family present at World Youth Day in Portugal

20 June, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

This summer Pope Francis has an appointment with the young Catholics of the world in Lisbon on the occasion of World Youth Day (WYD). Youth groups in every corner of the planet have been preparing for months in training sessions on the themes proposed for WYD around Mary: “Mary arose and left without delay” and also looking for the necessary funding to pay for the trip to the Portuguese capital.

The Comboni Family will be present at WYD through the World Youth Comboni Gathering (WYCG), an initiative that will bring together in Portugal young people who follow Jesus in the style of St. Daniel Comboni. 120 young people from Europe, Africa and America between 14 and 30 years of age have signed up and from July 26 to 31 they will be in the Portuguese city of Maia to listen to missionary testimonies and participate in activities and dynamics around interculturality and universal fraternity. In some activities they will join other young people from the dioceses of Porto and Braga.

On July 31, before arriving in Lisbon to participate in WYD, they will visit the Sanctuary of Fatima and on August 7 they will meet in the city of Santarém to evaluate the “strong” experience lived in Lisbon and to envision how to give it continuity throughout the year so that it does not remain “just another experience”, but will help them to a greater commitment.

Through the intercession of St. Daniel Comboni we pray for all the young people who are preparing to participate in the WYD in Lisbon, especially for the young Comboni Missionaries of the World Youth Comboni Gathering initiative, so that this international meeting may encourage them to follow Jesus in a missionary style.

[Hozana]