Comboni Family – Page 13 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Forum on Integral Ecology of the Comboni Family in America

29 May, 202326 May, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

On 22 May, the Forum of the Integral Ecology of the Comboni Family in America was held online on the theme “Towards a missionary ecological conversion”. More than 75 Comboni missionaries (brothers, priests, sisters and lay people) shared, for four hours, their pastoral activities in this field of integral ecology as part of the missionary call.

It was a day of sensitization and exchange of work, challenges, proposals and strategies to raise awareness of the planetary emergency and urgency of serious environmental degradation, as well as the great inequalities that affect the whole of humanity.

Encouraged by the Pact for the Common House made during the Synod of the Amazon 2019, the Comboni Family promotes the Comboni Pact for the Common House Común, which Father Dario Bossi (Comboni Missionary participant in the Amazon Synod) puts in context in this article. This pact invites us as missionaries to cultivate two complementary dimensions: reflection (study, prayer…) and concrete attitudes and gestures, and received a strong impetus during the Comboni Social Forum in Belém (Brazil) in 2022, which highlighted the resistance of indigenous people, women and youth to the harassment of the Common House in various forms.

During the meeting, Fr. Juan Armando Goicochea Calderón presented the work of the Laudato Si’ Center of Lima, as a center for formation, research and projects. A School of Formation in Integral Ecology is being organized for Comboni and diocesan pastoral workers. The publication of the book “This earth is in your hands” was an excellent initiative that has helped a lot, especially in the formation of young people. Two other sustainable production projects are underway: beekeeping (which protects biodiversity from industrial monoculture) and the export of organic coffee to Europe.

Mrs. Odile presented the Laudato Si’ Missionary Center of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which seeks to internalize the approaches of Laudato Si’ and to share initiatives to promote the Care of the Common Home. Among its activities are the annual meetings, which involve an exchange between civil institutions and the administration. Its members were present at the X Fospa (Pan-Amazonian Social Forum). In Brazil. Odile emphasized that this center is an opportunity to question the ecclesial pastoral and promote joint work between laity and religious, promoting critical ecological citizenship in defense of the common home. The Center is responsible for disseminating the contents of the encyclical in simple language, and for bringing ecological education to public and private educational centers.

Flávio Schmidt, a Brazilian Comboni layman who has worked in recent years in Piquiá de Baixo (Maranhão) together with the Spanish layman Xoan Carlos Sánchez, participated in the organizing committee of this event. This community of Piquiá continues to suffer from mining contamination and is a symbol of resistance and defense of the Common Home and Human Rights. .
CLM Spain

Here comes the Missionary…!

18 May, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

I begin these humble lines first of all thanking God for having fixed his gaze on this servant.

The previous January, the Assembly of the CLM of the Province of Central America was held, where Brother Jesús Pérez, Advisor for Costa Rica of the CLM, talked with the Parish Priest of San Luis Petén, Father Aubert Gamende, about the possibility of receiving some members of our group for the Major Week in the Parish, and it was there where all this dream and illusion began.

For different circumstances, I left for Guatemala on March 29, with a suitcase full of fear, illusion, hope, but above all with the desire to be able to offer a little of all the love that God has had for me, the same love with which I was received in Casa Comboni.

I had the opportunity to share with the CLM of Guatemala, accompanying them in their project Chispuditos, knowing some Departments of the country, eating the delicious gastronomy (beef soup, plantain rellenitos, atoles, etc, etc, etc and etc ha ha ha ha), living the spectacular experience of their culture and great Faith, Palm Sunday in Antigua with the emblematic Processions, Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

On Holy Monday I start my trip to San Luis Petén, it is worth mentioning that the Parish is administered by the MCCJ, is made up of more than 140 villages (populations), some of them speak Spanish, others only speak the Q’eqchi dialect and others are mixed, all this territory comprises approx. 3000 square km and is served by 4 priests, that after 8 hours of travel, Father Fabrice receives me to take me to Casa Parroquial where as in Casa Comboni, I was received as another member of the house.

After resting for a while, Billy came to pick me up; to take me to know the Parish Clinic, where primary care services are provided to the parish population, not only of the Center, but also through the Health Campaigns they go to more distant populations, where the group of the CLM of Petén sometimes participate, we also visited the Nursing Home with many needs and that the Brothers of CLM Petén carry out a work of accompaniment and assistance, and have several projects to do in this house of permanent residence.

On Holy Wednesday, I was able to meet and share with the CLM of Petén, who were born on the same day and date as us here in Costa Rica, we shared, hesitated, talked about the realities of our group, they are a very dynamic group, and eager to do things well, as I mentioned to them I congratulate them and they know that humbly in what we can help there we will be there …..

On behalf of the Fathers, I was assigned and given the opportunity to collaborate in one of the villages, La Tortuga, who for this purpose came for me Alma, a woman dedicated in soul, life and heart to the service of her community, she is the Coordinator of the Village, together with her we organized the different celebrations for the days to come, Starting on Holy Thursday with the celebration of the Washing of the feet and the prayer in the Garden, on Friday morning all the Spanish-speaking villages were summoned to the Parish Center to live as a community the Way of the Cross and the Adoration of the Cross, we gathered almost 1500 people to the same prayer and feeling. Then in La Tortuga we had our celebration for those people who were unable to go to the parish in the morning because of their duties.

On Saturday morning we visited with community servants several families, some because they are just arriving to live in La Tortuga, others already had their time, and we took the opportunity to invite them to come at night to the Great Feast of the Easter Vigil, to the joy of most of them accepted the invitation, we also visited some sick people including Don Diego, I ask you to raise a prayer for him, he has cancer in his bones and suffers a lot of pain, Don Juan, we took communion to them, to see the joy they expressed to receive Jesus the Eucharist in their home and become one with Him, personally it was one of the many things that helped me to make the decision that I will tell you below.

In the night with great hope we celebrated the Great Easter Vigil, where children, acolytes, readers, choir and all of us as a community lived the great joy of the resurrection, the same joy that personally overwhelms me to this day.

On Sunday morning we were summoned again to the Parish Center to live the feast of the Resurrection, we started with a beautiful procession through different roads of the community and arrived at a space in front of the church where more than 150 children made their first communion, a way to end our Holy Week full of great joy.

Truly, from the moment I was received by Brother Humberto at the airport until my return to Costa Rica, I was welcomed as one more, the words are too short to thank everyone and all the people who showed me their affection and empathy, for letting me see their culture and although we are from different countries, customs and culture, we have the same love that unites us and is greater than any ethnic difference.

Hearing …Here comes the missionary… echoes in my head with much humility, but constantly….

For some time now I have been praying to God to show me the way, I say to Him like Samuel “Speak, your servant listens…”, this trip was very useful to reaffirm the desire of my heart, to serve Him, as and where it is His will, so I entrust myself to your prayers, this coming June 16, the day we celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, by the grace of God I will be assuming my commitment as a Comboni Lay Missionary, with the hope of being able to put myself at the service of the Comboni family.

Thank you Guatemala, thank you San Luis, THANK YOU LA TORTUGA, CLM Guatemala, CLM San Luis Petén, MCCJ, I do not name them because I am afraid that I am leaving someone out, but I carry them all in my heart….

God bless you abundantly…

José David Rojas Q

CLM Costa Rica

🌱 Towards a missionary ecological conversion

17 May, 202316 May, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

Comboni Forum of America on Integral Ecology

The Comboni Family in America, in continuity with the Comboni Pact for the Common Home and the Comboni Meeting on Integral Ecology in 2022, proposes a day of exchange of work, challenges, proposals and strategies to raise awareness of the emergency and planetary urgency for the serious environmental degradation as well as the great inequalities that affect all humanity, in the online Forum of Integral Ecology, on Monday, May 22nd, 11h-14h (Brazil).

The meeting will be in Spanish, with the possibility of translation for those who need it.

Participate and help spread this information!

More information here:

👉🏻👉🏻https://comboni.github.io/espls/

En el ordenador puedes moverte de un lado a otro con las flechas del teclado <- ->.

Secular Comboni Missionaries: The First African Women profess in Kenya

9 May, 20235 May, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

On 22nd April 2023, four Kenyan ladies made history by becoming the first Secular Comboni Women Missionaries in Africa. Maria Pia Dal Zovo, the Institute leader, received their vows in the presence of two General Councilors; Gina Villamar Ultreras and Paola Ghelfi.

Fr Andrew Wanjohi, the Provincial Superior of the Comboni Missionaries in Kenya presided over the Eucharist. The choir comprising our scholastics was excellent. The colorful and joyful celebration marked the climax of a long discernment journey started some 10 years ago. In attendance were Isabella Dalessandro, the former institute leader, members of the Comboni family in Nairobi, parents and relatives of the newly professed.

Julia Wangui Ngari, Lucy Mutola Singa, Mary Watetu Ndungu and Ruth Wangjiru Mbugua were all smiles when they made their vows. The four started their discernment process with Fr Francesco Pierli. Eventually, he invited the leadership of the Secular Comboni Women Missionaries then to follow these ladies who had shown interest in joining the institute. Isabella and her council accepted the challenge and came down to Kenya to start the process of discernment with the candidates.

In his homily, Fr Andrew Wanjohi, thanked the ladies for their courage and faith. He encouraged them to remain faithful in their vocation. He also reminded them that to live as consecrated women outside a community will be a challenge. This is against the backdrop of Kenya’s context in which the vocation of consecrated women in a secular institute is yet to be understood. He assured them of the support of the Comboni family as they try to live their consecration and transform society from the inside. He also thanked their parents for offering them to the institute.

Mary Pia Dal Zovo, the institute leader, expressed her gratitude to the Comboni missionaries in Kenya for supporting the four newly professed in their discernment process. She was also glad to see the four becoming the seed of the Secular Comboni Women Missionaries in Africa. She urged them to live their consecration with commitment and joy. Similarly, that their example may inspire other to join and in this way the institute expands.

As an immediate preparation to their first vows, the newly professed had a five-days spiritual retreat preached by Fr Andrew Bwalya on the theme consecration and mission. Maria Pia, Gina, Paolo and Isabella also participated in the retreat. The newly professed are a small yet significant sign that Comboni’s dream to save Africa with Africa is being realized.

Fr Andrew Bwalya

Original: https://www.comboni.org/contenuti/115305

Missionary sending in Cracow

4 May, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

Hello Everyone 🙂

I write to You because I wanna share with You something special. On 18th of April in my parish in Cracow I was sent to Kenya by our bishop 🙂

Surrounded by family and friends I received a missionary cross. It was a very special and touching moment for me. At the beginnig of the May I will join Linda and Pius in Kitelakapel. I can’t wait!

Two days earlier a mission animation took place, also in my parish. Fr Adam and fr Rene said a lot about our Comboni Family and their mission experience.

I got a lot of support from everyone. From my family, friends, community, parish.

I send You a greetings. Please, pray for me and my family.

God bless You All

Marzena