Comboni Lay Missionaries

Missionary sharing about the mission in Mozambique

GEC Brasil

On the evening of May 9, Regimar and Tito shared with the GEC (Comboni Spirituality Group) of Nova Contagem about their first mission period in Mozambique.

Through photos and videos, they recalled various moments from their memories.

The people present interacted, asking questions and commenting.

One of the highlights of the sharing was the help given to the families with the donations received from Brazil and Poland after the cyclone that hit the region in 2022. The couple thanked them for their collaboration and stressed how important it had been.

They talked about the seed project, which worked very well, where they gave the families a quantity of bean and corn seed to plant and after the harvest, the families returned the same quantity. Although not everyone returned the seeds, the overall balance was positive, with beautiful signs such as families returning larger quantities than they had taken, as a sign of gratitude. And this cycle is continuing for this harvest too.

They talked about the culture, the challenges, the joys and the future prospects.

At the end, we prayed together and ended with a shared snack.

The GEC is grateful for the sharing and the missionary enrichment!

GEC Brasil

GEC Nova Contagem

Golden jubilee celebration of the MCCJ in Ghana

MCCJ Ghana

The first group of MCCJ arrived in Ghana in 1974. Among this group was Rev. Fr. Joseph Rabbiosi who is still serving in Ghana and father Cuniberto of blessed memory.

To mark this fiftieth anniversary, the MCCJ in Togo-Ghana-Benin planned a conference on the 26th April at Good Shepherd Catholic Church of Mafi-Kumase and climaxed it with a thanksgiving mass on 27th at Our Lady of Assumption (OLA), Accra.

An exciting mark of the anniversary was the presence of the Father General of the MCCJ, Father Gabriel Tesfaye and one of his assistants Fr. Elias Sindjalim. The conference was facilitated by the Superior General and his Assistant together with the Superior Provincial, Fr. Timothy Hounake. The bishop of the diocese, his Lordship Gabriel Kumordji was also present for the conference. The theme of the conference was “Save Africa through Africa.” In his presentation, the Superior General laid emphasis on the Plan for the Regeneration of Africa of our Founder St. Daniel Comboni. The Father General insisted on the dream of Comboni, which he said, was a dream of faith. To show the realization of that dream in the MCCJ family, a statistic was presented by Fr. Elias on the presence of MCCJ in the world, in Africa and in Ghana. It was clear, the dream of Comboni is coming true. Another truth of the realization of the dream is the presence of the CLM who also said few words during the Superior General presentation.

On Saturday, the climax was the thanksgiving mass at Accra presided over by the Archbishop of Accra, Bishop Bonaventure Kwofie around which MCCJ priests and other priests and a chapel full of faithful among which the CLM. An award was presented to Fr. Joseph Rabbiosi a living testimony of the fifty years of presence. A cake was cut at the end of the celebration after which a meal sharing took place.

Justin Nougnui, CLM.

Between Palms and Songs

Domingo de Ramos

A day of faith and reflection

Still in the Easter mood, an invitation to revisit the intense days leading up to Resurrection Day, a unique week in which we tried to recreate with fervor the last steps of Christ as Man.

At the entrance to the village, under the welcoming shade of the mango trees, children and adults, men and women gathered in faith to begin the celebration of Palm Sunday. Everyone had their own palm, some of them beautifully decorated.

To the vibrant sound of the songs of “Hossana”, the community walked down the main street in procession, a sea of palms waving in the air, a unison chant that echoed the joy of faith.

In the church, the celebration went on for more than two hours.

Thus began Holy Week, paving the way for a time of reflection, a time to meditate on Christ’s sacrifice and the promise of redemption.

On this journey we are invited: to relive the footsteps of Jesus, to meditate on the meaning of his surrender and to reflect on the meaning of our own lives.

A unique opportunity to strengthen our faith and renew our hope.

Élia Gomes, CLM RCA

Celebrating Easter in Kitelakapel

LMC Kenia

Hello Saints!

Happy Easter! Alleluia! Christ is risen!

Receive warm Easter greetings from Comboni Lay Missionaries – Kenya (CLM-K).

Easter season is the heart and soul of our Catholic Faith. Christ died for us and through Him, we obtain eternal life. Throughout the season of Lent, we are called to mind our sinful nature, repent and believe in the gospel! Our Saviour bears all our sins through His passion and His death on the cross. The Easter season is a new dawn. Christ is risen and in Him we have new hope. St. Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” We must celebrate! Our Saviour has conquered death! Through Christ, we have new life!

CLM-K celebrated the resurrection of Christ in bravura. We travelled to our mission in Kitelakapel, West Pokot County, to celebrate Easter with the international CLM community working there. We arrived at the mission station on Holy Thursday morning, and we were in West Pokot all through Easter Monday. We were fortunate to have our assessor – Fr. Maciej with us, who celebrated mass for us through Holy Week and the beginning of the Easter Season. On Good Friday, we were joined by a large number of Catholics from the Kitelakapel community and we had the most solemn Way of the Cross, reflecting upon the suffering and death of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The Easter Vigil on Saturday night was so beautiful. As we were gathered around the bonfire, I couldn’t help but stare at the stars, so beautifully aligned, gleaming with hope. From then on, all we could say was Alleluia! Christ is risen! We will rejoice and be glad! When Jesus appeared to His eleven disciples after resurrection, he said to them “…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Mathew 28:20. In the same way, we must live out our lives in confidence knowing that Christ is ever-present.

We are grateful to the international CLM community based in Kitelakapel, Maya (Poland) and Pius (Uganda), for being gracious hosts. Thank You for everything and for the work that you continue to do in West Pokot. All for the glory of God!

In a special way, we would like to thank our assessor, Fr. Maciej. Thank You for your selfless nature and thank You for guiding us in our journey of faith. We are grateful for your warm demeanour and your patience as we each discern our vocation. May you be added many more years and experience the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13)

Remember the words of Miss Clara Williams? Miss Clara Williams is a character in the award-winning book and 2015 movie, War Room. She is a powerful woman of God, who goes to ‘war’ (prayer) for the sake of her family. There is something she says that I absolutely love and that has stuck with me. She says, “My God is Faithful, my God is powerful, my God is in charge. You can’t fire him and he’ll never retire! Glory Alleluia!” This is true. He is all this and more. He is our light and salvation. He has given us new life. We must live it for his glory. Alleluia! He is Risen!

May this Easter season renew your faith, strengthen your spirit, and fill your heart with profound joy. Happy Easter to you and all your beloved!

Warm regards,

Cecilia Nyamu

Comboni Lay Missionary – Kenya