Comboni Family – Page 20 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

The 4th African Assembly in Benin Cotonou

8 December, 2022 by Alberto de la Portilla

From 3rd December 2022 to 12th December 2022

The African assembly brings together all Comboni Lay Missionary groups in Africa.

The 4th assembly started in Benin on 3rd December 2022 to 12th December 2022. The African Assembly has been postponed for two years due to Covid 19 Pandemic. This year the participants are from Tchad, Kenya, Uganda, DRC, TGB and Egypt

The opening ceremony was presided over by the Togo -Ghana-Benin (TGB) Provincial Superior Fr. Timothy Hounake.

He welcomed the delegates present to his province stating that it has been along journey waiting for this meeting. This was due to the postponement because of Covid19 Pandemic.

He assured the delegates that as a province of Ghana, Togo and Benin they are working very hard in Vocation, Evangelization, Baptism, Schools and Formation for new Comboni Missionaries. He however reiterated that they are working extremely hard in fighting the evil in the society. That there are still many of injustices that they are fighting through Peace and Justice Commission.

Fr. Timothy thanked the Comboni Lay Missionaries for holding the meeting here in Benin as this is a motivation to the people and may make them active. He thanked the fr. in charge of CLM TGB province, the co-Ordinator’s of different CLM groups for choosing Benin as their venue for the assembly.

Opening remarks by the Africa CLM Assembly Coordinator – Likambo

Mr. Likambo welcomed members for the assembly. He expressed his appreciation to the host TGB province and Fr, Leopold Adanle for facilitating the meeting. He thanked all the groups present for coming even though the threat of covid19 is still active. However he regretted that Some groups could not make it due to economic challenges, these are Mozambique and Republic of Central Africa.

He noted that some groups are finding it difficult in putting their mission into practice. He urged members to have a resolution to solve the problem.

Reports from different CLM groups

Togo, Ghana, and Benin.

TGB is one province in three different countries, though currently CLM is present in Ghana. After nearly 10 years the candidates were accepted as Lay.

Report from Egypt

After the conclusion of the general assembly in Rome in 2018, the group of the CLM of Egypt embarked on completing the statute of the CLM. At completion of our program of formation we celebrated our commitment within the church and the Comboni family. Animate by the desire to live a missionary life, ready to go where no one wants among the most abandoned and neglected. We work with immigrants, in prisons, and in haut Egypt in very poor and marginalized villages. Currently we are focusing on vocation animation, to increase our family as Comboni Lay Missionaries.

Report from Uganda

The CLM has been in existence for nearly 22 years.

They have residential kind of formation where candidates reside for 6 months. They have one CLM in mission in Kenya

Tchad

The CLM presence are in different cities where Comboni MCCJ are.

The formation takes 6 months.

We have income generating projects that help us.

Currently we have a numerous group but none in mission .

They have 15 CLM members.

Congo

The CLM group was started in 1996

We are 68 lay committed members.

We work with the poor and marginalized.

Mozambique

They were not present for the meeting but their report were read by Alberto the CLM central committee coordinator.

They consist of 5 CLM 3 international and 2 local CLM

They face different challenges including internet connectivity and languages. They have requested to meet with other African CLM through online the CLM has been in existence since 1998.

Central African Republic.

The coordinator was absent due to economic problems, but their report was read by Dido.

They have 2 CLM from Poland

Kenya – Martin

The CLM in Kenya is young nearly 1 year old. The first Lay members were commissioned on 12/12/2022. Non of the lay is on mission either inside or outside Kenya.

They have 4 lay missionaries, and 6 candidates.

We have international community in kitelakapel where it is Linda Mitcheletti from Italy and Pius Oyuma from Uganda. We have several income generating projects like selling Horney, Peanut Butter and Tamarind Juice.

Participants
Central Committee. Alberto de la Portilla (top row center) P. Arlindo Ferreira Pinto (photographer) CLM
Coordinators
From left back row Martin Juma Onyango (Kenya), Christian Wotormenyo (TGB), Dieudonne Likambo Kwadje (African committee), Frank Amenyo(TGB)
Front row from left
Linda Micheletti international community in Kenya, Hani Chafik Khalil (Egypt), Benjamin Amekon(TGB), Gerard Kambouj (RDC), Anicetus Adaku (Uganda), Justin Noughur (TGB), Madjita Haroun (Tchad)

Prayer Intentions of the Comboni Family December 2022

1 December, 2022 by Alberto de la Portilla

We pray that all the families of the world may welcome with joy and gratitude the gift of life and protect it as the Holy Family of Nazareth did. Lord hear us.

New GEC meeting in Brazil

28 November, 2022 by Alberto de la Portilla

At the meeting of GEC (Comboni Spirituality Group) São José Operário Parish – Carapina/Serra/ES held last night (11/21/2022), we had the presence of Father Xavier.

He told us his life and mission story, details and curiosities about the projects carried out in Santa Rita, a city on the outskirts of João Pessoa in Paraíba.

Chico started the project with recyclable material collectors, Father Xavier joined the project and started working with children and teenagers, daughters and sons of the collectors and other residents of the neighborhood.

His words echoed in our hearts. A life story where we find faith incarnate. Total giving.

Autor: Tranquilo Dias, Grupo de Espiritualidade Comboniana da Paróquia São José Operário/Espírito Santo

Education from the countryside for the countryside

21 November, 2022 by Alberto de la Portilla

It is time for another assembly of the Rural Family House, an association formed by country people, ex-students and people who believe in this proposal. The Comboni family present in Açailândia is part of this project, being directly involved Dida and Xoán, Liliana and Flávio, and Fr. Joseph.

The house offers a three-year technical course in agriculture and cattle raising, combined with high school, through the alternating cycle pedagogy.

There is a song that says: “I won’t leave the countryside to go to school. Education in the countryside is a right, not a handout.”

The goal of this space is exactly this! By enabling young people from the countryside to improve the profitability of family property, we reduce the rural exodus and promote family farming, also inserting agro-ecological techniques.

The school serves students from Açailândia, neighboring towns, and also from more distant cities, with students from three different states (Maranhão, Pará and Tocantins).

In the debate about the challenges faced by the school and that involve financial costs, one of the mothers present pointed out, “We are an association, we can collaborate and with the little of each one, we will get what is necessary.”

And so we go sowing in the collective construction the search for better conditions for farmers and peasants, and with this generate a seed of a better world.

CLM Brazil

Missionary retreat in Balsas (Brazil)

14 November, 2022 by Alberto de la Portilla

Retreat with the theme “Comboni Spirituality and the social commitment of the Church” in the diocese of Balsas/Maranhão – Brazil.

The Comboni Missionaries have left the diocese of Balsas in 2017, after 65 years of presence, marked by many achievements, both in the life of the communities, in the formation of leaders, as well as in the social part and in the infrastructure of the city itself.

Dom Valentim Meneses, the current bishop who took over the diocese in 2020, after the death of the previous bishop, invited the Comboni Missionaries to organize a retreat for the leaders of the communities, highlighting the social commitment of the church.

Thus, the Comboni family present in Piquiá/Maranhão, with the support of the Comboni spirituality groups (GEC) present in Balsas, organized the retreat in 2 different locations, to enable better participation.

On September 17, 2022 (Saturday), the first one was held in the city of Pastos Bons (280 km from Balsas), with the participation of about 25 persons. It was a very rich day of sharing and remembering the journey of the communities, and rekindling the commitment of faith, inspired by the Comboni charism.

On the following day (Sunday) the retreat was held in the city of Balsas, with the participation of more than 50 persons, with the assistance of the diocesan bishop in the reflection of the theme. He encouraged that the spirituality that we assume as Christians, regardless of what it is, should lead us, more than having faith in Jesus, to have the faith of Jesus. This makes the difference, since it prevents us from creating a logic that serves our personal interests and wills, keeping us in the logic of the Kingdom of God.

In both moments we had a video of Regimar and Valmir, sharing their first 5 months of presence in Mozambique and the challenges faced by the population with the Gombe Cyclone.

The GECs of Piquiá, Pastos Bons and Balsas shared about their meetings and invited those present to be part of the journey of deepening of faith and missionary commitment, as a concrete gesture of this retreat.

It was a rich moment of missionary animation, inspired by the charism of St. Daniel Comboni!

Did you like the idea of having a Comboni Spirituality Group (CSG) in your community or parish? Would you like to know how to organize one? Contact us through our email leigosmcbrasil@gmail.com or by the WhatsApp of the Comboni Missionaries +551197956-8317.

CLM Brazil