Comboni Family
The celebration of the 10th October in Ghana
For the first time, we celebrated as lay group the Solemnity of our Founder. We took the opportunity to talk about the founder, ourselves and the process of formation.
Everything started on Wednesday, the 7th of October. Mr Adze Daniel, an old Comboni student, presented the life of Comboni. He talked about his birth, his parents, his vocation and mission. The presentation was so seducing that the workers, the youth and children around were filled with admiration towards the zeal of Comboni.
On the second day, the 8th, Rev. Fr Joseph Rabbiosi, MCCJ, presented the Comboni Family. He presented the four branches, the Priest and Brothers, the Comboni Sisters, the Seculars and the Comboni Lay Missionaries. He emphasized a little upon the history of the male Congregation, the MCCJ, how it has started and how and when they came to the Province Togo-Ghana-Benin and what they are doing.
On the third day, the 9th, Mr Justin Nougnui talked about the formation process for the MCCJ priest and clm. He insisted on the need of having a spiritual director, the disposition of community life, the disposition to witness the good news to the poor and vulnerable for both MCCJ and CLM; the academic performance so necessary to journey towards priesthood and the professionalism necessary for the CLM. The CLM can be married or single and we do not make any official vows. To a question, he explained clearly that some of the works we do cannot free us to give ourselves totally for the proclamation of the Good News and to fulfill what is required for a CLM candidate. Nevertheless, such workers can be friends of CLM and support them financially for achieving their goals.
The 10th was a diocesan programme for priestly ordination. So the 10th Mass was celebrated on Sunday 11th to thank the Lord for giving us a so committed person in the name of Daniel Comboni who did not spare any effort to work for the regeneration of Africa. We prayed for the Comboni Family and especially for the CLM in our province that the Lord may strengthen them and provide them with means to carry out their activities.
Justin Nougnui, coordinator.
German CLM Group Meeting in Nuremberg, 9th to 11th October 2015
It was nice to start the Comboni Day, on 10 October, with the celebration together with the Comboni Missionaries of the house. After that we worked in the encyclical “Laudato Si” of Pope Francisco. Pia Schildmair explained the theological basis of the document. Steffen Riedel gave us, from the point of view of a technical advisor for energy, the good news that we can meet the challenges of our land and preserve it in the broad sense. Of course, there was a discussion about it. In addition to the encyclical we perform the program for 2016 and have taken the first steps to participate in the 100. Katholikentag in Leipzig, where the Comboni Family from Germany wants to present. On Sunday Mass in the community of Kunigunda we celebrate again St. Daniel Comboni. The Provincial, Father Karl, spoke of the charism of Daniel and the main points of the General Chapter in Rome. The CLM enriched the mass with songs and texts of the encyclical “Laudato Si”.
CLM Germany
Last day of the XVIII General Chapter in Rome
“Now it’s time to bring the Chapter in the life of the Institute”, with these words the outgoing superior general Fr. Enrique Sánchez González, who presided at the concluding Mass of the XVIII General Chapter, called on the delegates to send to all the confreres the spirit and message of these weeks they had together. On this last day of the Chapter, in the morning session Fr. Enrique Sanchez read in the Assembly hall the formal decree of the Chapter’s closer that had been approved by the Chapter delegates.
At 11.30, the concluding Mass began. During the homily, Fr. Enrique focused on three words: courage, joy and hope. He invited everyone to renew the experience of the love of God, the source of our missionary commitment, to bring even with greater joy the proclamation of the Gospel to the poor and the outskirts of suffering. On the novelty of the Chapter is that “the Lord – said Fr. Enrique – has not tired of us, he is still with us … and the best is still to come”.
At the end of the Mass, the newly elected superior general, Fr. Tesfaye Tadesse, thanked Fr. Enrique and the outgoing Council for their commitment and enthusiasm in guiding the Institute in these past six years. Also the Superior General of the Comboni Sisters, Luzia Premoli, who participated in the Eucharist with some of her sisters, expressed gratitude for the cooperation experienced in the past five years, for her, with the General Direction of the Comboni Missionaries.
The celebration took place in the main Chapel of the house and wad then continued with the convivial and lunch.
www.comboni.org
Fr. Tesfaye Tadesse elected as Superior General
Fr. Tesfaye Tadesse Gebresilasie was elected as Superior General of the Comboni Missionaries by almost all of the Chapter delegates. He is 46 years of age, Assistant General in charge of Basic Formation and the provinces/delegations of English-speaking Africa (except Eritrea) and Mozambique. Fr. Tesfaye Tadesse G. was born on September 22, 1969, in Harar (Ethiopia). He is the first African to hold the post of Superior General.
Immediately after the vote, the outgoing Superior General, Fr. Enrique Sánchez González, asked Fr. Tesfaye if he accepted the election.
Fr. Tesfaye replied: “My dear confreres, I would like to say a few words.
- Thanks. Thank you for the trust and mercy that you have shown me. Both in the vote as well as in personal dialogues with some, you have shown confidence, solidarity and support. Thanks for it. I would like to say thanks to the confreres who have expressed their reservations, their hesitation. I agree with you and thank you, because I myself am afraid, I too have my reservations and my hesitations. So thanks for your realism.
- Smallness. Our Institute, beginning with St. Daniel Comboni, is a great one, it is a beautiful family of disciples and martyrs for the mission, for Africa and for being at the side of the poor. Our Institute, too, has its problems. Faced by all this, I feel small, a little confrere who has had the experience of the great forgiveness of God and confreres. I feel small before the greatness of our Institute.
- Respect. The General Chapter among its activities must also give the Institute a General Council, as it has just elected the coordinator of this General Council. I respect your dialogue, your discernment and your vote. Out of respect for those who voted for me and for what these votes represent, after having prayed about it, I contacted my spiritual director and others, and especially after the encouragement of Fr. Enrique and the General councillors to accept, I, for the glory of God and trusting in God’s help, in the General Council, the General Direction here in Rome and in you, circumscription superiors, and humbly asking for mercy, I accept to serve as Superior General.”
After the acceptance by Fr. Tesfaye, Fr. Enrique Sánchez G., following the procedure of the elections as stated by the Statute approved on September 8, 2015, said: “Having the Rev. Father Tesfaye Tadesse Gebresilasie received enough votes on behalf of the Chapter, I, Enrique Sánchez González, declare the Rev. Father Tesfaye Tadesse Gebresilasie the elected Superior General of the Institute of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
