Comboni Family – Page 91 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Voice from the mission

2 April, 20151 April, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

We received with joy, a testimony from the mission of Palmira Pinheiro the Comboni missionary secular who is currently in the Central African Republic together with the CLM Elia Gomes. Here we leave the testimony of the joys and hardships of this mission in the heart of Africa.

VOICE FROM THE MISSION

Although today is not Samedi (Saturday), Samedi arrived! As always out of time, when I’ve closed the door of the clinic and look forward to some rest because fatigue gets you. However, while I get to grumble with his mother, because she is not in hours, his smile, his bright eyes like two stars, his arms outstretched towards me, make me put aside my mood completely. All are my “dears” but Samedi has a special place in my heart. He was one of my earliest success stories! He was a child destined to die, but Life won!

In the second week of my arrival, some day when I had to close the door of the clinic, a woman appears, for more signs pygmy. She gave me the impression of having some mental retardation, and holding in her arms a small child than as explained by someone who accompanied would be premature, newborn and the mother had no milk to feed him. I weighed the baby, he hardly reach 2 kilograms because the pygmies are small, but he already had a “time”. What really matters is that he was hungry, since the mother, who seemed depressed, but with huge breasts, was not motivated to breastfeed, so the mammary glands need to be stimulated by the baby’s sucking to produce the “juice of life”.

We leave them to remain in the Rehabilitation Center about a month and a half trying to feed the mother and encouraging her to breastfeed the child. This was difficult because we could not always be present and, when we went we found her lying on the veranda of the Center asleep with his huge chest extended, the child also lying next, but, of course, without the ability to take the breast and suck. We used as a strategy, another mother also pygmy, who was accompanying her malnourished tiny, Jean Pierre, another favorite of mine, whom we trust to teach and encourage her to breastfeed the child. And in this way it was overcoming the most critical phase, in which, to make matters worse appeared some diseases (malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea, etc.) to which we responded with proper medication. Until one day the mother decided to leave without saying anything, then we lost hope, and thought he would die, he will not have a chance! But to our surprise, she appeared two weeks later with the child very sick with pneumonia, tremendously weakened and we doubt we have the chance to save him. But he stayed here a few days, and began treatment, feeding the mother so that she in turn feed the child, but when everything started to go well she stop treatment and return to the “Camp”. And so she continued to appear when the child was in his last and we just kept saying, This time he will not get it! But “LIFE” is stronger than death and Samedi won! Now he is 9 months all and remains small (like all pygmy), but he weighs 8 kilograms. It is great! When I approached him, jumps of joy, smiling and opening his arms to come into my lap.

I pressed him against my chest as a beloved son in whom I feel I’ve helped to live. He plays, laughs and has fun. It’s a happy boy! Occasionally taking his crisis of malaria, diarrhea, bronchitis, etc., but at least the mother is aware of bringing him when it is bad, because in addition to medication, always carry a bag full of food for two.

I think for me and for God: “Although I have not done anything, it was worthy to come to Mongoumba to see this child smile after being destined to die”

A hug to everyone.

Palmira Pinheiro (MSC)

[Mozambique] Vocational meeting

20 March, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

With the 2015 school year kicked off our vocation meetings. We do it the second Sunday of each month in the catechetical center. We have already done two. It is good to mention that we have formed a team to organize these meetings. Form by Brother Luis (Italian), Sister Maria Pia (Italian), who gave us the news that she will be sent to the provincial community so she will continue to support with their prayers, CLM Beatriz (Mexican), Amanda (American volunteer) and the young Sabonete (Mozambican), who is making the year of discernment to start the stage of basic training in the CLM group of Mozambique.

Basically, they are three years in which vocational guidance is given to young people who have this concern to discover their way forward. We introduce specific vocations for them to choose the one to which they feel called by God. The Bible is our main tool, to know how different people were called and how they responded to the call received is to discover that God calls us all in different ways. We have the opportunity to present testimonies, we can talk about our personal experiences from when we were their age and thus, with games, dynamics, group work, plenary, we share the joy of proclaiming the Gospel in the vocation they choose and help to build the Kingdom of God.

Dear community members of the CML of Mongoumba and Carapira,

4 March, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

Your call to the entire world CLM for the future of the presence of CLM in Mongoumba mission (Central African Republic) and in Carapira (Mozambique) is an urgent call to mission ad gentes, particularly for African CLM.

The African Committee meeting last Thursday 8 January 2015 was with you in prayer to impact your distress call. We ask the Lord of the harvest to give, in collaboration with the MCCJ and Comboni Sisters, the first African CLM, capable and available to go to mission according to the Comboni’s Plan for the Regeneration of Africa, expressed in the slogan “save Africa with Africa”.

We want the presence of the CLM in those nice missions of Mongoumba and Carapira along with Comboni missionaries (fathers and sisters). We launch a pathetic appeal to the Africans CLM to follow footsteps the Europeans and Americans CLM. We hope to see them get out of their country voluntarily, and respond to the call of the Lord who sends us to Africa to “make common cause” with the poor and the most abandoned in the Central African Republic and Mozambique.

We should not allowed, the closing of those two missions that give us enthusiasm to go further. Meanwhile, we ask the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Daniel Comboni so that, the Lord of the harvest provide us people who ensure over, we inviting you to be calm.

Given that there are groups of CLM(s) who have prepared laity in the domains of health, education, help, pastoral, Justice and Peace …, we invited those groups to prioritize the discernment of vocation for the mission ad gentes. This responsibility concerns the provincial coordinators and chaplains and must be done within the conditions and the requirements.

Finally, we would like to remind all CLM from Africa that their ” first priority and contribution of to the missionary activity of the Church, is an own self donation, to be sent to the mission” (Mt 28: 16-20).

Fraternal Greetings

The African Committee of the LMC

Dido Likambo Kwadje (LMC Congo)
Innocent Mweteise Kabareme (LMC Ouganda)
Marcia Costa (LMC Mozambique)
Mumbere Musanga Joseph (Superieur de la Province du Congo)
José Luis Rodríguez López (Superieur de la Province de Mozambique)

Dear St. Daniel

13 May, 201527 February, 2015 by Maggie and Mark Banga

Dear St. Daniel,

In the last couple years as I have serving here in Ethiopia, I’ve been diving into some of the thousands of letters which you wrote. In your words, it is clear that you loved the African people so much. Being here in Africa myself, the place where you gave your whole life, you are a great faith model for me because it was your big love that fueled your tenacity to persevere amidst every kind of hardship. Where did such a love come from? At a time when most everyone else in the western world disregarded Africa and saw only insurmountable destitution, you saw a sister and a brother and potential. When others saw selfish opportunity, profit and a source of slaves, you saw Jesus in their faces and the dignity of a fellow child of the Father in heaven. As boats left the harbour packed with slaves destined for the ‘civilized’ world, you sent African men and women to Europe to study at university with the firm confidence that they would return to their homelands being the best architects of their own people’s liberation and development. How much opposition you must have faced? I guess you wanted for all Africans to savour the freedom you found in God’s love, a love which you obviously felt so strongly yourself.

– Mark & Maggie Banga

Comboni Lay Missionaries serving in Awassa, Ethiopia

Meeting of the General Councils of the Comboni Family

29 January, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

This past Saturday, January 24, we came together as a Comboni Family in Rome at the level of the three General Councils and of CLM representative.

We spent the morning reflecting on the challenges presented by the missionary life in the context of the places where we work. Each of the branches shared on the challenges we are facing in the mission.

It was a reflection that touched on points such as the need to live and to do mission starting with being close to the people: being close to their needs, walking according to the rhythm of the communities and accompanying everyone according to their stride. Keeping the necessary balance between human development and help to meet the most immediate needs. Ensuring that projects do not come before the people and that we, as missionaries, are not only seen as development agents but above all as bearers of joy, the joy of the gospel and the desire for a better life for all, which flows from the Father’s love. Save Africa with Africa, as Comboni said, always seeking the leadership of the people and not of the missionaries. Relying on the skills of the others, enhancing their strengths and discovering new ways of doing things, open to the new ways proposed by the people.

We also reflected on our decreasing numbers, of being fewer missionaries than we were years ago; at the same time we reflected on the greatest diversity of our members, fewer Europeans and more Americans and Africans, prompting us to treasure our greater diversity and the resulting new style of mission. This reduction in numbers requires us to ask the people around us and working with us for more involvement.

It is a challenge to deepen our spirituality, which allows us to have a solid foundation for our doing. A challenge to make of us agents of reconciliation, especially in war and post-war situations, by our continuous presence, by speaking of peace, love and forgiveness as the basis for a better future.

Along with this, the need to rethink the ministries that we carry out, and receive the necessary training to better adapt ourselves to the needs of men and women of today in the different continents. Being missionaries in the context where each one of us is located. Updating our charism, which after all is the only way to remain faithful to our vocation. Talking the new language that reaches people today. Remaining open to young people and offering them a life worth living, embodied, with its struggle and sacrifice, but also with its happiness and joy. Providing our members a formation that will help them grow from the heart, which does not remain superficial or self-interested but which also helps us grow as people, individually as well as a Christian community.

Finally, we are invited to reflect on our own reality as charismatic Family. Our style of presence and especially our commitment as a family has to be the seed of a community church where priests, religious, secular and lay people can share responsibilities and, according to our abilities and specificities, serve the people by being seeds of new relationships as brothers and sisters in our Christian communities.

We ended the morning with the Eucharist, placing on the altar all these reflections and the life of all the missionaries scattered around the world and of the people they serve.

In the afternoon we took time to share the most important events of this past year 2014 for each of the branches. The committee in charge of preparing the celebrative event, informed us of the 150th anniversary of the Plan of Comboni to be held from 13 to 15 March in Rome.

We ended the day with a prayer and we fixed the date for our next meeting towards the end of the year. We hope that these meetings and every little encounter we have in our communities will keep us walking and serving the mission as the Comboni Family.