Comboni Family – Page 92 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Pilgrimage route to Bangui for the Pope’s visit

7 January, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Jesus

On 25 November, the pilgrimage walk of the faithful of our parish started from Mongoumba to Bangui to participate in the ceremonies for the visit of the Pope. There were four groups of 18 people, one of them composed only of pygmies recently baptized.

We get up every day at 2.30am, ate a sweet rice porridge, so that everyone could have energy to walk. We began with prayer, then everybody start to walk, singing beautiful songs in Sango.

Every day they covered about 30kms, with joy, despite the “blisters” on the feet …

When it reached the intended location for the night, they have lunch and in the afternoon, after a short break, a catechesis on the theme of the day, followed by the Eucharist.

The topics presented were: “Reconciliation”, “Laudato Si”, “The joy of the Gospel” and “Blessed are the peacemakers”, interesting subjects that pilgrims greatly appreciated. In each catechesis was distributed to each pilgrim a symbolic ribbon theme: violet, green, red and white.

After the Mass we dined before the last rays of light.

To 20 pm everyone was in bed, I mean, sleeping on a sailcloth lying on the ground, inside or outside the chapel. The communities where we rest welcomed us warmly and showed all their support, fetching water and firewood. Two of them prepared food for more than 70 people.

Elia

Elia, three cooks (volunteers) and I were covering the pilgrimage by car, carrying everything you need to cook for six days, which eventually turned out to be seven.

Elia was tireless, with all who approached her with the injured or sore feet…

The arrival in Bangui was Saturday morning. People on the street stopped amazed to see all these people on pilgrimage, each with its cross highest than oneself, and a lively group of Pygmies in the middle. All of Mongoumba.

Activities in the house of the Comboni Missionaries in Bimbo, where the same as where we were staying, equal to those of the previous days.

It was four days of walking in which no one gave up despite the fatigue … we hope that this pilgrimage bear fruit; conversion to the Lord, in every heart, protective Earth people “hit Sopo/bata Sesse” happy preach the Gospel, men and women of peace.

A hug

Maria Augusta, Mongoumba CLM

Who sows in tears with joy harvest

5 January, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Piquia

It was a year of tears and seeds for the community of Piquiá de Baixo.

Many already know the proud, strong and firm struggle of this community in the municipality of Açailândia, Maranhão, Brazil. Almost thirty years suffering the devastating effects of pollution cycle in its mining and steel region, the inhabitants began more organized to denounce government neglect and responsibilities of industry, claiming – to begin with – the collective resettlement in an area free of pollution.

The new neighborhood, designed in a participatory manner by the community with competent technical advice, should be partly financed by a government program, as a project that was approved by the Federal Savings Bank still at the end of 2014.

Since early 2015, Piquiá de Baixo is awaiting the selection of the resettlement project. Approval promises were repeated throughout the months of the year, but the seed planted by the community much sweat seemed unwilling to sprout.

Meanwhile, other tears were shed for the environmental crime of the companies Vale and BHP-Billiton in the states of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo.

The people of Piquiá de Baixo were in Mariana few weeks before the disaster, participating in the meeting of the International Joint Affected by Vale. It is sad that communities have to be known and recognized by the tragedies and suffering they have in common. It is not what they would have pride in sharing; They do not want to be remembered by tears, but because of their resistance and victories.

Piquiá de Baixo planted many seeds of resistance throughout 2015. To keep the neighbors united, lively and well informed, many “circles of talks” were held in small groups around the houses. All the documentation of each resettlement beneficiary was organized. The community was articulated in several instances, to keep strong and not let the pressure to claim their rights from Municipal House of Councillors to the Maranhão State Government, from the Ministry of Cities to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH). In October, the president of the Community Association of Residents of Piquiá, supported by legal advice from the community, participated in a thematic hearing at the IACHR, in Washington, calling for urgent repair and mitigation of damages compared to the delegation of the Brazilian Government.

The harvest time delay, but it came!

On December 29, Neighborhood Association received the official title to the land where the community will be resettled.

On December 31, the Ministry of Cities published in the Official Journal of project the selection of the Community Association of Residents of Piquiá for resettlement. After a year and 14 days of waiting, the community finally has guaranteed financing for its new neighborhood!

Who sows in tears with joy harvest, says Psalm 126. Next week will proclaim the whole community in a community celebration in thanksgiving and to renew his strength.

Piquiá neighbors said that in other words to remember: “Our agony is our victory”. In persistent struggle, in the firm of who is not head down and do not give up, it’s already written a piece of victory as well as in the seed is hidden the outbreak.

It may take, but life will win!

Fr Dário MCCJ, Xoan Carlos CLM

Merry Christmas

25 December, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

The celebration of the 10th October in Ghana

21 October, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

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 7^th 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 8^th, 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 9^th, 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 10^th was a diocesan programme for priestly ordination. So the 10^th Mass was celebrated on Sunday 11^th 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

14 October, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

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