Comboni Lay Missionaries

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Comboni Family

[Mozambique] Missionary Animation in the Parish of the Holy Cross

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The fourth weekend of each month, the CLM in Mozambique, have the habit of meeting for basic training and lifelong learning. These meetings are mainly for training but on certain occasions a parish is chosen for Missionary Animation. As it was done this March 28, in the Parish of the Holy Cross, in the city of Nampula, starting on Saturday afternoon, we presented ourselves at a group of this parish, consisting of singles and young couples.

???????????????????????????????We share the word of God and we talked about the movement of the CLM at the level of Mozambique and in the world. Deepening phrases of St. Daniel Comboni who says: “Save Africa with Africa”, “I die, but my work will not die”, “thousand lives for a mission,” “The works of God are born and grow at the foot of the Cross “; all this was cause for our reflection.

???????????????????????????????Once finished on Saturday, on Sunday 29, we were in the community of San Juan de Brito, which belongs to the same parish where our animation culminated with much joy and coinciding with Palm Sunday. Where is celebrated the day of youth. At the end of the celebration, we met to continue talking about our movement, particularly the activities in the parish of Carapira and the Industrial School.

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Therefore, after the presentation of the phrases of St. Daniel Comboni, we mentioned above, people with the need to reflect, requested the translation in their local language (Macua). Among other translations, focused heavily on “Saving Africa with Africa” in macua “Wopola w’África nor Africa”. They gave various examples. Believers of this community were moved from this animation, having the need to be more informed. So, we left an opening dialogue through our contact.

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Another important aspect that we talked about was the family that is rich because today has Priests, Brothers, Sisters Laity and secular.

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By last, we appreciate the availability and receipt of the parish, and this community. At the end they still offered us some products of “machamba” (orchard).

By Rui Evaristo Assane, CLM candidate

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Voice from the mission

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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

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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,

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ComboniYour 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

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St. Daniel Comboni

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