From September 4 to 6, the assembly of the Comboni Lay Missionaries of Italy was held at the General House of the Comboni Missionaries, drawing inspiration from the biblical image of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus who, sad and disoriented, were walking away from Jerusalem.
That sense of disorientation was our initial feeling: the weariness of our local groups, the weariness of accompanying the poorest and most abandoned members of our communities, the weariness of our daily lives immersed in a fragile, disoriented, and violent world.
We arrived disoriented and sad, and little by little, Jesus began the healing process of HOPE. First, during the opening prayer, we listened to the Word of God and excerpts from a catechesis by Pope Francis on the disciples of Emmaus; next, we heard the report from our secretariat team; then, we listened to the voices of our CLM members on mission: Linda from Kenya and Ilaria and Federica from Mozambique; and finally, all the groups expressed their weariness using cards from the DIXIT game.
After dinner, the Provincial Father and the Superior of the house welcomed us, and we connected via Zoom with Alberto, the coordinator of the Central Committee, who updated us on the international CLM movement and on the ongoing process of ecclesiastical recognition with the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life.
The next day, we continued this active listening, always drawing from the Word of God, specifically the biblical passage: “burning hearts, open eyes, and feet on the move”; and, following greetings and a brief reflection by Fr. Gigi Codianni, Superior General of the Comboni Missionaries, guided by Sr. Maureen, we conversed with the Spirit in small groups—a technique also used at the Synod on Synodality in Rome.
During her explanation, Sister Maureen invited five of us to make bread: water, yeast, oxygen, salt, and flour are mixed together, kneaded, and something new is born… bread—fragrant, flavorful, warm—but it takes time, patience, and the collaboration of many hands.
In the afternoon, this time guided by Dorotea (CLM from Palermo), we began with a brief story by Eduardo Galeano from the book *Words on the Way*: “On the shores of the sea, a potter retires in his old age. His eyes grow dim, his hands tremble; his time has come. Then the initiation ceremony takes place: the elderly potter offers the young potter his finest piece. Such is the tradition of the indigenous peoples of northwestern America: the departing artist hands over his masterpiece to the artist receiving the initiation. The young potter does not keep that perfect vase to gaze upon and admire it, but instead throws it to the ground, shatters it into a thousand pieces, gathers the fragments, and incorporates them into his clay.”
Dorotea invited us to do an activity: to write down words, principles, and fundamental values that define our CLM identity; so each CLM member wrote down their 7; then we paired up, but out of 14, there always had to be 7; next, we formed small groups of 4; then into larger groups; and, finally, the entire group had to agree on just 7 fundamental words, principles, and values for the entire CLM ITALY movement. CARE, WELCOME, SPIRITUALITY, MISSION, JOY, DREAM, COMMUNITY: these are the principles and values from which we want to start anew after our period of disorientation.
After a brief break, we continued by hearing the testimony of an Italian initiative active in the Rome area: SPIN TIME, a large occupied building in the Esquilino neighborhood—the site that hosted the 2025 gathering of global popular movements—an experiment in urban, social, and cultural regeneration.
On Sunday morning, our assembly concluded with the Eucharistic celebration presided over by Fr. John, our point of reference for the CLM, where we brought to the altar, together with Jesus, our entire experience of emotions and reflections from these intense days of active listening, ready—like the disciples of Emmaus—to set out without delay and without fear, returning to our local realities to be leaven of peace and hope, with the certainty that Jesus walks beside us.
Simone Parimbelli, CLM Italy
