Formation – Page 15 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

National Assembly of Italian Comboni Lay Missionaries (LMC) in Venegono Superiore.

19 December, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

The Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM) of Italy gathered in Venegono Superiore, Varese, from 8th to 10th December last, to celebrate their National Assembly. About 80 participants came from Palermo, Lecce, Florence, Bologna, Verona, Milan and Venegono Superiore. Also present were two Comboni missionaries (Father Eliseo Tacchella, provincial councillor, superior of the Mother House in Verona, and Comboni missionary contact person for the CLMs-Italy, and Father Alessio Geraci, from the community in Palermo), a Comboni Sister and a Comboni Secular Missionary, Mr Alberto de la Portilla, from Spain, Coordinator of the CLMs, Mr Marco Piccione, from Italy, member of the Central Committee, and Father Arlindo Pinto (contact person of the General Council of the MCCJs for the CLMs, in Rome, and member of the Central Committee).

During the first two days, five round tables were held on some specific topics, during which the CLMs had the opportunity to share their views on the sense of belonging, the specific service of the laity, and the rules for sending CLMs on missions to countries other than their home countries, the national and international organisation and structure of the CLMs, and collaboration within the entire Comboni Family.

On the afternoon of Saturday, 9th December, they were able to meet online the CLMs engaged in missionary service in Brazil, in Kenya and in Castel Volturno, in the province of Caserta in Campania.

After a prolonged exchange of views, the participants in the assembly decided to adopt the guidelines for formation approved in their international assemblies into their formation plan, as well as to support dialogue with the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, in view of the recognition of their CLM Movement as an International Association of the Faithful (IAF) by the same Vatican Dicastery.

At the European level, it was decided that the CLMs will continue to promote the ‘Stop Border Violence’ campaign against torture crimes committed at our borders.

Next January, the current coordination group (currently made up of two representatives from each local group, which is so large that their meetings are difficult) will meet to elect a new coordination group of only five members, who will be responsible for coordinating the activities of the CLM Movement and animating the joint initiatives decided on the various topics discussed.

The Assembly concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist, presided over by Father Arlindo. After the communion, the ceremony was held to send Ilaria and Federica, who are leaving for the mission in Carapira, Mozambique, and Julia, who will go to Kenya for a short time of missionary service.

Original in https://www.comboni.org/es/contenuti/115835

A steady and slow pace that is needed for…

6 December, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

On Sunday, November 26, the first formation meeting was held at the Comboni Postulancy of the Martyrs of Uganda in San José, Costa Rica, as part of the discernment stage of the current group of candidates for Comboni Lay Missionaries.

Jesús Pérez – MCCJ, originally from Spain and currently living in the country, accompanied the formative meeting under the theme: “My personal history as a history of salvation”. The objective is to accompany the candidates in the discovery of their vocation within a process of identification with the Comboni mission and charism, trying that each candidate can reread his own life, learning to know and value himself as a person in all its dimensions.

Before starting the formation meeting, we had the virtual visit of Alberto de la Portilla (coordinator of the Central Committee) and Beatriz Maldonado (coordinator of the American committee) of the Comboni Lay Missionaries, as a way of welcoming the new group of candidates to CLM – Costa Rica and encourage them to continue to persevere in this beautiful journey of formation, prayer and missionary service to the ends of the world to make common cause with other peoples where many brothers and sisters are waiting for holy and capable missionaries.

The formation meeting was undoubtedly a space of great importance and reflection on a personal level for each one of the candidates, not only on a human level, but also on a spiritual level. We encourage the new candidates of Costa Rica to continue persevering in the call of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the style and charism of St. Daniel Comboni.

Alex Menjívar, CLM Candidate

Here i am Lord, I come to do your will!

5 December, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

When God’s hour has come, no one can go against it. Having started the journey for quite a while, finally, the Provincial Council approved the suggestion of Father Leopold, chaplain of the CLM in the Province, that Christian Wotormenyo could make his official entry into the Comboni Family through his promise.

This December 1st, he was asked to come and pray at the Good Shepherd parish of Mafi-Kumase, a parish where Father Chaplain is parish priest. It was a time of personal reflection for him to place himself in God’s hands for this commitment.

On Sunday, December 3, the first Sunday of Advent, as requested by the Bishop of the diocese, all stations must meet in one place for the celebration. Thus, all the outstations of Mafi-Kumase gathered at Mafi-Kumase for the celebration. At 9 a.m., the Eucharistic celebration began. After the homily, Father Leopold gave an overview of the ceremony to the entire community present. And then he called the candidate and asked the Coordinator to introduce him. After the presentation, Christian knelt and, before the Father Chaplain, presiding over the ceremony in the name of the Father Provincial, he made his promise. Afterwards, he signed the promise document and was welcomed by the MCCJ. For the first anniversary of the CLM in the province, Lacoste were manufactured and Christian went to the sacristy to put on the dress, a sign of his integration into the CLM Family. The CLM group then came to accept him as a member. The coordinator, at the invitation of the chaplain, carried out vocation promotion. The four CLMs of the Province were given a special blessing by Father John Bliss, MCCJ, concelebrating with three other fathers. At the end of the ceremony, photos were taken and also a small reception was given.

Justin Nougnui, CLM coordinator.

People who change history

29 November, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

Today our economy is threatened by the constant changes in the world, in fact, I can not explain what people think when they hear the phrase, THE NEW WORLD ORDER, all this makes people sometimes stop to help the disadvantaged in our present, others continue their lives as usual.

I am Beatriz Maldonado Sanchez, a Mexican who works in a school in Sahuayo, my city, where the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus arrived 70 years ago; at the moment I have a year that I am following the accounts of the international economy of the Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM) movement, we have already been able to have a formation that helps us to have tools to generate the economic resources that we need in the CLM missionary project; but I still realize that nowadays the challenge is great, so I see that it is necessary to leave indifference to the situation and do simple things that make a difference in our economic reality.

As it was the case of the child Angel SUPPORTED me in the proposal to run a “CANDY STORE” for a month in the school where I work, to collect money and send it to the mission where the laity work; this is how we got 100 euros that we sent to the Central Committee so they can send to the group of Comboni Lay Missionaries who are in Mozambique and thus be able to support the activity of bringing food to the most disadvantaged.

Fortunately we also have people like Carmita Espinoza an Ecuadorian friend who knows our movement and she DONATED 20 euros for the international expenses that are generated, this is how we can join efforts when they are the work of different hands that contribute and their collaboration make that TODAY WE CAN BE COMMUNICATED, because they were placed in the international box that today is in crisis. So if you want to help in this project we invite you to get in touch from our official website or send a WhatsApp message to your servant at +52 5515 052 960, be part of this great construction for the Kingdom of God.

We can all give something that makes a difference and make history continue to be constructive in the face of challenging scenarios, all this is possible when you let yourself be conquered by the Love of God that can do anything.

Beatriz Maldonado, CLM Mexico

Comboni Missionary Spirituality

21 November, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

Last Saturday we were able to enjoy a formation on Comboni Missionary Spirituality given by the Comboni Missionary, Fr. Vittorio Moretto.

A formation that goes through the central aspects of this missionary spirituality and gives us clues on how to live our missionary vocation as Comboni Lay Missionaries.

We encourage you to watch it in community.

The session is recorded in Spanish.