Comboni Lay Missionaries

Logo LMC
LMCCentroafrica2
MisionenGuerrero2
Natal20162

Formation

Between eco-friendly candles, anniversaries, and many activities

by
LMC Guatemala

June was a month full of blessings for the CLM of Guatemala, by the grace of God and under the intercession of St. Daniel Comboni, with various initiatives that marked our missionary work.

On June 7, we carried out our missionary activity in the community of León El Manzanillo. During our visit, in addition to spending time with the members of the community, we gave a talk on the Holy Spirit and Pentecost. As part of the day, we held a workshop on making eco-friendly candles, and those who participated were very enthusiastic and satisfied with the experience.

On the same date, we celebrated the 8th anniversary of the Chispuditos Program. This nutritional project has focused on the children of the villages of La Salvadora I and II, in the municipality of Santa Catarina Pinula, as well as their mothers, bringing them the Word and promoting their development as leaders. It should be noted that last year the program was handed over to the community; since then, the mothers have been leading the program.

On Sunday, June 8, we participated in the Vocational Expo organized by the Vicariate of the Center: Our Lady of the Assumption, held in the gym of Don Bosco College. This event allowed us to share with young people interested in the different congregations present. In addition to the information stands, there were moments of praise, Eucharistic adoration, and Holy Mass. It was a valuable opportunity to transmit and live the charism of the Comboni Family together with those in attendance.

A week later, on Sunday, June 15, we held our monthly community gathering, beginning with the celebration of Holy Eucharist, followed by a shared breakfast. During the gathering, we reflected on the Comboni charism and worked on a special theme about the key elements that strengthen self-esteem. We addressed aspects such as self-control, personal goals, communication skills, and body image perception. As a pleasant surprise, we had a visit from a married couple interested in learning more about our community.

In each activity of the month, we reaffirmed our commitment to serve and accompany the communities, always driven by our faith and evangelizing mission.

LMC Guatemala

Echoes of the CLM Training Meeting in Portugal

by
Oracion LMC

We have concluded the initial training meeting for Comboni Lay Missionaries: It is through prayer that we understand each other.

The meeting was held online, and our dear trainees, Isabel and Nair, participated.

This formation turned out to be very rich and beautiful, at least for me (who thought I already knew something about prayer). I hope it was just as or even more beneficial for our trainees who were kind enough to accompany me throughout the weekend.

Because God is always the one who takes the initiative first and humankind has always been searching for God, we began by reflecting on the revelation of prayer throughout the history of salvation, passing through the Old Testament, the time when Jesus walked with us here on earth, and the time of the Church.

The deepening of humankind’s experience of prayer is evident until we reach Jesus, who reveals the full dimension of this gift.

After talking about the sources of prayer, the path, and the guides that lead us through it, we arrive at the life of prayer itself.

Seeking to respond to St. Paul’s challenge to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), we find in the Church specific and concrete community proposals that will allow us to nurture rhythms of continuous prayer.

We reflect on the differences and importance of vocal prayer, meditation, and mental prayer.

In this last degree of prayer, we had contact with the master of prayer, St. Teresa of Avila, and the degrees of prayer she proposes, making a comparison with four ways of watering a garden.

In this analysis, it is clear that God is not at all a passive subject in this relationship. In fact, the highest levels of prayer depend solely on his will and, in addition to requiring great humility on the part of the person praying, they instill even more humility in them as they realize their unworthiness of the greatness of the graces received.

One thing that strikes us when we devote a little time to these themes is the consistency of the concepts from the time of the Old Testament, through the time of Jesus here on earth, to the current proposals of the Church.

One of the ideas that stands out is the fact that prayer can be seen as a real struggle. Praying requires our effort.

Our ego and the snares of those who seek to lead us away from God are enormous and require great humility and persistence.

This is evident in the prayer life of St. Daniel Comboni, which we meditated on Sunday morning.

In Comboni we find a man of deep prayer, perfectly aware of the fundamental importance of this dimension in the Mission entrusted by God to his Church.

In fact, it was only through prayer that he was able to give meaning to and love the many crosses that arose throughout his missionary life.

At the end of the meeting, I realized that I have to rethink my prayer life.

As a CLM, I have to pray much more (and better) for vocations and for the means to carry out Jesus’ command that still echoes in our hearts as those who are called: Go into the whole world and proclaim the Good News to every creature. (Mk 16:15)

Pedro Moreira, CLM

CLM International Economy Meeting

by
Tesoreros LMC

Last Saturday, 21 June, we gathered online for the first international economy meeting since our international assembly last December.

The assembly requested that a global meeting be held around the middle of each year to jointly assess the progress of economic issues in each country and in each of our international communities.

Representatives from 13 countries and 2 international communities were present, including treasurers, coordinators, and members of the coordination team. Due to the language challenge, we were able to count on the support of two volunteer translators, Ana Cris, CLM from Guatemala, and her son Esteban.

It was an important moment of information and clarification, where proposals for joint next steps were presented. One of these was to hold two more online meetings this year, in three smaller groups, according to language, so that we can facilitate greater interaction between participants and the development of practical tools to aid our quest for economic autonomy.

We appreciate everyone’s commitment and participation!

See you at our next meeting!

Flávio, treasurer of the Central Committee

Meeting in Nuremberg

by
LMC Alemania

This time, the focus was on designing the Comboni family’s joint stand at the Church Mile of the Catholic Day in Würzburg. Together with Father Günther, Father Michael, and Brother Hans, we gathered ideas on the theme “Have courage – stand up!” in a constructive brainstorming session and were able to assign the first tasks. Nine missionaries will represent the Comboni Family in Nuremberg.

We also discussed feedback on our peace exhibition in Mellatz, arrangements for Brigitte Kreiter’s participation in the provincial assembly, and plans for the planned visit to the Comboni Missionaries’ community in Graz. We were very moved by Hans Eigner’s report on the situation in the diocese of Bentiu in South Sudan, where he will be involved in development work starting this fall.

We held a small barbecue to thank him for his involvement in our group over the past years and to “bid farewell” to him and Father Günther as they embark on their next missionary assignments.

Barbara Ludewig, CLM

The importance of communication

by
LMC Kenia

We are grateful for the wonderful meeting we had together as CLM members, we had an amazing and fruitful weekend together.

We interacted, bonded and shared responsibilities together creating one community

Our formation sessions were based on the topic of communication.

Communication is a vital component of our living as missionaries for in this we are able to reach those we are called to serve

We learn from our Lord Jesus how He communicated the message of the Kingdom of God.

With his messages he spoke to the hearts of people bringing them close to God, He spoke the truth without fear even of death, John 5:18-47

Christ knew and understood his audience he used different strategies to pass on his messages to people and separately to his disciples

He used parables, stories silence etc. to pass on information.

Many instances he gave people chance to express their perspective, Mark 10:51

As we read the letters, articles and magazine written by saint Daniel Comboni we understand his passion for the mission.

This encourages us to use the tool of communication appropriately in our missionary lives to spread the gospel to far ends and to coming generations

With effective communication we bridge the human connection creating healthy relationships and building our communities and also the local communities that we serve.

Belinda Awino CLM