Formation – Page 57 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Assembly of the Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM) in Portugal

24 October, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

During the weekend of October 15-16, 2016 the CLM of Portugal gathered in Viseu for their National Assembly and for their second formation meeting on the topic of, “The Word as (with) Vocation,” moderated by the CLM Paula Clara.

During the Assembly, we as CLM had the opportunity to reflect over what was accomplished this year and see the many marvels the Lord has worked in us. We remembered the return of Marcia from Mozambique, and of Élia from the Central African Republic. We remembered the departure of María Augusta for the Central African Republic and of Marisa, who is studying the language in England. Many milestones were reached along the way right here. Above all we concentrated in organizing the European Assembly of the CLM to which we were all committed and for which we felt responsible, and in which we all worked a lot without leaving any detail to chance. We also spent time evaluating and then electing the various ministries of those who, as CLM, are responsible for the organization, such as the coordinating team, the formation team, the finances and many other things that are necessary for the future life of the CLM.

All this reflects what Pope Paul VI wrote in the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium (#7): “As all the members of the human body, though they are many, form one body, so also are the faithful in Christ. Also, in the building up of Christ’s Body various members and functions have their part to play. There is only one Spirit who, according to His own richness and the needs of the ministries, gives His different gifts for the welfare of the Church.” We are different people with different ministries and responsibilities. We journey together here at home and beyond our borders, praying and committing ourselves in the name of God according to the charism of Comboni.

The meeting on formation could not have been more connected with the Assembly. While some were reflecting on vocation, others were reflecting on what their vocation had produced. In such a journey there are moments when walking together is not enough, but we felt the need to abandon ourselves to divine providence through our commitment. For this reason, on Sunday, relatives and friends joined the CLM family to witness the promise of Neuza, Rufina and Paula.

The journey takes place by walking as a community whose nucleus is Christ. After a day of formation and discernment we wanted to pray with our lives what we daily pray in the Our Father, “May your will be done.” We choose to follow a path of happiness, knowing fully well in advance that we will suffer, laugh, cry, love, fall, get up, get lost and be found. Here we feel at home, the hugs get longer, the laughter echoes in the hall, and often we pray with tears and in silence, because words are not enough to express the love of God. Here we learn that there are no distances that can stand in the way of staying united. Here, like St. Augustine, we turn Love into a greater prayer. Together, we are the thousand lives for mission that St. Daniel Comboni dreamed of. We are the dream of Comboni and we dare to follow in his footsteps making it possible to have much more than a thousand lives for the mission.

Paula Sousa, CLM Portugal

The new coordinating team of the Comboni Lay Missionaries in Poland

15 October, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

The opening session of the new formation cycle for the young people in Poland who wish to become Comboni Lay Missionaries was held from September 30 through October 2. Seventeen young people from different parts of the country gathered for a process of discernment under the leadership of the new director of the CLM in Poland, Bro. Tomek Basiński, and Fr. Maciej Miąsik.

On the last day of the meeting, the new coordinating team was appointed. Kinga Piwecka (first to the left) was picked as the new coordinator and Krysia Tarnawska (first to teh right) was reappointed as treasurer. We wholeheartedly thank Michal Kędzior for the service he carried out with great dedication up to this moment, for his ability and good will.

Concluding the CLM continental meeting of America

5 October, 201624 September, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Our morning mass was presided by Father Arlindo in a very unique way, it was a reinvigorating start. The morning activities are followed with a short review of how the Central Committee and the Continental committee function according to the countries and their respective representatives. Alberto de la Portilla, guides us with an explanation of the process and functions. Everyone becomes involve in dialogue and it results in a very beneficial and fruitful discussion.

The next part of the morning is, everyone including the coordinators and or representatives of each country come together to debate on issues that were previously discussed in the previous continental meeting to conclude with a new continental proposal. The other members who assisted each country were also present in the debate.

The next part was, the new members of the Continental committee were elected by a consensus, and the two newly elected members were Marta from Mexico and Mireya from Guatemala.

The next task at hand was to approve the Motions previously worked on, in Guatemala. These motions are for the approval of the Continental final document of commitments. We move cautiously revising each motion of the past days’ work in group dialogue. We worked on this both in the early and later part of the day. After we concluded with the work at hand we took the official group picture, and finalized the day with group prayer.

In the night we concluded with a celebration to our IV CLM Continental Meeting of America.

Fr Valentin and Yessenia

The Fourth day of our CLM continental meeting of America

24 September, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

We have begun our morning invoking the presence of Saint Daniel Comboni so that we as CLM may live and follow a style of life that he lived. We have begun the first part of the morning with some presentations of mission experience of some of our CLM. Carol and Minerva share their mission experience and work that they do among the Misteco village, in Mexico. They describe and share the difficulties, obstacles, limitations and fruitful gifts they have both experienced and received. Their work among the village of the Mistecos is to accompany them by being present and being there with them. Carol and Minerva both live and share their lives with the village of the Misteco, respecting their culture and working together among them without excluding their culture values, religion, and way of doing things. Then we have a guess speaker, Juan Manuel Garcia a professor coming from a Pastoral School of the indigenous people in Mexico City, whom gives CLM formation in the area of pastoral work within this people. In between our formation class we were assigned group work, it enabled for some dialogue, and reflection of this type of pastoral work. The various groups coincided with some thoughts such as obstacles, limitations, and realizing the importance of this kind of work. The main focus and teaching that the CLM remained with is that “God’s heart is opened to all that want to know of him” which was a very enriching knowledge. In the second part of the day we have two psychologist speakers, they provided useful information and knowledge on how to communicate more effectively among each other (CLM). They used group interaction, as a dynamic to bring us together and practice our communication skills that we already possess in a more effective manner using strategies and methods.

At the end of our day we concluded with Adoration to the Blessed Sacrament and were infused with an explosion of gratitude.

(Valentín and Yessenia)

The third day of our CLM continental meeting of America

22 September, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

The Morning Prayer marked the beginning of our day with a very dynamic and colorful day that filled us with optimism. Then we worked in groups, CLM were divided into five different groups in order to contextualize and synthesize on previous points that were previously agreed on. The second part of the morning was used to form us in how to properly manage our web site: www.lmcomboni.org. Alberto de la Portilla, our coordinator of the central committee facilitated a training on how to access our web page and showed us the great advantages it offers making it possible for CLM to be connected from around the world. Also the functions, the benefits it offers such as all the useful content that can be of interest, that can be found through this medium of communication.

In the second part of the day, we have been anxiously waiting to visit the Sanctuary of the Virgen de Guadalupe, (an emblem of the Mexican town). Our pilgrimage began in the late hours of the afternoon and went throughout the evening. The mass which was presided by the Provincial of Mexico and concelebrated by four participating Comboni priests it was a very exciting time in which we all participated. This visit to the Sanctuary injected in all CLM a spirit of mission in all of us. At the end of the day we concluded with a visit to the Comboni Sisters at the Provincial house. We celebrated with them their special moment of the new election in a new chapter in Rome, the election of their Mother Superior.

(Valentín y Yessenia)