Comboni Lay Missionaries

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Formation

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

by
LMC Ghana

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

by
LMC Mexico

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

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Espiritualidad comboniana

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.

The beginning of a vocation

by
Candidatos Benin

The desire to belong to the Comboni Family motivated Lucien and Ulrich- in Benin_ to contact Alberto through the blog. Alberto led them to the Coordinator in the Province who contacted the two friends. They started thinking together on the best way forward. The chaplain was contacted and Brother Pascal who accompanies the group of Friends of Comboni in Benin was informed.

To bring together all the friend candidates in the province Togo-Ghana-Benin, a WhatsApp platform was created. Online meetings started for us to know one another and to help each one to have an idea about CLM realities in the world. Through this platform, communication was established and necessary information shared. Some CLM resolutions were also shared for each candidate to have an idea on the vocation and mission of CLM.

For a while, the two friends far from each other, couldn’t communicate if not via phone calls and online meetings. But the ardent desire to journey together burning in them prompted Lucien to move from Bohicon to Cotonou -about 125km- to visit Ulrich. This encounter was so wished by each one and the visit was a success and Lucien was received warmly according to his testimony. Now that they met, it is left with the formation to start. By God’s grace, this 17th September, 2023 at St. Francis of Assisi Parish of Fidzrosse (Republic of Benin), at Bakandja Catechetical Center, the first formative gathering was carried out. Together with two members of the group of Friends of Comboni, Lucien and Ulrich heard the sharing of Father Eugenio about “Obedience”. In the sharing, Father Eugenio has presented the life of Jesus Christ as the perfect example of obedience. Jesus, indeed, was obedient till death, death on the Cross. The second example, continued Father, was St. Daniel Comboni who followed on the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Comboni didn’t hesitate when his vocation for the mission in Africa was confirmed to him by Father Marani (W.13). We are called to do the same.

The two friends, Lucien and Ulrich were so impressed by the sharing, because Father Eugenio, they said, went into depth with some concrete realities of this evangelical counsel.

They are, thenceforth, determined to continue the journey and wait impatiently for the second formative sharing.

Justin Nougnui, CLM coordinator.

“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel” (Mk 16, 15)

by
LMC Ghana

It is driven by this call that six of our members left their houses and gathered at Immaculate Center in the Sacred Heart Parish of Bakpa-Avedo in the Volta Region, Ghana.

The gathering started this Thursday evening. Justin Nougnui, Benjamin Amekor and Gifty Aziedu joined Christian Wotormenyo at the Center. They were joined the following day by Frank Amenyo and Valentine Sewovi.

During the Eucharistic Celebration Thursday evening, commemorating the feast of the Apostle Matthew, our group was welcomed by the church and Father Senyo the parish priest. Father Senyo met us later to guide us for our evangelizing activity. The experience was in three folds.

  • Community life

We were six for this experience. It was an opportunity to live together. We prayed together, ate at the same table, participated in the Eucharistic Celebration with other faithful of the parish, thought and planned together. Living together as brothers and sister was really “sweet” (Ps. 133,1). The sweetness and happiness were enhanced with some funny stories from our elderly members Christian and mostly Benjamin and also by recalling some past experience from Cape Coast, Esse-Ana and Cotonou. Each one of us contributed in various ways for the success of our presence.

  • Formation

We gathered also to form ourselves. “Mission of CLM in the church and the society” was shared by the coordinator. After explaining the concept of “Lay person” in general and “CLM” in particular, he laid emphasis on our responsibilities as CLM. The main aspects of our mission are Evangelization, Mission Animation, Vocation promotion and Justice, Peace and Integrity of the Creation (JPIC). The JPIC supposes also our knowledge of the Social Teaching of the Church. This aspect, though part of Evangelization, is a great horizon for us CLM to explore and develop as living in the society. The Encyclical Letter, Laudato si of the Holy Father Francis will be of great help.

The second topic was shared by Christian who is the Principal of Immaculate Vocational and Technical Institute, a place we are dreaming to own one day. He shared with us on the Center, what work and training are done and the challenges the Center was facing.

  • Pastoral activities

At Avedo itself, we moved from house to house indiscriminately. We greeted our brothers and sisters, wished them well and invited those that are not Christians to join us. We met healthy and sick people, prayed for the sick and recommended in our report to the parish priest a continual visitation to all but especially to the sick.

We also did house visitation at Agortakpo an outstation. But, contrary to how it was done at Avedo, we went purposely to those that have stopped coming to church. Some promised us to re-start.

In the outstation, we interacted with the faithful. It is an old station but full of young people. With a zealous leadership of the catechist Julius Kotoku, the head-christian Foster Agbanyo and the choir leader Veronica, the station is doing well. We encouraged them to meet often not only on Sundays. We also showed them a film “Jesus of Nazareth” in Ewe (local language).

We couldn’t reach two other stations assigned to us by the parish priest for the bad state of the road during this rainy season. We tried one but return on the way.

We are grateful to the Master of the Vineyard whose call we are trying to respond generously. May He strengthen us in our CLM journey. We are also grateful to each and every one who in one way or the other facilitated this experience of ours.

Justin Nougnui, CLM.