Comboni Lay Missionaries

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Missionary Experiences

Missionary outing of the CLM aspirants to saint joseph parish in Assahun-Fiagbé

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Candidatos LMC Togo enero 2025

As part of the activity program for the 2024-2025 pastoral year, the CLM aspirants organized a missionary outing to Saint Joseph Parish in Assahun-Fiagbé from January 4 to 5, 2025. The activities carried out during this mission included a talk-debate, a film screening, home visits, and the distribution of gifts to children. These actions were carried out in collaboration with the Avenir Positif association, created in 2012 by collaborators of the Comboni Missionary Sisters, aimed at promoting the well-being of children and youth.

Saturday, January 4, 2025: Start of Activities

An initial delegation composed of Jean-Baptiste GNIMASSOUN, Ernest BOTRI, Marie-Claire AWUNO, and Sister Elizabeth CORTE IMPERIAL (SMC) arrived in the village on the afternoon of Saturday, January 4, 2025. After a courtesy visit to the Parish Priest at the rectory, the team went to the parish to begin the first activities of the program.

The day began with a talk-debate on the theme: The Commitment of Young Christians in Their Parish, led by Ernest BOTRI. This discussion encouraged young people to become more involved in pastoral activities. In the evening, the screening of the film Jesus of Nazareth in the local language (Éwé) marked the end of this first day.

Sunday, January 5, 2025: Main Activities and Closing

On Sunday, January 5, the Feast of the Epiphany, a second delegation composed mainly of members of the Avenir Positif association joined the initial group. All participants attended the Sunday Mass dedicated to the children of the parish and its two sub-stations.

After the Mass, Jean-Baptiste GNIMASSOUN led an educational session on the theme: Healthy Nutrition for a Positive Future. This session raised awareness of the importance of nutrition in children’s development.

Afterward, various games with prizes were organized to entertain the children. Meanwhile, some members, accompanied by parishioners, conducted home visits to the sick and elderly. These visits provided an opportunity to share the Good News and distribute food kits.

It is also worth noting that a batch of clothing and shoes, donated by Maria Aliya, an LMC aspirant, was handed over to the Parish Priest for the needy.

The mission concluded with a distribution of gifts to the children, bringing joy and hope to many households.

Conclusion

This missionary outing was a true blessing for the Saint Joseph Parish community in Assahun-Fiagbé. It not only strengthened the bonds between the LMC aspirants and the parishioners but also provided spiritual and material support to those in need.

Ernest BOTRI

1st Christmas celebration in Piquiá da Conquista, a symbol of struggle and hope

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Brasil

On December 25, the first Christmas celebration took place in the community center of Piquiá da Conquista, in Açailândia. Comboni priests, lay missionaries and the local community, made up of the neighborhood’s new residents, gathered. Piquiá da Conquista is the result of more than a decade of struggle by the people of Piquiá de Baixo, who faced unhealthy conditions and rights violations due to industrial pollution. This mobilization resulted in a historic victory: resettlement in a dignified space, where today the families are building a new life.

Marcelo Moutinho, a psychologist and Brazilian CLM, who took part in the celebration with his wife Adriana, says: “On a visit to Maranhão, I longed to return to Piquiá da Conquista, after the construction work had been completed, to witness and together celebrate this great victory, which will become an inspiration for the various challenges that Christians face in their day-to-day mission and struggles for human rights. The CLM in Brazil, through the different presences over the many years of the struggle of Xoáncar, Ilária, Federico, Liliana, Flávio, Gabriel, Anna and other supporters, together with the community of Comboni Fathers of this parish, have actively participated in various stages of this achievement”.

The Comboni Lay Missionaries, as part of the Comboni family, work in partnership with communities to evangelize and build social justice, being signs of hope and solidarity in the most challenging contexts of the Church, such as the indigenous cause, the challenges of the urban peripheries, Restorative Justice in the prison system (APACs) and the struggle for decent housing.

The celebration was a moment of deep spirituality and fraternity, symbolizing the rebirth of life and faith. May the example of struggle and resilience of this community inspire more people to join the Comboni mission of spreading the love, justice and peace that Christmas invites us to live. After all, the true meaning of Christmas lies in building a more just and humane world together.

Adriana and Marcelo Moutinho, Brazilian CLM couple

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This is how Christmas arrived…

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Mozambique

In the midst of much struggle, demonstrations and death, Jesus is born in Mozambique. The people struggle to emerge from oppression. The pain of seeing friends suffering, mourning the loss of their loved ones also hurts me like a sharp sword. While some cry, others laugh. It’s not good to feel this pain, it’s not good to see people dying for the ambition of others.

He is our hope, the child God who is born is the hope of a people tired of suffering, of being oppressed.

We do celebrate Christmas, we rejoice at the news of the Savior’s arrival. But let’s not forget our responsibility towards those who suffer.

This is a different Christmas, with a strange feeling that mixes the joy of the arrival with the pain of a population marked by suffering.

Mozambique. Oh, my Mozambique, a land I’ve learned to love, people who make me feel Mozambican, how I wish for all this to end and for peace to come.

The Savior is born, may he come to save the Mozambican people and so many others who suffer.

Merry Christmas!

Family on mission

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Tobiasz Adela 2024

Me, Tobiasz, together with my wife, Adela, have spent already a few years on mission: two years in South Africa and over two years in Ethiopia. We came back to Poland when our son was about to be born. Five years has passed since that time and three children appeared. With our family increased by Leo (5 years), Jeremi (almost 4 years) and Beniamin (1 and a half year), we decided to refresh our missionary vocation and came back to Africa, this time for a five weeks.

We visited international CLM community in Kitelakapel, Kenya, where we were hosted by Pius, Linda and Marzenka. It was great to see such a beautiful community, having good relationship with local people and among themselves. They welcomed us warmly and made us a real part of their community for that time.

It was beginning of school holiday and we organized activities for children from the neighbourhood. They were eager to spend their time playing, and were excited to see white people the same size as they are, i.e., our children. We took part in jumuias – meetings of small communities, where they read the Bible and speak about that. After Sunday Masses we had meetings with parishoners, where we shared our understanding of God, marriage and raising up children. The words always mean less than example of life, and we hope that being there even for a few weeks only would inspire some of them to pursue the Christian vision of family.

Realities in West Pokot region are very different than those we know from Europe. Men don’t participate in the family life – people were shocked I carried Beniamin in a carrier and played with my children. Most of them don’t come to the church, sometimes not allowing their wives to come, knowing that the church don’t approve polygamy which they practice. Small children are often left alone, with the only care of their not much older sisters. On the other hand life there is beautiful in its simplicity. People are joyful and very hospitable. Surely there is much to be inspired from them and they can learn much from us as well.

We are coming back to Poland with more just good memories of exceptional trip, but with our missionary vocation refreshed. It’s possible to be a missionary staying in your home town. But staying in your home town it’s very easy not to be a missionary. We are so happy we could experience the mission again.

Tobiasz Lemański, CLM

Vocation is a call

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LMC Perú

There is always a response to God’s call, when people say yes, a celebration can be held over the years, where we can all participate to celebrate, I Lety was invited by a religious to support her Missionary Animation and so it happened from November 9 to 17, in the community of Bocja Arenal Hidalgo, a community between Actopan and Pachuca we participated.

It was a week of sharing where I participated and not alone; I was able to live it with Sandra CLM from Guadalajara, a companion of the local group and who will soon begin her community formation to be able to go out to the ad-gentes mission.

Sharing with the people our Catholic Christian Joy in the style of St. Daniel Comboni, the reason for the week of Missionary Animation was the 25th anniversary of religious life of my friend, a vocation of this place to awaken the vocation in new generations. We are grateful for all that we lived; always filled with the presence of God.

María Leticia Ordoñez. CLM Mexico