This Sunday (20), the Father Ezequiel Ramin Community celebrated a historic and symbolic milestone: the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Comboni missionary Ezequiel Ramin and also the 40th anniversary of the existence of the community that bears his name, in the municipality of Mirante da Serra (RO). The event brought together around 300 people, with representatives from neighboring communities and the Father Ezequiel Settlement, which also celebrates 25 years of its foundation.
The celebration was part of the 10th Pilgrimage of Father Ezequiel Ramin, which will take place on July 27th at the Fr. Ezequiel Ramin Community in Rondolândia, Mato Grosso. The Pilgrimage aims to keep alive the memory of the young missionary, who dedicated his life to defending the poor, rural workers, and indigenous peoples of the Amazon.
One of the most moving moments of the celebration was the presence and testimony of Fabiano Ramin, Father Ezequiel’s younger brother, who came from Italy especially to participate in the program commemorating the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom and the founding of the community. In his speech, marked by restrained emotion and profound gratitude, Fabiano emphasized the power of the memory that remains alive among the people Ezequiel chose to serve with his life.
“I feel like crying, but I won’t. Old people feel like crying when they’re very emotional. So, I’m in that situation. I’m the youngest of the Ramin family, and I’m very grateful to you for this celebration, for this occasion that commemorates not only the murder of Father Ezequiel, but also the birth of the community, the baptism of a people who continue to fight.”
He emphasized that the celebration is not just a remembrance of the past, but an act of hope and continuity: “I’m very happy to see that this community is alive. It fights, resists, and organizes itself. As the parish priest said, it requires sacrifice, time, and effort. The Christian mission, as Ezekiel wrote, is proclamation and denunciation. Denouncing injustice is part of faith. And you continue this mission.”
The presence of Comboni missionaries in Mirante da Serra throughout Missionary Week reaffirmed the continuity of the charism and mission of Father Ezequiel Ramin, who was also a Comboni missionary. They participated in pastoral activities, home visits, and moments of listening and prayer with the families of Our Lady of Migrants Parish, Diocese of Ji-Paraná.
The missionary presence reinforces the international and liberating dimension of the Church in the Amazon—a Church that walks with the people, listening to their pain and hopes. By visiting homes, the Comboni Missionaries strengthened community bonds and also revived Ezekiel’s missionary spirit: a faith that denounces injustice and proclaims hope.
The celebration continued with a community lunch, listening to residents, a performance by Clown Liro and closing with community bingo.
One of the most symbolic moments was the mystical performance performed by young people from the community, which portrayed the struggle for land and denounced the structures that led to Father Ezequiel’s martyrdom: “He was murdered because he defended the landless, the squatters, the indigenous people. Because he believed in a just society.“
“Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Corinthians 3:7)
On July 5, we had the opportunity to carry out a missionary day in the community of León El Manzanillo, an enriching experience for both us and the local residents. During the morning, we visited community members in their homes, approaching them with the purpose of informing them about the initiatives we had planned for that day. We also took advantage of each conversation to introduce ourselves as a missionary group and extend a special invitation to participate in the monthly celebration of the Eucharist, which takes place on the second Sunday of each month.
In the afternoon, we shared with those in attendance a brief reflection on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, seeking to spread his message of love and mercy. The day ended with a practical workshop focused on caring for the environment, during which we taught how to make baskets using recycled newspaper, thus fostering creativity and ecological awareness.
As we mentioned, one of the objectives of the missionary work in Manzanillo is for the inhabitants to participate in the Eucharist. After sowing the seed and continuing to water it, it is God who will take care of its growth in their hearts. On Sunday the 13th, some of our members accompanied the community in the Eucharist and noticed that more people attended, which gives us great joy because the Eucharist is the center of our faith.
Gathering on July 20
On Sunday, July 20, in addition to sharing as a community and reviewing our missionary work, we received the following formation topics:
The first proclamation and the missionary role
As missionaries, we must remember that our work does not focus on worrying about results, for triumphs or failures are not evaluated according to human parameters. The essential thing is that when we sow the seed of God’s love, we trust that it will be the Lord who will take care of the harvest. Within the content of the proclamation of the Kerygma, we reflected on the main idea: God is a loving Father who loves us personally and unconditionally. His love does not depend on our being good, but on His being good. However, we may not experience this divine love because of sin, from which we cannot free ourselves by our own strength. Likewise, we cannot defeat our main enemies on our own: the world, the flesh, and Satan. Therefore, we need salvation.
But THE GOOD NEWS is that Jesus has already saved and forgiven us by paying our debt with the sacrifice of his blood. By dying and rising again for us, he has given us new life as children of God, a gift we can receive by believing in him, trusting in his love, and continually converting ourselves. A true encounter with Christ leads us to become part of his body and brings us closer to our brothers and sisters, especially those most in need, in order to build the Kingdom of God.
This central message must be adapted to the particularities of each person, considering the different levels of spiritual development in which they may find themselves. Therefore, when proclaiming the GOOD NEWS, we must first analyze individual needs and develop an appropriate plan that responds to them.
Consciousness
Human beings are made up of three fundamental areas which, although closely interconnected, are analyzed separately in order to better understand and address them. These areas are: the mind, the body, and the spirit.
Consciousness is an inner force that allows us to discern and make sense of every situation in our lives. It plays a crucial role in the search for purpose, helping us to identify meaningful values, goals, and objectives.
To illustrate the concept of consciousness, the parable of the compass was presented as a metaphor:
Direction: symbolizes the most relevant goal in a person’s life.
The body of the compass: represents the individual’s mindset.
Needle: reflects a specific responsibility necessary to achieve the goal.
It is important to foster both social awareness and personal awareness. Social awareness involves having empathy for the perspectives and emotions of those around us, respecting collective norms, and behaving responsibly within the community. On the other hand, personal awareness is oriented toward introspection, managing our emotions, understanding our feelings, thoughts, and the way we interact with others.
By cultivating our awareness as part of our integral development, we take a firm step toward authentic freedom.
“I would like to say something special to those of you who are sensitive to beautiful things: have a dream! Cultivate a beautiful dream and follow it throughout your life! A life that has a dream is a happy life. A life that follows a dream is a life that is renewed every day. Our life, which seems long, is actually short. May your dream make not only everyone happy, but also future generations. It is beautiful to dream of making all humanity happy. It is not impossible!” – Ezequiel Ramin
Father Ezequiel Ramin, a Comboni missionary, wrote this text four years before he was brutally murdered by gunmen on July 24, 1985, in Cacoal, in the state of Rondônia, at the age of 32. He had a dream. The dream of the Kingdom of God. He embraced the cause of the poorest. He died defending the small and unjustly treated, farmers and indigenous people. This year we commemorate the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom of Father Ezequiel Ramin, martyr of justice in the Amazon.
It is estimated that more than two thousand people from Rondônia and other parts of Brazil and the world participated in the 10th Fr. Ezequiel Ramin Pilgrimage and commemorated his martyrdom in Cacoal/RO and Rondolândia/MT on July 26 and 27. In 2025, the Comboni missionaries will also mark 50 years of presence in Rondônia.
May the testimony of Ezequiel Ramin encourage us in our mission.
“If my life belongs to you, my death also belongs to you.” – E. Ramin
After a long time, we are finally able to write and give you news about this important and delicate humanitarian aid project, which we are developing and carrying out with all our heart and strength.
We are involved in many projects and activities, and we are trying to do our best for the good of these people. We left you with news of an initial emergency intervention supported by our missionary team (lay people together with the Comboni Fathers) working in the parish of Carapira.
If you remember, on the day of the cyclone, we gathered together and opened the doors of the church and other buildings to welcome the displaced people affected and, as a first response, provide them with food and shelter for the night. A few days after the disaster, the district of Monapo, which had intervened with some associations to support these families, asked us for help in reaching as many people as possible. Of course, we did not back down and we supported everything until the situation became a little complicated, because some people were not receiving aid. After various interventions together with them, we perceived and intuited that the support that needed to be given had to take a different form, so we asked ourselves what would be the most appropriate way to help and how. Because let’s face it, we are all capable of giving things and we can all call ourselves missionaries, but the right question is: how can I help them to really give support? So that they can continue to have a dignified life? So that they do not remain in a situation of dependence, but can build their lives from this experience! From this profound question, all our reasoning as a missionary team began, putting all the risks and possibilities on the table. The Lord is great!
From these reflections and seeing the general situation a little more broadly, we started immediately, conducting a general census of our parish, that is, of all 98 communities that comprise it, together with all our regional representatives and the people who work with us in the various ministries, involving every elder of the community and the communities themselves. We assure you that even this first step was not easy, because communicating with everyone in a place where most people do not have a telephone, plus the great distances that separate us from some regions and not having means of transportation, took time. Then Cyclone Jude destroyed some bridges, so it was also difficult for us to reach certain areas by car. (There are some areas that are still inaccessible.) This is to give you an idea of how basic life is and how long it takes to get things done. Starting from this initial census, there were many questions: Who do we help? How many communities? What criteria do we use to choose? How? And if someone comes to us for help, what do we do? But here too, Providence was immense, and all this could only open our eyes even wider, and we were truly amazed at how much good and concrete help came from you! From these initial questions, which on the one hand weighed heavily on us, trying to help/make a difference without excluding anyone, in truth, little by little, all the pieces fell into place. Obviously, we always intervened immediately with food and first aid/help whenever they came knocking on our door. But let’s get to the beauty that was achieved thanks to each one of you.
As mentioned earlier, given the long distances that the regional representatives had to travel, we started by buying five bicycles, one for each regional representative, and delivered them to each of them at the parish council. It was impossible to give a bicycle to all the participants in the various ministries of the parish because there are so many of them, but at least it was a first step for the regional leaders who are always running around their region and their beloved communities, thus helping them to reduce the time it takes to reach the various communities in their region. We started with these five regional leaders to conduct an internal census in each of their communities together with each elder and each area leader responsible for their own area. In the end, your generosity allowed us to help build a house in each community, for a total of 98 houses, for the poorest and most needy families that they themselves identified… The house will not be made of brick, because the costs are exorbitant and we will never be able to intervene with everyone and on a large scale, but here too we have considered supporting the construction of a house with a wooden pole structure and the side structure will be made with blocks of mud mixed with cement, which means a stronger and more durable house… Then the roof will be built with bamboo and a large, strong, resistant tarpaulin that insulates to keep water out, all donated thanks to your great support… Each community will commit to the construction itself by providing manual labor, commitment, and enthusiasm.
We have also intervened to support the construction of almost 30 brick chapels for the moment… they are already working to try to complete the work before the rainy season arrives and, above all, before more cyclones hit. The chapels will be built in brick because, in the future, with more cyclones, they can be used as shelters for displaced people.
You really cannot imagine their happiness, the little hope you have kindled in their hearts despite the many difficulties they face every day… Just think that Carapira is called ‘little Italy’ by the people: they have great esteem for us Italians because, apart from the help they have received, they have always found Italian missionaries who have loved them dearly!
But that’s not all… in addition to helping with houses, chapels, etc., we have bought blankets, mosquito nets, soap, etc., so that we can distribute them to other families and thus reach more people in need.
Some of the missionary team, in particular Wiston and Maria Augusta, with great joy and passion, are also taking a course in natural medicine and are going to various regions to teach basic first aid, since they cannot afford to buy medicines, nor can they find them, and also because after the cyclone the health situation has become much more complicated (simple malaria kills many people every day). Now, little by little, we are building a small nursery for natural medicine plants, and in time we would like to give them these small plants or at least be able to support them a little in medicine… other future ideas: working on the seeds to give them, etc.
So there is no shortage of work, and despite the many hardships we experience every day and share with them, we are not lacking in joy. On the contrary, we give thanks and pray that the Lord will always keep us healthy and build a path for us to remain in the future.
We are grateful to life for this journey, for your continued trust in us, and we do not have enough words to thank you personally. We know the importance of transparency and its value, and every day we fight for a better world and for dignity, especially for the poorest and most distant.
Thank you for believing in us and continuing to walk with us, never leaving us alone, but rather making us feel like family and co-responsible. Knowing how to choose every day and live true values is important for the good of all. Therefore, we feel very responsible for what we receive and towards all of you, and we apologize again if we are unable to respond immediately because so many of you write to us and we are busy on a thousand fronts, but, in our own time, we will get there.
We also have some big news that we want to share. For the brave and not so brave who would like to come and see and touch with their own hands what we do, we invite you to spend some time with us. What we can offer you is certainly a lot of fun, the joy of welcoming you, and a great opportunity for us to open our hearts and learn about the mission that belongs to everyone… and what you will experience firsthand is true humanity and a people who will welcome and love you. What will you take home with you?
Real life and humanity lived… but we will leave that for you to discover… and for those who are ‘afraid’ of malaria, don’t worry, a little prevention during your stay and you won’t notice a thing. We are waiting for you to come and live this life with us because we are all missionaries! This mission will certainly be a mission among the people… but we will leave it to you to discover its beauty!
With great affection, esteem, and gratitude, we send you a big hug; for those we are unable to hug in Italy, we look forward to seeing you in Mozambique for an experience you will remember for a lifetime!
It was with great faith and joy that on Sunday, July 13, in the presence of the communities and the people of God in general, several priests, and the rector of the diocesan seminary, Holy Mass was celebrated, presided over by Dom Inácio Saúre, I.M.C., Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Nampula and president of CEM (Episcopal Commission of Mozambique).
As part of the 75th anniversary celebration, how beautiful was the shared lunch and the afternoon with cultural moments presented by the parish communities!
This beautiful moment of faith ended with the parish priest’s blessing to the faithful.
Tito, LMC in Mozambique
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