With this slogan, Manos Unidas (NGO of the Spanish Church), begins its annual campaign.
Manos Unidas has been known for supporting development projects around the world.
As Comboni Lay Missionaries, we collaborate in the campaign when we are asked to do so and we share our experience of the support received.
This year, Monsignor Jesus Ruiz, Comboni missionary and bishop of our diocese in Central African Republic, participated in a special way.
We leave you the video interview made for the campaign where we can hear the situation in the country.
Dário Bossi, an Italian Comboni missionary who has been working for years in Brazil with our CLM community, told us in the opening press conference of this year’s campaign about the situation in Brazil where our CLM are also present (his intervention from minute 25).
We also leave you the interview that Fr. Dário was given on television on the occasion of the presentation of this campaign.
A small house, a large patio, a small living room and a blue booth were the spaces for the meeting between a lay woman who acted as host, an Anglican woman, two representatives of the Hare Krishna community, an agnostic online teacher, two CLM women, a Comboni priest and the State Coordinator of Religious Affairs. The topic? To discuss whether it was possible to talk about feminism from a religious point of view. Crisol de la Alegría, Radio y Televisión was the host thanks to the invitation of Father Mario Escalera, Coordinator of Interreligious Dialogue in Monterrey.
They talked about the history of feminism, the main representatives, the struggles that women of yesteryear had to fight in order to obtain achievements that today are a normality for those of us who live in this era.
Is it possible to speak of a feminism based on religious diversity? Throughout history there has been, yes, a patriarchy that oppresses, however, religious organizations have been opening the way to talk more and more about the rights and responsibilities that women have not only in the field of associations that promote different forms of faith, but also in the daily life that sees women increasingly as important pillars of the dynamics of societies.
Is there a Secretariat for Equality and Inclusion? Yes, there are efforts in the current government such as the creation of the Secretariat for Inclusion and the Women’s Secretariat in order to promote education in the respect of women’s rights and the promotion of their powers as creative citizens, agents of change and people responsible for productive life.
What can women do from their trenches to achieve nonviolence against women? Sorority is definitely an important response. This empathy and accompaniment in the pain of a woman who has in other women a support that will lead her to discover new ways to overcome the barriers that, because of gender inequalities, are still experienced today, will help us to overcome not only violence, but also the different forms of discrimination and disadvantage.
How can we educate children to see the father-mother God without religious patriarchalism? Begin to promote the image of a God who is not only father but also mother, that is, a God who, as he presents himself, just “is,” without distinction of gender or race.
As a Christian community, how can we join the feminist struggle? It is not absurd to think of women of faith fighting from their trenches for a change that benefits not only themselves, but society in general; that seeks the integration of feminine and masculine efforts for the construction of a peaceful, supportive, inclusive world that defends dignified life and cooperation to achieve technological, social, scientific, educational, economic, political advances and, of course, a growth in our religious institutions that share a liberating faith that promotes love.
Definitely, a feminism from the faith is possible, understanding our doctrines as a source of wisdom for living together in harmony and having as a premise that it is people and not genders who should matter, because in the eyes of God, the dignity of each and every one is the same.
By: Silvia Tapia Jiménez (CLM of Monterrey, N.L., Mexico)
We leave you here a very interesting interview with Valdeci Ferreira, Brazilian CLM who has 39 years dedicated to recovering people who have failed in their lives and have been imprisoned.
He explains to us the APAC method where the recuperandos (prisoners) themselves hold the keys to the prison, help each other and where the person is recovered for society. “No one is impossible to recover” is one of the slogans of APACs and that make possible this dream of giving a new possibility to those who one day made a mistake.
PS. It is in Portuguese but subtitles can be added.
The Comboni Lay Missionaries of Brazil began the year 2023 with the organization of the face-to-face meeting of the CLM Formative Itinerary that took place from January 15 to 23, at Piquiá in Açailândia/MA. This region is one of the oldest and most continuous presence of the CLM and is a reference point for the work as Comboni Family in the Cause of Justice and Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC).
Leonel from Curitiba/PR, Dhenny from Balsas/MA, Diana from Fortaleza/CE and Tranquillo from Serra/ES participated in this beautiful moment of formation, sharing and visits.
This period of living together aims to be a special moment in the discernment process that is already entering its second year, in view of the call of the CLM to serve the Kingdom. It is an opportunity to deepen on Vocation as a call from God, the option and the lifestyle and mission. During these days, the theme of the Social Teaching of the Church was emphasized, with a focus on JPIC – Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, with theoretical formations and visits made to various existing initiatives in the region.
An important moment to reread life and faith and, as baptized people, to rediscover the missionary dimension. “Am I baptized? Then I must be a missionary, otherwise I am not a Christian” (Pedro Casaldáliga).
On the rails of love and friendship our train travels through life.
They were days of learning, living together, and getting cozy. Our itinerary, just like a train trip, takes us to visit places, enjoy the landscape, and enjoy the conviviality of those who share the same faith and walk the same path.
Coming from the four corners, gathered in the small and stunning Piquiá, four people (Diana, Dhenny, Leonel and Tranqüillo) who seek to know and to get to know each other, to learn and to teach, to experience and to dream, together for one more step towards the Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM) station. This will not be the final station, but the first one, the one that will allow us to follow even more distant trails and tracks.
In our backpack, only what is necessary: the Word of God, a few clothes, many doubts and fears, some small change, and an enormous desire to live it all. We are counting only on our spirituality and on dedicated and abdicated people: Cristina, Marcelo, Adriana, Alexander, Father Carlos, João Carlos, Dida, Father Joseph, Flávio, Liliana and Father Silvério. People who have traveled these paths in the most varied ways and means. People who have opened roads and laid tracks.
Our train set off and on its way received people. People who had fun, people who suffered. People who taught us a lot, not only with their words, but with their actions, their attitudes, and with their lives. To believe that we are transforming agents. That we transform harsh realities of exploitation, deceit, and death into a kingdom of life, sharing, and faith.
Behind bars, we are able to recognize those people who are unwanted, mistreated and excluded from life. People who are able to smile and live again, all it takes is for a young person to feel uncomfortable with the suffering of others, to put together their knowledge and their will, and to serve on the frontiers of imprisonment. Marcelo, thank you for teaching us that stubbornness makes us remove bars and walls in our lives and in the lives of many others.
We got off the train to meet the people of Piquiá. We visited, we walked through hot and dusty streets. But we didn’t walk alone. We counted on the company and the joy of serving Mr. José Albino, Mr. Celso, Dona Margarida and so many other people who come together to celebrate faith and share life. And off we went. In the midst of the people. The sun that illuminates the path and leaves a mark on our skin. We are marked by the words and smiles received. By eyes that don’t see, by hands that don’t touch, by people who are bedridden and badly treated, but resilient and strong. People of faith.
On these paths of life, we are required to make choices. Faced with a reality we have the road to the left and the road to the right. Our answer will always be yes. We will always make the decision to take the road that leads to the Kingdom of God and the poor. Alexander is one of those few who had the courage and the willingness to say the Yes to vocation. A vocation to place himself in the midst of the poor, to serve the most needy, and to help the socially invisible. Alexander teaches us, with his Spanish Portuguese, to learn hard lessons of detachment, to leave the comfortable place in which we were born and forged. With his doubts and questionings, his will to get things done, Alex (as we call him) boards our train and travels with us all along this trail.
On 18th of December 2022, two candidates were commissioned, Maria and Belinda, who were undergoing formation. They have become officially Comboni Lay Missionaries, in the presence of MCCJ Fathers, parents of the candidates and other members of the Comboni Family. The celebration took place at St Daniel Comboni in Huruma, Kariobangi parish. We are overwhelmed with joy, congratulations to them!
Maria and Belinda, after receiving the cross as symbol of their new responsibilities as CLM
On Christmas, some members joined the international community in Kitelakapel (Linda and Pius) to celebrate with them. They shared some beautiful moments and we also watched an amazing movie together as a community.
Christmas team in Kitelakapel (Fr. Maciek, Pius, Mercy, Linda and Neema)
In conjunction, we were invited to facilitate the youth retreat with the mccj at Chelopoy, Amakuriat parish, which was held from 26th to 29th December. This is a great achievement for us, as we are now extending our collaboration with the MCCJ also beyond our own parish.
With the team of facilitators in Chelopoy, Amakuriat parish, West Pokot
Just recently, at the beginning of January 2023, we had our assembly, where we planned and budgeted our activities for this year. We confirmed in their roles the leaders of the previous year, since they have to serve a term of 2 years.
In addition, we decided to add more roles and therefore nominated new leaders, so they can help the existing ones to make things run smoothly. To this purpose, we added the communications and projects coordinators.
We also included in our plan inputs from the African assembly in Benin, reviewed our constitution and later on had a moment of socialization, which did mark our occasion successfully.
We also included a new aspect in our formation meetings, as we decided to add to our monthly meetings moments of service in organisations, like visiting children’s homes and etc. For example, on the last day of our meeting we spent some time at the center of the sisters of charity, helping them looking after a group of disabled children.
We thank the Lord for all these fruitful events, the work we have done so far, the small and big achievements we have attained, the enthusiasm and commitment He has filled us with, and we trust that He will accompany us even more in the year that has just started, wishing a wonderful new start to all the other groups of CLM out there!!!
CLM Kenya
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