Missionary Experiences – Page 29 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Book: We are mission

14 September, 2020 by Alberto de la Portilla

“Creation itself awaits with eager expectation the Revelation of the Children of God” (Rom 8, 19).

Dear members of the comboni family in the name of our Lord Jesus, we greet you warmly!

As you remember well, about two years ago, the first volume was published, entitled: “Be the change you want to see in the world“, where were collected the ideas which animate us and guide us in a particular way within the paths inherent to JPIC. These paths, in turn, were also made possible by the meetings of the World Social Forums (FSM) and the Forums organized as Comboni Family in conjunction with the FSM. In 150 years of History and Life, our Institutes have been enriched by a great ministerial experience thanks mainly to the dedication of many missionaries of our comboni family who have interpreted with creativity and apostolic passion the specificity of our Charism.

This second volume entitled: “We are mission: witnesses of social ministry in the Comboni family“, presents a significant range of concrete ministerial experiences, chosen among many others. Our desire is that sharing them will help us to value what we already do, thanks to the Gift of the Holy Spirit and our personal and community responses. In addition, this plurality of shared experiences helps us to appreciate the different Comboni ministerial actions that complement and enrich each other, revealing the richness of the Charism in a growing dynamism.

We ask our Provincial Superiors to take care in distributing printed copies to all communities and also the digital copy translated in four languages, so that all and everyone can enjoy the work done together and in collaboration with more than 40 Comboni missionaries.

We thank the members of the Commission on Social Ministry of the Comboni Family who worked with passion and expertise for the publication of this second volume and also facilitated the work of mapping of our Comboni initiatives on social ministry around the world. In December 2020, Covid-19 permitting, will be held the Forum on Social Ministeriality in Rome.

These initiatives and activities are part of a great journey of synergy and collaboration of the members of the Commission and of many confreres and sisters, who will surely bring enthusiasm and openness to newness to which the Lord is guiding us. All this requires, however, on the part of the whole Comboni Family a great opening of heart, mind, creativity, and commitment that we entrust to the intercession of our great founder San Daniele Comboni.

Mary, Woman of the Gospel teach us to announce your Son Jesus in our ministerial commitment!

Sr. Luigia Coccia, smc Fr. Tesfaye Tadesse, mccj

You can download the book following this link

Mission in Ethiopia

26 August, 2020 by Alberto de la Portilla

To discover the mission and take care of it is also to look at small faces and images that capture the immense joy of being a mission, in this case, among the GUMUZ. The Gumuz (inhabitants of the Benishangul-Gumuz region) are the people that God has destined to our CLM friends in Ethiopia as a place of mission and sharing. They went there to find love and today, in this video, we see a little (just a little…) of what missionary work is. The rest of what can be shared (and which is a lot) remains for a good conversation and listening to the testimony of these missionaries.

Ethiopian CLM

Pilgrimage of the Servant of God Ezekiel Ramin – 2020

15 July, 2020 by Alberto de la Portilla

“Martyr to the earth and to God’s dream! Remember the 35 years of his martyrdom!”

On 24 July 2020 we will celebrate 35 years of remembrance of the martyrdom of the Servant of God, Fr. Ezekiel Ramin, a Comboni Missionary killed in Rondonia for defending the lives of the indigenous peoples and landless families.

This year it will not be possible to celebrate the pilgrimage of Fr. Ezequiel as we always do in Cacoal/RO and Rondolância/MT, with many people because of the COVID 19.

The COVID at the same time calls us to prudence and solidarity, especially with the most threatened territories, with our beloved Amazonia, the Indigenous Peoples and the native populations. Therefore, we will celebrate this pilgrimage in a different way, involving many more people throughout Brazil.

Throughout the days we will have a programme with various activities that will be transmitted live, always at 8 p.m. (from Brasilia) and through the Comboni-Brazil YouTube channel. There will also be daily videos with testimonies in memory of Fr Ezequiel.

We are together in this pilgrimage of Fr. Ezequiel which will extend throughout Brazil. Let us walk in defence of life! In defence of the Amazon!

Programming:

July 19th at 8 pm. – Missionary Vocation Vigil in memory of Fr. Ezequiel Ramin International Comboni Scholasticate /SP

20 July at 8 p.m. – Conversation round with Don Roque Paloschi, Archbishop of Porto Velho/RO and president of CIMI, with CPT/RO and with Fr. “35 years of the martyrdom of Fr. Ezequiel Ramin: a prophetic witness in defence of the indigenous peoples and landless families”.

TRÍDUO IN MEMORY of Fr. Ezequiel Ramin:

DAY 21/07 – 20h – 1st day of the Triduum (from the Community of Curitiba/PR)

Day 22/07 – 20h – 2nd Triduum day (from Contagem/MG Community)

Day 23/07 – 20h – 3rd day of the Triduum (from the Community of Piquiá/MA)

Day 24/07 – 20h – Eucharistic celebration of thanksgiving by Father Ezekiel Ramin and as a collective commitment in defense of Life. (from the SP Community).

Comboni Family Brazil

European CLM online meeting

14 July, 2020 by Alberto de la Portilla

This past weekend we had the opportunity to meet online at a European level.

The meeting organized by the European Committee for all the CLM from the different countries had as its central theme “The challenges of living our missionary vocation as lay people in Europe“.

We had the opportunity to expose each country’s reality. Many of the contributions helped us to enter into the reality of the Church in Europe, the difficulties we are finding in sharing our faith, the decline of religiosity and religious culture among young people and the lack of vocations.

The geographical component of the mission is something that we are gradually overcoming and together we are discovering the missionary needs that we find in Europe. The old continent needs our missionary presence, the hope of the Gospel and solidarity, which is an expression of our faith, among the most vulnerable groups.

We had the opportunity to expose each country’s reality. Many of the contributions helped us to enter into the reality of the Church in Europe, the difficulties we are finding in sharing our faith, the decline of religiosity and religious culture among young people and the lack of vocations.

The experiences of each of the five groups give us new ideas to be present in these moments where people need a hopeful presence.

To rediscover the video calls as a way to remain united, to pray together, to continue our formation and to carry out solidarity actions. We have rediscovered the domestic Church, responsible and protagonist of its faith.

The confinement that at first disconcerted us gave place to numerous initiatives that allowed us to remain united and in prayer and at the same time initiatives that we were opening up to others who were also seeking to share and continue to grow in those moments.

We also shared the difficulties of mobility at this time and how this has affected our companions who were already ready to leave the country to serve in America or Africa.

These are moments in which we must be in solidarity with all those who are having a hard time. The difficulties are becoming more acute for many, especially for those who were already on the lowest rung of the ladder, such as the immigrant population and other precarious sectors. On the other hand, we must remain attentive to the needs of our brothers and sisters in other continents. The pandemic is hitting almost every country and even those that do not suffer a large number of cases are being punished economically by the need to confine their population. Now more than ever we understand how small and needy our common house is and the need for solidarity among us all.

We must be part of a change of priorities in today’s world, continue to be committed to the education of the young so that they grow up knowing this need, but at the same time continue to fight for a more fair world from wherever we are.

Europe is a place of missionary presence, of a missionary presence which is close to the people and a sign of hope among the most needy of the continent (materially and spiritually because we cannot forget that to nourish this spirit and the values which make a more united society possible is fundamental). But at the same time a missionary presence that continues to open Europe to the world, motivating towards responsibility for a better, more human and more fraternal world. That it puts an end to the inequalities that the economic system imposes in so many countries, placing the person at the center and where the economy and the structures are put at the service of human beings.

The mission remains more necessary than ever. To announce that we are all brothers and sisters, that we must be in solidarity with one another, building a better world for all, caring for nature which is on loan from future generations and allowing a dignified life for all the peoples of the earth.

Our meeting ended with a prayer where each one, in their own language, could share hopes, petitions and give thanks by placing everything in the hands of the Father who takes care of us and accompanies us.

Comboni said that if he had a thousand lives he would give them all for the mission. We want to offer ours and we want to encourage all of you who share these concerns to join us in this great work which is so necessary.

Greetings

Alberto de la Portilla

Guatemala in time´s of COVID

22 June, 2020 by Alberto de la Portilla

The Comboni Lay Missionaries of Guatemala are concerned with the proclamation of the Kingdom in an integral way: being there, teaching, evangelizing with doctrine and witness, sharing some bread, some refreshments, giving a little monthly help, both in Santa Cruz Chinautla and in the Chispuditos programme. Our material resources are few, however, God has allowed us to remain in his works, our greatest resource is the desire to proclaim God’s love.

Love, the driving force, the charism of Comboni, the way:

“We will have to work hard, sweat, die; but thinking that one sweats and dies is for the love of Jesus Christ and the salvation of the most abandoned souls in this world, I find the necessary consolation not to give up in this great undertaking“.

(St. Daniel Comboni)

These times of COVID, in which it is forbidden to “be” with people, to “tire and sweat”, literally, is not possible. This has been a time for reflection, for reorganization of the mission, it has been necessary to make an effort to discover, with God’s help, how it is possible to announce Jesus from the “passivity” of our house. At the beginning of the pandemic, uncertainty, some optimism as well, we thought it would be a matter of only a couple of months, we have been here for three months already, and the health crisis currently being experienced in our country is going through the most critical days.

It has become necessary to find a way to at least take something… however little it may be… Fr. Roberto, parish priest of Santa Cruz Chinautla, told us. This suddenly makes us feel as if we were some kind of philanthropists, and not missionaries announcing Jesus. It was time to be on the social networks to raise funds, and to bring only things, not presence, not sharing time, not “be”. It seems that we are carrying out the mission in the style of Comboni, half way.

The Catechism of the Church says: “With the help of the Holy Spirit, Christians must distinguish between the growth of the Kingdom of God and the progress of the culture and promotion of society in which they are involved. This distinction is not a separation. Man’s vocation to eternal life does not suppress but rather reinforces his duty to put into practice the energy and means received from the Creator to serve justice and peace in this world”. (CEC 2820)

In other words, the Church shows that we are on the right path. And I offer, together with the present missionary action, the following prayer:

“Lord, more than the material, make people receive hope, and believe in your love and in your presence always, especially in the most difficult moments“.

“…Holy and capable. The one without the other is worth little to the one who follows the apostolic career. …The missionary must go to heaven accompanied by saved souls. And although they must first of all be holy, that is, completely free from sin and offense against God, and humble, this is not enough: they need to have charity, which is what makes them capable”. (St. Daniel Comboni)

Lily Portillo

CLM-PCA, Guatemala