Missionary Experiences – Page 61 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Mission News from the Republic of Central Africa

5 May, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

The Comboni Lay Missionary María Augusta Pires, who is stationed in Mongoumba, CAR sends us news whenever she goes through Bangui, the capital, which is the only place where she can find internet access. Here you find the latest news she sent last April.

This time I returned to Bangui early after one month. Since I was feeling tired, I took a test for malaria and it turned out positive. I have started the treatment while the symptoms are still few, so that the reaction to the medication will be less strong and there is less pain. Ana had malaria two weeks ago and feels tired, because we had with us a dentist from Poland and she accompanied her all the time for almost three weeks. In each village there were lots of teeth to be pulled. There was no possibility to treat cavities because we could not move the equipment. Thanks be to God, it helped lots of people who were in pain. Ordinarily this can be done only in Bangui and it is very expensive, with one extraction costing about F10,000 ($18). Some people needed two or three extractions and we charge a symbolic F500, which is less than $1.00.

Fr. Fernando and Fr. Jesús are fine, thanks be to God. Fr. Samuel had malaria early in March and again last week. Now he has typhoid fever (Salmonella). He will have to take one or two antibiotics. May the Lord help him to get well soon… he is a little discouraged… Please, pray for him.

María, a Pygmy woman who has cancer, was feeling a little better. But last week she started having serious diarrhea. We gave her medication to stop it, but it did not. So we started the malaria treatment with injections and immediately she improved. She has slimmed down a lot and now she needs better food. We shared our food with her to give her a more varied diet and we hope she will improve faster. Let us continue to pray to Mary and to her son Jesus.

Last week, twins were born to a mother without milk and she needed help. At this time we are taking care of nine babies. With God’s help and the generosity of those who share to help the poorest, we can work with joy and so share things with those around us.

Two weeks ago, while I was visiting the sick in the hospital, I met a woman who had had a cesarean but who, after three days, still had no milk. They asked me for milk, but I insisted that she needed to do all in her power first to make it come. So I gave her a menthol infusion and on the second day, it started coming a little. We repeated it for two more days and, thanks be to God, Patrice began to suckle well. Mother’s milk is always the best and even more here where milk is very expensive and the hygienic conditions are very poor (the hygienic care of the baby bottles and of the water used to mix the milk). A year supply of baby milk costs about $450. Very few families can afford to buy it.

During Lent, the Wednesday Mass is said in a neighborhood and on Friday the way of the Cross takes place in the same neighborhood. On Friday it will the youth of the whole parish who will take part in the JMJ. On Saturday we will have formation and on Palm Sunday it will be a great celebration. Last week, the catechumens [people preparing to be baptized] of the third year had a three day retreat and on Sunday they received the Oil of Catechumens. Since they are many, it is easier to celebrate baptism in stages.

A new CLM, Simone, who is from Italy, has arrived. He is here learning French in Bangui and we still do not know where he will go to study Sango [the local language].

I have read with joy the entire Astrolabios messages [she gets them by e-mail] and pray that the visit of D. Virgilio will yield much fruit in the future. May the pastoral visit be a success.

That the hearts of his faithful may receive with joy the bishop’s words. I pray that they may improve their lives as Christians and be true witnesses of Christ.

Best wishes of a Happy Easter to all.

United in Christ through prayer.

A missionary hug as big as the world.

María Augusta Pires

Published in the Astrolabio Diary

Joy and Sorrow

26 April, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

Mbi bala ala…

(A greeting in Sango)…
During this time of Lent we have received the grace to experience moments of joy…

…On Sunday, March 19, two sons of Central Africa, Dreyfus and Romain were ordained to the priesthood as Comboni Missionaries by Card. Dieudonné Nzapalainga, archbishop of Bangui. The Comboni parish of Our Lady of Fatima was decorated for the occasion and throughout the morning it filled up with people wanting to share in the joy of the moment, something that does not happen every year, especially with a double ordination… a sign that even in the midst of difficulties the Church of Central Africa and the Comboni family are slowly growing…
…The next moment of joy took place the following Sunday, March 26, in the cathedral of Bangui with the episcopal ordination of the new bishop of the diocese of Bambari, a new shepherd for this remote area which is still living through troublesome days of instability and insecurity…

… these were moments of joy lived through dances, singing, showy dresses, palm branches, drums and choirs…

…but the people felt fully involved, including in the sorrowful moments typical of Lent, confessions, the Way of the Cross and the Easter Triduum, in a special way the women and the mothers kneeling during the entire celebration at the cathedral or on the red clay of the entrance to Fatima parish. The Comboni missionary shows us that the sorrow and the suffering in the history of Central Africa, not only in the past but in its daily form, brings people to identify with the history of this “man beaten, tortured, killed and crucified…

…however, after moments of pain, joy returns in the Easter Vigil, and again in the morning Mass with dances, fires, lights, the blessing with water, the choir singing Alleluia… because Life wins over death, Joy trumps Sorrow…

…Happy Easter to all and forever from Bangui: The spiritual capital of the world!

Greetings, hugs, kisses, prayers and THANKS…

Simone, CLM in Central Africa

Easter among the Gumuz people

24 April, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

This year our community spent Holy Week and Easter at the Comboni missions among the Gumuz tribe. Madzia and I stayed in Gublak most of the time; Adela and Tobiasz stayed in GilgelBelez. However, we all visited both places. I would like to share with you something of this impressive experience.

The journey from Addis Abeba to GilgelBelez was very tiring. We spent 13 hours on a bus packed with people. At times, only the beautiful landscape gave us some relief. We arrived in the evening and, while we were having supper together, the fathers told us a lot of stories about the local people. Many of them sounded incredible. We were very happy to have the opportunity to meet those people and the missionaries during their daily activities.

We spent the next day in GilgelBelez, a town where many different tribes, including the Gumuz, live. The Gumuz face discrimination in their daily life because of the dark colour of their skin. They were even discriminated by the churches until the Catholic Church came. Today the parish community is made up entirely of Gumuz people. In the days before Easter we could observe them working together preparing for the feast. They all worked hard for the good of the community. We also visited a certain boy and his family, whom Madzia helped two years ago. She showed him and his parents some exercises and found crutches for him. Now he is able to walk on his own. It was nice to see the good results of Madzia’s work. We also visited the town and the kindergarten belonging to the parish.

After our short visit to GilgelBelez we moved on to visit Gublak, a mission founded five years ago. Before the Triduum we saw the daily work of the missionaries. They celebrate Mass in the morning and then each one goes about his work. The main job is visiting villages to teach the people about Christ and our faith. We went to some villages together with them. The first thing they do when they arrive in a village is to greet people. Only after the greetings can the meeting begin. The people pray and sing and, then the fathers, the sisters or the catechists give them some instruction. Some of the people are already baptized while others are still catechumens. The catechists act as translators from Amharic into the Gumuz language. There are very few texts in this language and the missionaries speak only Amharic. During a meeting with the women, Adela and Tobiasz gave them testimony about family life. They had prepared it for some days with their Amharic teacher and it was their first speech in Amharic (after a three-month course!). Congratulations to them!

Then we started the Triduum. I went with Father Isayas to bring the catechumens to our compound on Thursday. Starting from the furthest village we brought some of them on the pick-up car. The catechumens who live close to the mission came on foot to the church in the evening. On Holy Thursday evening, I went with Fr. Isayas to a chapel where we celebrated the Last Supper Mass. There were around 50 people (most of them children or teenagers). During his homily the father described what happened at the Last Supper and explained, about the institution of the Eucharist. Then he washed feet of twelve chosen young people. After the Mass, we had a time of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. I must say that the youth behaved properly.

After that we took some of them to our compound where they joined the 130 young people already there. From Thursday till Sunday the youth stayed in the compound. They had prayer, teaching, and group work and participated in the main program: the Stations of the Cross, the Friday Liturgy, the Passover Liturgy and, the Sunday Easter Mass. I was very impressed by the people. They participated very actively. The catechists who are also young boys served all this time, from the morning until night. They did it with joy, without complaining. They translated, they organized the prayers, the services, the meals and, they kept order and discipline. During the Passover Liturgy 102 catechumens were baptized, on Sunday there was a group of 24 adults who also received baptism. Even if the Mass lasted so long, it was great to see the people who became Christians. It was something very meaningful in their lives. Some of them were really moved.

Most of the new Christians are very young, children or teenagers. Most of the adults who received the baptism were the mothers of the children who were baptized in past years. It is amazing how the Catholic Church is growing where there were no Christians at all just a few years ago. Many of those people don’t know how to read or write and do not know Amharic. Nevertheless, they listened to the missionaries and believed. Of course they still need Christian formation and that’s why the missionaries’ work is so important. Saint Daniel Comboni must be very happy to see the fruits of their work.

CLM Ethiopia

Beyond the time

8 April, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

Exactly a year ago I was still in Poland, now I am in St. Jude Children’s Home but not only.
Since my return to Gulu has not passed another year yet but everything looks different than it was before. Just like everyone thinks the return is easier- familiar place, people, culture. Despite this, I am still learning something new. This is also a result of changes in my mission- I’m not only in the orphanage but also in the school running by St. Monica community, in the prison and also in the house for our older boys.

The area of our missionary service has expanded considerably, not only mine but also Asia’s and Carmen’s – each of us has found new places of commitment which enriches our community in sharing and experiencing mission.

As I mentioned above, besides my daily activities with children in St. Jude (the redeemining the level of education, motivational support and self-esteem of children, feeding and caring for children with disabilities, having fun and praying together with young girls) I have engaged in other projects as well.

St. Monica is a place running by one Community of Sisters. They have many different projects-activities like School of Basic Literacy for Adult Women, Tailoring school, Clinic and Kindergarten. At this Kindergarten, twice a week, I have classes with children who have learning difficulties. Our classes take place in the classroom where I try to show the child, within a half hour (classes are held individually) that he is able to write, count or answer questions. However, the most important is to make the child feel accepted and that someone believes in him. Unfortunately, the biggest problem among these children is very low self-esteem, they are timid and they do not feel like special. They come from many families where everyone is the same and if you are slower in learning or writing, it means you are worse, stupid.

The another place is a prison where I’ve already spent two weeks together with a prayer group celebrating Mass or sharing the Gospel with the prisoners – so far this is the beginning, so I am still new in this but I am so glad I can be there. I also hope to go to the prisoners-women but it will start after Easter.
The boys’ home is the part of St. Jude but this is separated house situated about 2 km from the Orphanage. On Saturday afternoons, I go there to read with them the Gospel of coming Sunday, to talk about their problems, help with study. For example, one boy is in P.3 class (Primary School) but still has problem with writing his name, concentration or memorization – but this is not due to his laziness. His difficulty of acquiring the knowledge is caused by the boy’s mother who was drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Unfortunately, alcoholic fetal syndrome (FAS) and AIDS (drugs are very strong and have side effects) have a great impact on their ability and functioning in the life and also in school.
Time goes by very fast, each day is similar but events, faces, other situations are different. Everything teaches something – mainly about myself. I am grateful to God for the gift of this vocation, sometimes difficult but surely full of His love and power. Because no one of us would do anything if it were not His will.

For this extraordinary time of Holy Week I wish all of us moments of silence and desert – that in our organized daily life we find time for Him and on the Day of Resurrection let our souls be filled with Faith, Hope, and Love.

Ewa Maziarz, Polish CLM in Uganda

Missionary Exhibit and Meeting in Guatemala

9 April, 20176 April, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

“Saints and able, making common cause with the poor and the needy” (St. Daniel Comboni)

We, the CLM of the PCA in Guatemala want to let you know that on the Saturday, April 1, organized a mission exhibit and a meeting at Casa Comboni, Guatemala. We joined with the missionaries of the parish of St. Catherine of Alexandria, with whom, since February 2016, we are cooperating in their missionary formation.

The parish is St. Catherine of Alexandria is in Santa Catarina Pinula, a municipality of the department of Guatemala City, located about 10 miles from the capital.

In some areas, this population is subjected to extreme poverty and crime because of the gangs, It is one of the “red Zones” of the city.

The objective of our activity was to invite the Comboni Missionaries living in Guatemala city so that their two communities, the CLM and the “missionaries of Catherine (as we call them with affection)would share with words and through visual aids, some of the experiences of 2016 and the missionary projects we have in store for 2017.

We enjoyed the presence of the Comboni Missionaries Fr. Pasquale Miniero, Fr. Carlos Rodríguez, Fr. Antonio Maria Bruyel, Fr. Vicente Clemente and, of course, our moderator Bro. Humberto Rua. The one who thought up this event was also present: Fr. Walter Santizo, a Guatemalan diocesan priest and the pastor of St. Catherine of Alexandria.

At the end we shared a delicious lunch.

The basic idea by which the CLM of the PCA in Guatemala started this year is” “Saints and able united in a common cause to help the poorest and most needed.” This is how St. Daniel Comboni wants his missionaries to be.

We trust in Providence and entrust ourselves to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, just as St. Daniel Comboni taught us to do. God always walks ahead of us, shedding light on the path leading to the most needy.

CLM Guatemala