Comboni Lay Missionaries

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Missionary Experiences

[Mozambique] Jubilee of the Plan for the Regeneration of Africa

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There are difficult things to say, as we hear sometimes, you can only understand it if you see it. The parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Carapira is celebrating a big party. We commemorate this year (2014) one hundred and fifty years of the Comboni plan for the regeneration of Africa. A plan designed to alleviate the suffering of the African people. A poor, suffering, subject to slavery people, without knowing the good news of Jesus. The dream of Daniel Comboni, that is God’s plan became reality, a reality surrounded by large difficulties but full of life and progress. One of the ways adopted to overcome these difficulties was to “Save Africa with Africa”.

Also this year we commemorate the fifty (50) anniversary from the opening of our wonderful church, the parish built by the disciples of Jesus guided by the charism of Daniel Comboni. It was very nice and charming to hear the parish history from the older members of the Christian community, from the arrival of the first missionaries, through construction and opening of the church until the present day. They will not have forgotten the times of civil war and the Comboni missionaries (men and women) with whom passed tough times, giving a significant and valuable assistance.

The Comboni Missionaries Sisters also marks 60 years making presence in Mozambique, making a tour of its history visiting the “Island of Mozambique and the Parish of Mussoril” where they had their first mission.

Also commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the Industrial School of Carapira founded by the Comboni Missionaries, work that aims to respond to the slogan “Save Africa with Africa”. A school that, faced with many difficulties, always wagered by the formation of young Mozambicans with high technical-professional and human level to serve the people. It is within these jubilees that the parish attended the ordination of Fr José Alberto Mozambican and the religious consecration of the Mexican sister Lilia Karina, increasing the Comboni Family.

It’s wonderful the way the Comboni family – fathers, brothers, sisters and lay people (foreigners and Mozambicans) – coordinate the work of evangelization. This team works closely in the tasks that the reality set before us, also for the preparation and implementation of an event or party.

Across Africa, particularly Mozambique, the gospel is being lived by more people, thanks to the Comboni Missionaries. We thank God for this legacy.

Martinho Matrimony.

[Mozambique] Working together

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This semester, the discipline of civic and moral education for students in the third year at the Industrial School of Carapira, has been on the subject of sexual education. It is a subject that attracts attention and arouses the curiosity of the students, especially something so present in this period of adolescence for which they are going through.

In the latter period, the subject is STD (sexually transmitted infections), among which is also AIDS.

Aula da turma do 3oB
Clase de tercero B
Aula da Turma do 3ºA
Clase de tercero A

Thus, to provide students with access to quality information on the subject, I invited health technician working at the Health Center in Carapira to present this topic, clarify doubts and raise awareness regarding the importance and ways to prevent diseases.

Thus, the technical participate in the classes for both classrooms of the third year, explaining about the disease and its effects, making use of visual material.

Students actively participated with questions and testimonies in a timid start, but as it was passing the class more freely. Also the way the technical invigorated, speaking in the language of young people, provide this opening. It was a time of enrichment and interesting information, training and collaboration between the Health Center and the School. So we worked together on the Human Formation of these young people, following the example of Comboni, in collaboration with local professionals.

Flávio Schmidt

 

Yes means No

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Borana Culture Ethiopia
Borana Culture, Southern Ethiopia

“What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’  The boy answered, ‘I will not.’ But later he had a change of heart and went.  The father went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go.  Which of the two did his father’s will?…”  Matthew 21:28-31

After the reading of this parable at mass one Sunday in the rural mission of Dadim, the parish priest Fr. Anthony, a Nigerian missionary, dove into his homily with confidence.  A vineyard here is unimaginable amidst the arid red earth of southern Ethiopia, so he changed the details of the parable to something the people could relate to in their daily life.  Dadim is a pastoralist region near the border of Kenya, where cattle and camels roam free and the life of the semi-nomadic Borana people surrounds tending their livestock.  So Fr. Anthony equated the story to a son being requested to take the herd to water. The story however was the same: first son said “No” and then went; second son said “Yes” but did not go.  He asked the congregation “Which of the two did the will of the parent?”   The parishioners were unanimous in agreement: the second son.   The parish priest, a little confused, painstakingly explained the story again.  However, the congregation had not misunderstood. They were clear in their answer – definitely the second son was right.

In their culture, ‘No’ is never voiced, never uttered or even whispered. To insult someone by refusing a request in word, especially the father, is the ultimate in disrespect. The only reply ever is “Yes”.  But must your “Yes” mean “Yes” among the Borana?  The answer seems to be no.  One can agree to a meeting time and place and never show up, one can agree to certain work and never do it, one can agree to stay but instead leave, or leave but instead stay. It could be that they really do mean “Yes” with good intention, but then there are so many factors in their challenging lifestyle that could abort their plan that most “Yes’” are in fact never fulfilled.  To say “No” is so grave that even doing the appropriate action afterwards cannot right the original wrong.

A consensus between the priest (who had only recently arrived) and the parishioners was not reached.   For the Borana it was the initial attitude of the first son that made him wrong. What audacity for him to say “No” to his father.  Missionary work is plump full of these types of perplexities.  This moment reminded me about the differences in culture and the challenges of communicating the Gospel message within the context of culture.  Perhaps Fr. Anthony also learned an important lesson for his future work with the community in this area, though surely he still hopes that a “Yes” really will transmit into an action and commitment.

– Maggie

Maggie, Mark and Emebet Banga, Comboni Lay Missionaries, Awassa, Ethiopia

We are already in Uganda!

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En UgandaThe Community in Gulu is complete, we have finally met with Ewa and Joana waiting for us with open arms in St. Jude Orphanage.
Monika and I now fulfill our second week and we are celebrating with an intensive “Acoli” language course, that will allow us to communicate and try to learn and understand those who are our brothers for these coming years.

The first days in Kampala, we had occasion to meet with the Comboni Lay Missionaries and share an interesting talk about how we are going to organize this time we will be in Uganda with them. They explained how they live the lay status, what are their plans and dreams, their limitations, and personally made us very excited to check that we are much closer than we thought.

We also share dinner and prayer in a very friendly atmosphere and with the feeling of being at home. It is a fortune for us that there are CLM in Uganda and Gulu, because we’ll just join what they are already doing and see what may occurs being together.

The next day paperwork and preparing for the long journey that leads north to Gulu. We said goodbye to the Community of Comboni Fathers in Kampala so well received and welcomed us on our arrival.

These are days of discovery, “landing” in a new land, it is time to observe and enjoy the contrasts.

We have also been fortunate to meet Dana (Polish Comboni Lay Missionary, who is completing her service time in Matany) and Marco and Maria Grazia with their sons Francesco and Samuele (Italians Comboni Lay Missionaries) who also complete their mission time in Aber. We went to visit them accompanied by F.Ramón and F.Luigi.

Just one day to share experiences, but enough to see that it was a nice life time for all of them.

It is very positive for us to meet other lay people nearby Gulu who knows realities, is positive as well listening stories and experiences of those who have preceded us, which help us to place ourselves before starting to take over our reality.

That is our time to learn Acoli, sharing Eucharist, meals and tours with Acoli people and the Comboni family and quietly enjoying what Uganda is giving us these first days.

Carmen, Monika, Asia and Ewa

Wawotowu!*

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AsiayEwaGreetings from our very beautiful Gulu. Firstly we’re very sorry that we write so rarely but time goes very quickly. We (me and Ewa) have been for 3 months in Uganda! During this time we’ve got to know the place- children, mothers and also district in which we live. Now it’s really our Home. We still get to know Acoli culture, every day we discover new things, customs and rules… Of course we had an opportunity to see a richness of Acoli culture, I mean dances. Acoli tribe has more than 20 different traditional dances. Each of them very energetic and full of life. When we see dancing people we’re in owe of them, their moves and their condition. We also finished Acoli course. Acoli is not as easy as we heard, but little by little we start talking with children using their local language.

As I wrote at the beginning, time goes very quickly, probably because we’re very busy. In this moment we try do our best and help br. Elio to give a new fresh spirit to St. Jude orphanage. Now we are involved in different department-offices. Ewa works as social worker, I had to change my occupation for a moment and became an accounter. When we came here we didn’t dreamed of working in the office, but we know that sometimes mission demands changing your ideas. That’s why with humility and openness we involve in places which needs our help. We still observe and inspite of a lot of things make us angry and annoyed we humbly waiting for co-operation with local workers. Every day we discover a lot of needs of this place and in our heads there are a lot of different ideas to organize meetings for children. We are full of will and happiness and this is the most important.

We also co-operate with local CLM, on every first Friday of month we have meeting and common prayer. We’re wondering how to organise our co-operation in the future, what we can do for this place. The local community is very opened so I think we can do a lot of very good things together. We also met Marco and Maria Grazia, who’s just finishing their mission in Aber and coming back to Italy.

On Thursday Monika and Carmen have joined us, so we are very happy because finally we are together. Now girls have Acoli course so they stay in Layibi but we live in the same Town. Now we really start organizing our community live and activities. We’ll write about it soon.

Thank you very much for your support, for your prayer, which is very import ant for us. We also pray for you and think of you. We greet you again.

Asia

*in Acoli- We greet you