Comboni Lay Missionaries

A Prayer for Brazil

Oracion Brasil

The cry of the excluded is a movement tha takes to the streets on September 7, Brazil’s Independence Day.

 

This cry is a demonstration of the people denouncing how the government does not represent the will of the people, but rather, on the contrary, the interests of the elite.

 

Since we could not take part in this symbolic demonstration and not wanting to be indifferent to the cause, in the parish of St. Lucy we held a prayer vigil on the night of September 6. It was a good time and full of symbolism where we united our hearts to Christ and remembered the sufferings of the persecuted and of all those whose rights are being denied. We prayed for a more just country and for a more dignified life. At this time of gathering with the community and with God I felt praise in my heart, thanking God for this people:

… who gathers in prayer;

… who does not give up in face of adversity;

… who, not only points fingers, but also faces corrupt government officials;

… who does not lose hope;

… who daily teaches me that stopping is to die, to suffer is to live, and that love is always possible.

Oracion BrasilFlávio and Liliana, CLM in Brazil

Message of Pope Francis for World Mission Day 2017

PapaFrancisco

Mission at the heart of the Christian faith

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Once again this year, World Mission Day gathers us around the person of Jesus, “the very first and greatest evangelizer” (Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, 7), who continually sends us forth to proclaim the Gospel of the love of God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. This Day invites us to reflect anew on the mission at the heart of the Christian faith. The Church is missionary by nature; otherwise, she would no longer be the Church of Christ, but one group among many others that soon end up serving their purpose and passing away. So it is important to ask ourselves certain questions about our Christian identity and our responsibility as believers in a world marked by confusion, disappointment and frustration, and torn by numerous fratricidal wars that unjustly target the innocent. What is the basis of our mission? What is the heart of our mission? What are the essential approaches we need to take in carrying out our mission?

Mission and the transformative power of the Gospel of Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life

1. The Church’s mission, directed to all men and women of good will, is based on the transformative power of the Gospel. The Gospel is Good News filled with contagious joy, for it contains and offers new life: the life of the Risen Christ who, by bestowing his life-giving Spirit, becomes for us the Way, the Truth and the Life (cf. Jn 14:6). He is the Way who invites us to follow him with confidence and courage. In following Jesus as our Way, we experience Truth and receive his Life, which is fullness of communion with God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. That life sets us free from every kind of selfishness, and is a source of creativity in love.

2. God the Father desires this existential transformation of his sons and daughters, a transformation that finds expression in worship in spirit and truth (cf. Jn 4:23-24), through a life guided by the Holy Spirit in imitation of Jesus the Son to the glory of God the Father. “The glory of God is the living man” (Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses IV, 20, 7). The preaching of the Gospel thus becomes a vital and effective word that accomplishes what it proclaims (cf. Is 55:10-11): Jesus Christ, who constantly takes flesh in every human situation (cf. Jn 1:14).

Mission and the kairos of Christ

3. The Church’s mission, then, is not to spread a religious ideology, much less to propose a lofty ethical teaching. Many movements throughout the world inspire high ideals or ways to live a meaningful life. Through the mission of the Church, Jesus Christ himself continues to evangelize and act; her mission thus makes present in history the kairos, the favourable time of salvation. Through the proclamation of the Gospel, the risen Jesus becomes our contemporary, so that those who welcome him with faith and love can experience the transforming power of his Spirit, who makes humanity and creation fruitful, even as the rain does with the earth. “His resurrection is not an event of the past; it contains a vital power which has permeated this world. Where all seems to be dead, signs of the resurrection suddenly spring up. It is an irresistible force” (Evangelii Gaudium, 276).

4. Let us never forget that “being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a Person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” (Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 1). The Gospel is a Person who continually offers himself and constantly invites those who receive him with humble and religious faith to share his life by an effective participation in the paschal mystery of his death and resurrection. Through Baptism, the Gospel becomes a source of new life, freed of the dominion of sin, enlightened and transformed by the Holy Spirit. Through Confirmation, it becomes a fortifying anointing that, through the same Spirit, points out new ways and strategies for witness and accompaniment. Through the Eucharist, it becomes food for new life, a “medicine of immortality” (Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Ephesios, 20, 2).

5. The world vitally needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the Church, Christ continues his mission as the Good Samaritan, caring for the bleeding wounds of humanity, and as Good Shepherd, constantly seeking out those who wander along winding paths that lead nowhere. Thank God, many significant experiences continue to testify to the transformative power of the Gospel. I think of the gesture of the Dinka student who, at the cost of his own life, protected a student from the enemy Nuer tribe who was about to be killed. I think of that Eucharistic celebration in Kitgum, in northern Uganda, where, after brutal massacres by a rebel group, a missionary made the people repeat the words of Jesus on the cross: “My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?” as an expression of the desperate cry of the brothers and sisters of the crucified Lord. For the people, that celebration was an immense source of consolation and courage. We can think too of countless testimonies to how the Gospel helps to overcome narrowness, conflict, racism, tribalism, and to promote everywhere, and among all, reconciliation, fraternity, and sharing.

Mission inspires a spirituality of constant exodus, pilgrimage, and exile

6. The Church’s mission is enlivened by a spirituality of constant exodus. We are challenged “to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the peripheries in need of the light of the Gospel” (Evangelii Gaudium, 20). The Church’s mission impels us to undertake a constant pilgrimage across the various deserts of life, through the different experiences of hunger and thirst for truth and justice. The Church’s mission inspires a sense of constant exile, to make us aware, in our thirst for the infinite, that we are exiles journeying towards our final home, poised between the “already” and “not yet” of the Kingdom of Heaven.

7. Mission reminds the Church that she is not an end unto herself, but a humble instrument and mediation of the Kingdom. A self-referential Church, one content with earthly success, is not the Church of Christ, his crucified and glorious Body. That is why we should prefer “a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security” (ibid., 49).

Young people, the hope of mission

8. Young people are the hope of mission. The person of Jesus Christ and the Good News he proclaimed continue to attract many young people. They seek ways to put themselves with courage and enthusiasm at the service of humanity. “There are many young people who offer their solidarity in the face of the evils of the world and engage in various forms of militancy and volunteering… How beautiful it is to see that young people are ‘street preachers’, joyfully bringing Jesus to every street, every town square and every corner of the earth!” (ibid., 106). The next Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to be held in 2018 on the theme Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment, represents a providential opportunity to involve young people in the shared missionary responsibility that needs their rich imagination and creativity.

The service of the Pontifical Mission Societies

9. The Pontifical Mission Societies are a precious means of awakening in every Christian community a desire to reach beyond its own confines and security in order to proclaim the Gospel to all. In them, thanks to a profound missionary spirituality, nurtured daily, and a constant commitment to raising missionary awareness and enthusiasm, young people, adults, families, priests, bishops and men and women religious work to develop a missionary heart in everyone. World Mission Day, promoted by the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, is a good opportunity for enabling the missionary heart of Christian communities to join in prayer, testimony of life and communion of goods, in responding to the vast and pressing needs of evangelization.

Carrying out our mission with Mary, Mother of Evangelization

10. Dear brothers and sisters, in carrying out our mission, let us draw inspiration from Mary, Mother of Evangelization. Moved by the Spirit, she welcomed the Word of life in the depths of her humble faith. May the Virgin Mother help us to say our own “yes”, conscious of the urgent need to make the Good News of Jesus resound in our time. May she obtain for us renewed zeal in bringing to everyone the Good News of the life that is victorious over death. May she intercede for us so that we can acquire the holy audacity needed to discover new ways to bring the gift of salvation to every man and woman.

From the Vatican, 4 June 2017
Solemnity of Pentecost

FRANCIS

 

Accepting the new paradigms and challenges of the mission

Paradigma-missione

Resuming the vision of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Francis has chosen the paradigm of the “Church which goes forth” as the missionary programme for our times. This resumption is significant for its being contextualised in a world, that of our day, that is decidedly breaking with the past. “We do not live in an epoch of change but in a change of epoch”: with these words, Pope Francis reminds us that the old ways we employed in the past to interpret the world and the mission are no longer capable of responding to the challenges of today. The new global situation requires a “global mission”, seen in all its complexity and with premises, style and means that are new with respect to the past (EG 33).

The classical vision which saw the churches of the north of the world sending missionaries to the south has been surpassed by the transformations of recent decades, with globalisation and human mobility reaching levels never seen before. The Comboni circumscriptions also reflect these changes: in the composition of personnel, sending missionaries to other provinces, the fact that commitment to mission promotion applies everywhere and is no longer a field of service belonging exclusively to the provinces of the north of the world.

The geographical criterion of mission no longer constitutes the principal reference point. The idea of the frontier still exists but it is now qualified in the human and existential peripheries. It is a great challenge for the missionary Institutes, the majority of whose members today have probably joined their Institutes while identifying the mission with a particular geographical area. There are ties of affection with geography and history; the notion of a “global mission” causes a degree of unease and the fear of being “closed in” in the north of the world and one’s original province, because of the idea that “mission is everywhere”, or “also in Europe”. In reality, this concern – both understandable and reasonable – still reflects the geographical thinking we said was now superseded. How, then, can we think in an alternative way that corresponds more closely to the situation of today?

Pope Francis invites us to start from the frontiers, the “peripheries in need of the light of the Gospel” (EG 20). These frontiers are not simply defined by geographical data but are the result of an economic-financial system that generates exclusion, and a culture of waste that produces poverty and violence. Bringing the light of the Gospel to these peripheries requires, most of all, insertion which implies:

  • a presence rooted in the territory;
  • involvement in the daily life of the people;
  • solidarity with their sufferings and needs;
  • accompanying this part of humanity throughout all its processes, however long and drawn out they may be.

In this lies the key to the ministerial approach: accompanying is not generic, nor is it ordinary pastoral work brought to the peripheries. At the 2015 General Chapter it emerged that we are present in peripheries that are very meaningful for our charism, such as our presence among those of African descent or the indigenous peoples in Latin America, or that among the pastoralists and people living in slums in Africa. However, it often happens that there is no specific pastoral approach that takes into account the characteristics of the context, the situations, the local culture or the uniqueness of the people. What is needed is a pastoral approach which, in the complexities of the world of today, demands the linking of various ministries and evangelisation carried out as a community: apostolic communities which collaborate not only by identifying and sharing their own gifts but which witness to the Kingdom, living with fraternity and communion in diversity.

None of these elements are “new”; seen in themselves, they may be already present in various experiences of the Institute and they have already been spoken of in different Chapters. However, we are called to assume them taking a different perspective or paradigm, with a view of the mission that reorganises all their fundamental aspects. The image of the “Church that goes forth” is an icon that suggests the idea of mission and a pastoral methodology (taking the initiative, becoming involved, accompanying, bringing to fruition, celebrating; EG 24). It is paradigmatic since it requires that also other fundamental dimensions, such as the formation and the organisation of the Institute at various levels, become consistent and directed towards this mission.

At this point, how can we, in practice, take on board this paradigm and which challenges should we respond to? The Chapter suggests we start from the mission; beginning with the identification of continental priorities shared by several circumscriptions and lived in a broad collaboration, at the inter-provincial or continental level. In the context of such priorities, we are called to develop specific pastorals as a requalification of our presence and missionary service. Keeping firmly in mind this central point, we will have a reference-point to re-think also the formation and reorganisation of the Institute.

  1. Developing specific pastorals

Developing a specific pastoral is an ecclesial task, not to be done alone. It requires dialogue, participation, collaboration and a multiplicity of skills and experiences. Above all, it is necessary to have a method that allows for the appreciation of all contributions, the acceptance of different experiences and perspectives and the creation of communion in diversity. A specific pastoral is adopted when, despite the variety of points of view, theological perspectives, sensibilities and ministries, all can recognise themselves in it without denying one’s own sense of identity. It is a point of fundamental importance, especially in an Institute that is growing in internationality and is beginning to live out the challenge of inter-culturality.

All this is possible starting from sharing in the grass roots of the more transforming experiences related to the specific pastoral approach being taken into consideration, using the approach of an Appreciative Inquiry.

Common reflection on such regenerating experiences causes the emergence of new intuitions and understandings of that which renders a ministry fruitful in that context.

To better understand the reasons for their effectiveness and to study more deeply their dynamics, these experiences are subjected to a social-cultural analysis of the contexts of the specific pastoral, in order to reach a complete picture with its dynamics and leanings. By analogy, a specific theological and ministerial reflection on the situation helps us to clarify more our ministries and to identify the most suitable operative instruments.

The next stage is that of the shared discernment of some principles that may guide us in that specific pastoral context. Because they are only guidelines, these do not provide ready-made answers but will leave room for adaptation to particular situations and for creativity. On this foundation, it will be possible to build a journey of communion in which to experiment, research, learn, share, exchange experiences and personnel, record discoveries and results and so on, in successive cycles of Action Learning.

  1. Reorganisation

In order to succeed in developing and sustaining specific pastorals, it is necessary to achieve the gradual reorganisation of our presence and our manner of operating. Hitherto, our missionary presence has been mainly based on a geographic criterion: confreres are appointed to a province and are then, as needs require, assigned to a community. This structure reflects the premise that – apart from some particular services – missionary work generally consists in founding or bringing to maturity Christian communities or parishes. But this is not the only possible way to think of organising missionary work.

For example, for some decades the Jesuits have begun to see their missionary service as a response to the human needs of refugees (JRS), of people stricken with AIDS (AJAN), and to situations of injustice (Faith-Justice Centres). Personnel are properly trained and assigned to these services.

In recent years, also the Comboni Institute has begun a reflection on the ministerial approach, having in mind some human groups subjected to exclusion and ministries in prioritised environments (CA ’03 Nos. 43, 50; CA ’09 Nos. 62-63; CA ’15 No. 45). Obviously, the geographical element is unavoidable since these human groups are also located in certain areas and insertion in the Church also requires a parish presence. However, the main criterion is the specific ministry towards these people which requires:

  1. Pastoral teams. These are composed of personnel engaged in various ministries with specific skills and a variety of personal gifts, working as a team. In view of the complexity of the today’s world, it is opportune to combine various skills including those of human and social science. Diversity of skills is a help towards collaboration; diversity of nationalities and cultures within a team, when lived in fraternity, is a prophetic sign in a world that is ever more divided and in conflict. This communion/solidarity is what marks out a pastoral team not only as an efficient working team of people who get on well together but also as a fraternity of missionary disciples. Clearly, average-sized communities will find it easier to be effective, being able to have people with complementary and transversal skills and ministries (such as JPIC), and will more easily cushion the effect of absences due to holidays or reasons of health; develop a deeper reflection and share skills and resources with other communities involved in the same specific pastoral work. All this demands a reduction in the number of communities but facilitates networking from the local to the provincial level.
  2. Networking. The pastoral team does not work in isolation but is, first of all, inserted in and collaborates with the local Church. It also goes further by cooperating with various components of civil society for social transformation inspired by the values of the Kingdom. There are also other levels of cooperation that experience shows to be of vital importance: for example, forming a network with other communities and ministerial teams both at regional and international levels. Without this support and a continual stimulus towards openness, growth and the exchange and sharing of resources, a local team will soon find itself running out of steam. This applies especially to research, experimentation, ongoing learning and reflection on good practice and innovation. The world continues to move while the team is in danger of staying still and becoming fossilised, or of reacting to situations instead of responding creatively.
  3. Supporting structures. The various teams involved in the same specific pastoral process need connecting and supporting structures. This would be the best context in which to propose courses of ongoing formation, research and experimentation to accompany the people better in their journey of inclusion and transformation. Collaboration with academic research institutions, for instance, could be a useful resource, as well as specific secretariats and some processes of participated research and action. It is also necessary to re-think the structures in which we live and which we run in our ministry. In fact, these may create a gap between the people and the missionaries or even absorb the missionaries so much with administration that they lose their direct contact with the people or their willingness to walk alongside them. It must also be noted that the Total Common fund may be an opportunity that helps us to carry out shared and co-responsible planning in the context of a specific pastoral work at the provincial level. In fact, the economic dimension concerns the choice of life-style, the means, co-operation and planning of a pastoral sector with which the community projects interact. Lastly, the reduction of commitments and the requalification of missionary presences and services called for by the last General Chapter will become a reality if we have the instruments and the method to carry them out through processes of communion that are inclusive and participated. It is this aspect that determines the effectiveness of the sort of leadership that is not just administrative but one that leads us to a new beginning.

3. Directed formation

Basic formation, too, must be reviewed in order to develop ministerial skills, especially as regards the curriculum of the scholastics. The theological programmes, which generally provide an academic training, do not necessarily help towards the formation of attitudes and skills that are useful in the ministerial approach, or provide the support, methodologies and practical instruments that would be of great benefit to a specific pastoral work. Needless to say, a curriculum of studies will be all the more useful the more it is in line with the specific ministries of the Institute. One could therefore consider the possibility of characterising the formation of the scholasticates with orientations in line with the ministerial priorities of the continents in which they are located. Even if, later on, a confrere works in other contexts, the ministerial skills he has acquired will be partly transferable and, in any case, will be the best preparation for acquiring new skills.

In conclusion, the acceptance of the new paradigm of mission does not mean doing away with the past so as to bring in only completely new things. Rather, it is a question of redirecting and integrating the different aspects of the missionary life and service (specific pastorals, persons, reorganisation, economy) towards the vision of mission indicated by the Chapter and the participated processes of requalification of our missionary presence and service.
September 2017
Bro. Alberto Parise mccj

Questions

  1. In order to develop specific pastorals, a thorough understanding of the situation is necessary. Is it common practice (in communities, zones, circumscriptions and continents) to examine the situation (e.g. by the use of the hermeneutic circle) to identify pastoral needs and adopt modalities of presence and action that meet those needs?
  2. What measures have been taken in your circumscription to rethink the objectives, the structure, the style and the method of evangelisation from a ministerial viewpoint?
  3. Specific ministries (regarding, for instance, people of African descent, the indigenous peoples of Latin America, pastoralist peoples in Africa, slum-dwellers or refugees and the like) require, besides pastoral teams, networking and supporting structures with a continental pastoral outlook. To what extent does our pastoral planning succeed in overcoming the geographical limits of the circumscription and adopting a continental approach? Which continental structures ought to be reinforced to promote a continental criterion of common pastoral needs?

Closing and opening

LMC AfricaToday we put the conclusions of our meeting into solid concrete steps on the way forward as Comboni Lay Missionaries working on this beautiful continent of Africa. We all have different realities within our communities. Some have found it easy to collaborate within our communities, some have found challenges. There are communities that communicate well and understand the expectations of our family and the greater Comboni community, others have just understood how it all fits together.

This meeting has closed now, but through the Holy Spirit it has opened the eyes and hearts of all of us.  We are all stronger together, as one Comboni family. Our time in Anchilo has brought a continent of people all working to help expand the kingdom of God closer together. It has shown us our strengths and our weaknesses. We have put forth resolutions to make our paths more clear for all of us. These resolutions will help us all to understand deeper our vocation, our responsibilities, and the way forward in the spirit of St. Daniel Comboni.

African CLM

Fruits

LMC Africa

Our meeting has brought forth the realities of our missionary vocation to the group.

We have discussed topics like communication, vocation, economics, formation and much more. Through these discussions we have found where we have met our goals, areas that we need to improve and the challenges we face in doing so.

Much like St. Daniel Comboni we have all found some difficulties in expanding the Kingdom of God. With the charism of our founder and intercessor, we find the strength to carry on in our mission and find the path to do so.

Like the palm tree bearing the coconuts fruit, it is not easy to share the sweet taste of salvation but we find the strength to climb, through our faith and our community.

LMC AfricaAfrican CLM