Comboni Lay Missionaries

Celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Anchilo

LMC Anchilo

It was with great faith and joy that on Sunday, July 13, in the presence of the communities and the people of God in general, several priests, and the rector of the diocesan seminary, Holy Mass was celebrated, presided over by Dom Inácio Saúre, I.M.C., Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Nampula and president of CEM (Episcopal Commission of Mozambique).

As part of the 75th anniversary celebration, how beautiful was the shared lunch and the afternoon with cultural moments presented by the parish communities!

This beautiful moment of faith ended with the parish priest’s blessing to the faithful.

Tito, LMC in Mozambique

Between eco-friendly candles, anniversaries, and many activities

LMC Guatemala

June was a month full of blessings for the CLM of Guatemala, by the grace of God and under the intercession of St. Daniel Comboni, with various initiatives that marked our missionary work.

On June 7, we carried out our missionary activity in the community of León El Manzanillo. During our visit, in addition to spending time with the members of the community, we gave a talk on the Holy Spirit and Pentecost. As part of the day, we held a workshop on making eco-friendly candles, and those who participated were very enthusiastic and satisfied with the experience.

On the same date, we celebrated the 8th anniversary of the Chispuditos Program. This nutritional project has focused on the children of the villages of La Salvadora I and II, in the municipality of Santa Catarina Pinula, as well as their mothers, bringing them the Word and promoting their development as leaders. It should be noted that last year the program was handed over to the community; since then, the mothers have been leading the program.

On Sunday, June 8, we participated in the Vocational Expo organized by the Vicariate of the Center: Our Lady of the Assumption, held in the gym of Don Bosco College. This event allowed us to share with young people interested in the different congregations present. In addition to the information stands, there were moments of praise, Eucharistic adoration, and Holy Mass. It was a valuable opportunity to transmit and live the charism of the Comboni Family together with those in attendance.

A week later, on Sunday, June 15, we held our monthly community gathering, beginning with the celebration of Holy Eucharist, followed by a shared breakfast. During the gathering, we reflected on the Comboni charism and worked on a special theme about the key elements that strengthen self-esteem. We addressed aspects such as self-control, personal goals, communication skills, and body image perception. As a pleasant surprise, we had a visit from a married couple interested in learning more about our community.

In each activity of the month, we reaffirmed our commitment to serve and accompany the communities, always driven by our faith and evangelizing mission.

LMC Guatemala

CLM International Economy Meeting

Tesoreros LMC

Last Saturday, 21 June, we gathered online for the first international economy meeting since our international assembly last December.

The assembly requested that a global meeting be held around the middle of each year to jointly assess the progress of economic issues in each country and in each of our international communities.

Representatives from 13 countries and 2 international communities were present, including treasurers, coordinators, and members of the coordination team. Due to the language challenge, we were able to count on the support of two volunteer translators, Ana Cris, CLM from Guatemala, and her son Esteban.

It was an important moment of information and clarification, where proposals for joint next steps were presented. One of these was to hold two more online meetings this year, in three smaller groups, according to language, so that we can facilitate greater interaction between participants and the development of practical tools to aid our quest for economic autonomy.

We appreciate everyone’s commitment and participation!

See you at our next meeting!

Flávio, treasurer of the Central Committee

Our growing Ecuadorian community

LMC Ecuador

In mid-2021, together with Fr. Joseph Ng’ang’a from Kenya, who was our Comboni chaplain, we invited people known within the mission and others who shared our charism to continue their formation and become part of our lay community.

Thus, after completing the formation and accompaniment, our aspirant Carlos Enrique Zamora Medina was accepted as a Comboni Lay Missionary on Sunday, June 1, 2025.

During the days leading up to the ceremony, there was an atmosphere of nervousness and tension due to the organization and development of the program to be carried out, which fortunately received the support and collaboration of several people who did their part to ensure that everything went according to plan.

The Mass was held at 10:00 a.m., together with the community of the Parish of “Our Lady of Fatima” in El Empalme, Province of Guayas. In addition to Carlos Zamora’s family and guests, those present at this celebration were attentive to every moment of the Mass celebrated by Fr. Seraphin Kakwata, our current Comboni advisor, who kept everyone very attentive at the moment of signing the commitment as a Comboni Lay Missionary. It was a very special moment, which was also shared with the lay missionaries who collaborate in the Pastoral Integration that is taking place at the Divine Word Missionaries in Guayaquil.

Later, in a sharing meeting, Carlos Zamora said that he had faced many obstacles in his life due to health reasons, which he had been able to overcome through the efforts and prayers of his mother. Despite this situation, he always showed a desire to be a missionary and do something for the Church and for God. He made the phrase “Life is giving time” his guiding light to discover God’s timing, resuming his sacramental formation and his high school, university, and pastoral studies, which he had put on hold.

Despite everything, he said that he was still not sure what the future held for him, but that this process had been a blessing from God for him and, above all, a good decision to follow Jesus’ call to his pastoral and lay life, and that together with his community he had been able to consolidate this desire for the Comboni mission.

With this important moment for our lay missionary community, we feel very happy and encouraged to follow the charism of our Founder, supported by one of his phrases, “Providence guided my mind and my heart,” and to continue trusting that these moments are from God and that he will help us to consolidate our community. (PHOTOS 6,7)

Greetings in Christ.

Abg. Susana Ortega Delgado, CLM