America – Page 75 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

FEAST OF SAINT DANIEL COMBONI 10th OCTOBER

10 October, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

We will all die; what a little thing it is for us to offer our lives to Jesus, when he died for us. (S 5822)

Dear Confreres,
We greet you all with affection wherever you are, offering your missionary work, because we want to be in communion with you on this occasion, when we are celebrating the feast of our Founder.

Some days ago, the General Council travelled to Limone sul Garda, on the occasion of the closing of the General Chapter of the Comboni Sisters and to close even in this way our canonical visit to the communities of the Italian Province.

Limone, indeed, besides being a beautiful and attractive tourist place, speaks particularly to all of us, followers of the footsteps of St. Daniel Comboni. To visit the church in which St. Daniel received the sacraments, beginning with that of Baptism, to enter the small house whose walls heard his infant cries, to walk through the lemon grove once trudged up and down by that boy, to climb along the steep path that connects Limone with other villages and, from above, to contemplate the blue lake of Garda, allows our imagination to better understand his letters and everything else that little by little expanded his heart and prepared him for the challenges of the African mission.

Followers of an inheritance

Limone has been the cradle and crucible of a dream. It was interesting to hear how some people, residents of Limone, express themselves on their missionary and bishop fellow countryman. He seems alive and present in their lives, a source of pride and blessing for all of them.

The feast we are celebrating can also be an invitation for us to ask: what is the place that our Founder occupies in our life? We are the followers of a gift received from God and that reached us through St. Daniel. How can we bear witness in the places we work to that same passion he felt for the missionary cause? It is a gift that can be enriched or depleted. It will be enriched if we offer the best of us, working generously and tirelessly to reach the ideal of the Kingdom, as Comboni did. It will be depleted if we are satisfied with what we have achieved and do not share the gifts that each one of us has, but we keep them hidden for fear of losing face or because it is more comfortable to remain where we are, without trying to go further.

To experience communion despite our differences

Limone is located on the slope of a mountain. St. Daniel was able to go beyond, looking for new horizons; he had the courage to go further than the known environment, venturing into a faraway continent, visualised in his mind only from the description given by passing missionaries and enriched by his youthful imagination, enlightened by faith in the Son of God. Comboni was able to discover another kind of beauty in peoples different from his own. He allowed himself to be captivated by the life and fate of so many men and women who considered his brothers and sisters. We too are invited to discover the beauty of the people, those who live with us and those we encounter in our work, in spite of our differences, certain that we cannot love what we do not know.

Our Institute today is more than ever international, namely Catholic, because that’s how St. Daniel desired us to be from the beginning. How do we experience the challenge of internationality? Comboni invited all he met to work in the mission. Are we able to convey the same missionary zeal which abided in the heart of our Founder, about which the last General Chapter tells us? We want to have a relationship of communion with God and share this with those among whom we live. We want to read life and history in the light of faith, assuming a new style of life and communion grounded in evangelical choices (AC 2015, 29).

Implementing the Chapter guidelines

When we discover the gift that freely reached us, we cannot but live in an attitude of gratitude to God and are compelled to get busy. When we are also able to be grateful, we live in the joy that comes from discovering that we are bearers of good news, as the last General Chapter proposed to us, on the footsteps of the Evangelii Gaudium.

In almost all our meetings of the various sectors it has become a praxis to approach the reality in which we are to become familiar with so that our work may bear fruit, because it is inspired by and is contextualized in that particular place. We live in difficult and challenging times for everyone, but we have the promise that we are not alone. Let us not become discouraged when we take into account that not only the Risen Lord walks with us, as he did with the disciples of Emmaus (Luke 24), but also when we are aware that Comboni is present by his missionary witness, allowing us to begin this life journey: I shall stay at my post until death (S 5329) despite all the obstacles of the world (S 5584).

On this feast, we ask ourselves how to ensure the specific Comboni style in our activities. The Chapter reminds us: We feel the need to recover the sense of belonging, the joy and beauty of being true ‘cenacles of apostles’, Communities characterized by profoundly human relationships. We are called to value, above all among ourselves, interculturality, hospitality and the ‘conviviality of differences’. The world has great need of such witness (AC 2015, 33).

May the small town of Limone sul Garda, where St. Daniel was born, and the city of Khartoum, where he died, remind all of us that God can do wonders when we let him act in us, as our Founder did. Happy feast to all!
Cordially,
THE MCCJ GENERAL COUNCIL

The Fourth day of our CLM continental meeting of America

24 September, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

We have begun our morning invoking the presence of Saint Daniel Comboni so that we as CLM may live and follow a style of life that he lived. We have begun the first part of the morning with some presentations of mission experience of some of our CLM. Carol and Minerva share their mission experience and work that they do among the Misteco village, in Mexico. They describe and share the difficulties, obstacles, limitations and fruitful gifts they have both experienced and received. Their work among the village of the Mistecos is to accompany them by being present and being there with them. Carol and Minerva both live and share their lives with the village of the Misteco, respecting their culture and working together among them without excluding their culture values, religion, and way of doing things. Then we have a guess speaker, Juan Manuel Garcia a professor coming from a Pastoral School of the indigenous people in Mexico City, whom gives CLM formation in the area of pastoral work within this people. In between our formation class we were assigned group work, it enabled for some dialogue, and reflection of this type of pastoral work. The various groups coincided with some thoughts such as obstacles, limitations, and realizing the importance of this kind of work. The main focus and teaching that the CLM remained with is that “God’s heart is opened to all that want to know of him” which was a very enriching knowledge. In the second part of the day we have two psychologist speakers, they provided useful information and knowledge on how to communicate more effectively among each other (CLM). They used group interaction, as a dynamic to bring us together and practice our communication skills that we already possess in a more effective manner using strategies and methods.

At the end of our day we concluded with Adoration to the Blessed Sacrament and were infused with an explosion of gratitude.

(Valentín and Yessenia)

The third day of our CLM continental meeting of America

22 September, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

The Morning Prayer marked the beginning of our day with a very dynamic and colorful day that filled us with optimism. Then we worked in groups, CLM were divided into five different groups in order to contextualize and synthesize on previous points that were previously agreed on. The second part of the morning was used to form us in how to properly manage our web site: www.lmcomboni.org. Alberto de la Portilla, our coordinator of the central committee facilitated a training on how to access our web page and showed us the great advantages it offers making it possible for CLM to be connected from around the world. Also the functions, the benefits it offers such as all the useful content that can be of interest, that can be found through this medium of communication.

In the second part of the day, we have been anxiously waiting to visit the Sanctuary of the Virgen de Guadalupe, (an emblem of the Mexican town). Our pilgrimage began in the late hours of the afternoon and went throughout the evening. The mass which was presided by the Provincial of Mexico and concelebrated by four participating Comboni priests it was a very exciting time in which we all participated. This visit to the Sanctuary injected in all CLM a spirit of mission in all of us. At the end of the day we concluded with a visit to the Comboni Sisters at the Provincial house. We celebrated with them their special moment of the new election in a new chapter in Rome, the election of their Mother Superior.

(Valentín y Yessenia)

The second day of our CLM continental meeting of America

23 September, 201621 September, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Today we started the day with a mass celebration with everyone carrying out our commitment as CLM. During mass the idea that predominated was that a CLM is always a missionary, not mattering whether or not the CLM is carrying out mission work in or outside of his/her country of origin. The activities of the day began with group work based on a previous study guide that was presented to the CLM for completion before our IV Continental meeting in Mexico. Each of the groups presented and informed according to the topics that were included in the study guide. We were enriched by the constructive information that all groups exposed and shared of what goes on in each of their countries. It is always enriching to see what others are doing in their countries and how they have progressed in this area of mission work since our last continental meeting. Each representative of each country exposed and presented with such clarity on topics that were previously chosen for discussion. In the second part of the morning we moved on to discuss the agreements that were previously made in Guatemala in 2014 for each country. CLM from Columbia is the only country that was not able to send a representative to our meeting but they have sent their report via email and was read out-loud by Alberto. Fisher, the coordinator of Peru presented theirs with such clarity and after is followed by a brief discussion of the same. Yessenia De La O, representative for Paul Wheeler presented the report for Nap. Cristina both a member of our International Committee and the representative for Brazil presented their report. Mexico also presents their report with clarity and it’s followed by a small dialogue. The next presentation is done by Mirella the coordinator of Guatemala. More group work follows after to answer aspects not yet discussed based on the study guide. In the discussion floor groups exposed what was agreed in their respective groups that they were assigned too, in order to make a follow up on the agreements made in Guatemala 2014, whether if agreements were accomplished or not. After each presentation an enriched dialogue followed which helped to clarify some aspects of past agreements made in the meeting of Guatemala in 2014.

Valentín y Yessenia de la O

IV Continental meeting CLMs of America (18-24 September)

20 September, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Our CLM’s Gathering began Sunday 18^th with the presentation by the Continental committee and by Father Erasmus, Provincial Comboni Missionary in Mexico. Then we had a very original Dynamic directed by Leticia in order to learn more about each other as a group. We then assigned group activities and practical responsibilities for these remaining days. We started Monday with a very colorful mass that the Latino missionaries organized. The Eucharist is the center and force of all missionaries, this was presented through words and gestures in the offerings that were presented.

The activities of the morning were marked by the memory of our previous meetings and our commitments that were made especially in the meeting in Guatemala, which served to remind us of our lay community and our commitment to it. We reviewed the agreements previously made in order to live better our commitments in our various countries. Achievements in these past years have been remarkable, especially in the area of communication. Nevertheless, more commitment of our CLM and provincials are required in order to ensure a good follow up in all provinces. The Central Committee updated and specified what their function and role are within the International movement. Alberto, Coordinator of the Central Committee exposed its operation and clearly presented and reminded us of the various agreements that had been made by the different Continental Assemblies in a very concise and clear manner leaving no room for questions. In the Maia Assembly, the base of its performance was set, and it recalls for much coordination between the different agents within the mission of the CLM’s.

The CLM are present in 20 countries. Today we have various challenges as CLM in different continents. One of the challenges is that is necessary to clarify our relationship within the MCCJ at all levels. Another aspect that was emphasized on was the economic contribution that each member and country can give in order to help facilitate economic resources to those who have less. It is necessary for all MCCJ and Provincials to have the capacity to accept and collaborate with the CLM in those countries. We have major challenges today as a group in various levels and it is important to be conscience of them and be more coherent.

Alberto de la Portilla recalls the challenges

Consolidate those groups (CLM) in our countries and promote vocations of same.
Involve everyone in a systematic way so that we all are an International CLM family.
Achieve a smooth communication process and be more corresponding in the decision making.
Carry out the challenges and commitments of Maia.
Enable a stability in the international coordination.
Enhance further knowledge and background that will help us grow.
Procure a style of Comboni family that Comboni would have liked.

The reflection of the evening was to care for the creation of the vocation as laity in the church and to protect it, this was presented by Cristina from the Central Committee. The Comboni Lay Missionaries are called to continue the Kind of Life that Jesus led as well as Comboni. We are also called to continue and with the making of Missionary animation. In the afternoon each country presents its responses according to the previous questionnaire that was sent to each coordinator: Columbia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, NAP, Brazil and in the evening Peru presents with two very interesting testimonies by Arequipa and Trujillo.

(Fr. Valentín García and Yessenia de la O)