Europe – Page 66 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Colors of Timket

8 February, 2018 by Alberto de la Portilla

Imagine a colorful procession. Crowds of people clothed in different kind of cultural dresses and uniforms are dancing and clapping, singing and making the characteristic African noise “lililili”. They are different ages, young and old, babies and the elders. In the center of the crowd, there are carried big colorful tents, and under them a few men are moving slowly with something on their heads. All the people are coming closer to see them well, at least for a moment. All of them are so happy, because they are celebrating one of the most important feasts in Ethiopia, the Timket.

It is related to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church tradition. Timket means “baptism”, so it is the Lord’s Baptism Feast. This year we participated in the tradition in Awassa.

The day before the feast priests took the replicas of the Ark of Covenant from the church. According to many Ethiopian people, the real Ark of Covenant is placed in Axum (historical place in Ethiopia). However, in all the Orthodox churches there are replicas of the Ark of Covenant and it’s a sign of the presence of God. During the Timket the priests put the arks on their heads and bring them to the nearest water in memory of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan. They are tided in colorful clothes so we nobody can see them. In case of Awassa all the Arks of Covenant were brought to the lake side. The feast is the only occasion during the year while they leave the churches. The processions were started in different places (in different churches), but they met on the way creating really huge crowd of people. In the destination, some of the people stayed for the whole night, but we went home. In the morning of the following day after the Mass the processions brought the Arks of Covenant back to the churches, but the people still were celebrating whole day. It is good occasion to visit families or friends, to make nice coffee ceremony, prepare ‘dorowot’ (chicken), or drink ‘tela’ (local beer).

And when you experience it, you may fall in love with Ethiopia…

Magda Fiec, CLM Ethiopia

News from the Central African Republic

31 January, 2018 by Alberto de la Portilla

All the members of our apostolic community are doing well, thanks be to God. It has been a while since I got in touch with you because, the roads being so bad, I avoid traveling to Bangui. The trip today, with all the stops, lasted eight hours. It becomes exhausting…

Today a new CLM arrived, Cristina who is from Gueifães, Portugal. She will study French a little more and then Sango, the local language. I pray to the Lord that she will adapt well and that she will learn Sango quickly in order to come to serve our people, especially the most neglected who are the Pygmies.

We brought with us a 17 year old girl who, beginning in 2016, started having a growth on her right breast. She had come earlier for tests, but they did not do anything to her and now it is as big as a football. On Sunday she started having pains on the other side and, since they came to ask for help, we took her along. They will begin with a total mastectomy and I hope it will only be a fibroma and not cancerous, that all may go well for her.

The episcopal ordination of Fr. Jesús went well. Eighty people came from Mongoumba and his two brothers, the sister-in-law, two nephews and four friends came from Spain. Out of his closest family, only his parents were missing because they are already 86, but they will celebrate their 63^rd wedding anniversary in February and their son will be celebrating the Mass of thanksgiving. It was an unforgettable feast! A week later it was repeated in Mongoumba. The church was packed and many people stood outside.

For the coming of Jesús we celebrated the novena of the Nativity with a good participation of the faithful.

At the beginning of January we had some very cold nights with temperatures reaching 10C, which is very cold for people who do not have proper houses or coats to protect themselves. I had never felt such low temperatures over here…

Always united in prayer.

A large friendly hug to all from CLM Maria Augusta

First session of FEC Formation – Mission Volunteering and Spirituality

26 January, 201826 January, 2018 by Alberto de la Portilla

“Mission Volunteering and Spirituality” was the theme of the first formation session of the volunteers of FEC (Faith and Cooperation Foundation), held on January 13-14, 2018 at the Casa de Salud of Telhal, Sintra. Some CLM attended. Here we give you the witness of Ana Raposo, who attended this FEC formation session.

In this first meeting of FEC we discussed the theme of the “Joy of the Gospel,” with Pope Francis as our mentor. The joy of the Gospel calls us to be a Church on the move to protect our common home, a Church that looks at the world with joy, love and praise while promoting the common good and the care of our neighbor. It calls us to look within ourselves, to discover a “you” that turns into me, having as a mission to accept the will of God and lead to God who is already here, to light the flame.

This joy, this love, was lived during this weekend in the formation and in the Sunday homily. It was the splendor and joy that emanated from the pastor and his assistants in spite of their limitations and from the moderator, Juan Antonio, who made us look from different points of view as he was clarifying some of our doubts.

God the giver of love, Jesus the loved one, the Holy Spirit is love.

God is Love, Joy!

Ana Raposo

Departure of the CLM Cristina Sousa for the CAR

24 January, 2018 by Alberto de la Portilla

This afternoon our Cristina left for the mission of Mongoumba, in the Republic of Central Africa (CAR) where she will join the current local CLM community made up of María Augusta from Portugal, Anna from Poland and Simone from Italy.

As it was expected, it was a time of strong emotions, where we experienced a mixture of bureaucratic concerns such luggage overweight and the natural interior turmoils caused by the parting from family and friends for a long period of time, two years in this case.

Looking at Cristina say her good-byes and reaching the escalator that would cut our contact with her, I clearly felt that our mutual visual contacts were being stretched and almost hugged, as if to stay connected one more instant, but the escalator moved up and Cristina was gone.

On the way home I was still impacted by that scene, as if I had not had other occasions to witness departures that were just as emotional, and I was thinking of what type of strength was at the top of that escalator that could draw Cristina more strongly than our desire to be together just a little longer.

Looking into my own self, I believe that the answer can only be Jesus.

Jesus is the one who interiorly calls us to leave everything and follow him wherever he wants.

Jesus is the one who always wants to give the Good News especially to the poor and, by doing it through us, challenges us and involves us in an ever deeper encounter with Himself.

This decision to leave may seem to be selfish to some. But it is not.

This decision comes from a listening attitude bringing out an imperative of conscience that makes us do what we must do.

He is the one who calls us!

The pain of separation from family and friends proves that we are not dealing with a selfish decision, but rather with an altruistic one, greater than us.

And for those of us who are left behind, notwithstanding our sense of loss, we are happy because we see our loved ones live life to the full… replenished with meaning.

We will fully be part of this mission by our prayers, by the longing and the support we will give to the decision, even if at times we will not understand it.

I am grateful from the bottom of my heart for the witness of Cristina and her family, and for all the CLM and families who go through the airport, thus showing by their lives that the Spirit keeps on blowing where it wishes and impacting our small lives so busy in the daily grind.

A strong hug to all.

Until we meet again, Cristina!

CLM Pedro Moreira

Christmas Meeting: From the Family of Nazareth to the Family of the CLM

9 January, 2018 by Alberto de la Portilla

The Christmas meeting of the Comboni Lay Missionaries took place on December 16 and 17 in Viseu, at the Comboni Missionaries’ house. The theme was “From the Family of Nazareth to the Family of the CLM.” Several CLM attended together with those in formation. It was a meeting marked by joy and by a family atmosphere, a Comboni family and a CLM family. It was a family gathered around a single ideal – namely, Christ – and the same Comboni charism.

On Saturday morning, the CLM Sandra Fagundez gave a presentation on San Daniel Comboni and the movement. Following that, we played a game that gave us the opportunity to discover more about the Comboni Family, the meaning of Christmas, Christmas in mission… as we continued reflecting and praying on the different meditation points. It was an experience of dialogue, of sharing that enriched us and brought into focus in prayer realities distant from our eyes and the entire Comboni family.

The afternoon brought us another surprise. By groups, we had the opportunity to: talk about Christmas in mission and their life experience with the elderly Comboni Missionaries who live in the house of Viseu; converse with the Comboni Missionary Sisters at their home on what characterize the various Christmas celebrations they spent in mission; and, at the family home of the CLM Marisa Almeida, to talk and share with a family which is also part of the CLM family, because with us it shares and lives the dedication and affection to mission. It was an afternoon when we were questioned and challenged by the many witnesses of lives fully lived and dedicated to mission.

After prayer and supper, we had a party where, once more, we shared fun, laughter, jokes and music (and where Fr. Felix delighted us with his accordion). We also exchanged gifts! Once again, it was a time of unity, during this happy and genuine time together, with the CLM family and the Comboni family at large.

On Sunday, The CLM Susana Vilas Boas gave a presentation on the theme of “From the Family of Nazareth to the CLM family” starting with a reflection and ending with a sharing. From the morning session I remember the idea of journey. The CLM is on a journey, as Comboni would say, with their eyes fixed on Christ – because only this way does the journey have meaning. This is in order to follow the example of the family of Nazareth: the unity of Mary and Joseph, its humble service to Jesus, its desire to fulfill the will of God and the total dedication to his will must be the example for the CLM family, so that it may fulfill the dream that God has for it, and continue on a journey of growth in order to serve in mission according to the style of St. Daniel Comboni.

The Christmas meeting ended with the Eucharist with Fr. Francisco Medeiros as the main celebrant and with the joy of having with us at lunch the family of the CLM Neuza Francisco.

This is the word I was looking for to sum up the Christmas meeting of the CLM: family. In prayer, sharing, being together, listening, this meeting has awakened in each one of us the notion that we belong to something bigger than ourselves, a spiritual family that accepts us and challenges to improve, to do and live our mission in the style of Comboni, with our eyes fixed on Christ, passionate about Him and about people.

Filipe Oliveira