Comboni Lay Missionaries

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Europe

Six months of missionary presence in Kitelakapel

by
LMC Kenia

It’s been almost half a year since I came to Kitelakapel. It’s amazing how wonderful I feel here from the beginning. Full of peace and joy that what I wanted so much is now coming true. The three of us stay in Kitelakapel, together with Linda, who came here first, and Pius, who has been here for almost a year. These first months were a time of meeting people, getting to know each other in the community and observing everything that was happening around me. I know this adventure will never end. And I do not want it to end. I want to continue to explore, to learn, to taste this life in Africa which is a great gift for me.

In Kitelakapel we’re doing well, we are very busy with a lot of different activities. We still spend a lot of time learning Suahili. Linda is our teacher. We have a lot of pastoral work like: catechism, Young Missionary Group (St. Bakhita group), YCS (meetings with boys from secondary school), Sunday School and attending Jumuiyas (small christian communities). Every Saturday and Sunday we organize compound games for children.

I have started offering my services to the dispensary of the mission in Kacheliba, and the small dispensary of Kitelakapel. My big dream is to work here in Kenya as a physiotherapist. It is not only my profession but also a great passion. I have already taken some official steps to be able to practice my profession here. Pius and Linda continue teaching life skills in two schools and doing tutoring in the primary school. I had the pleasure of observing their work for almost three months when I arrived here.They do it really wonderfully, engaging children and teenagers in various activities. We’ve also started weekly workshops for teachers to improve the quality of teaching. Workshops are run online by an organisation from Poland Why Blue Sky. Now schools are on vacation so we also do other activities.

We took part in very interesting workshops in Nairobi organized by Fr Maciej Zieliński. It was about personality types. We are also planning to go to Uganda for one week to organize some workshops for teachers and nurses.

We’re now trying to set up a permanent tent to have activities with children and adults in case of bad weather, and we would like to have a little playground with swing, slide and merry-go-round for the youngest children. .

We send you our warmest greetings and please, keep us in your prayers 🙂

Marzena Gibek, CLM from Kitelakapel

European CLM meeting in Krakow

by
LMC Europa

Last October 12 and 13 we held in Krakow the assembly of representatives of the CLM of Europe. A meeting that has been postponed several times because of Covid or the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the refugee crisis that it has generated. Finally, we were able to find some days to share.

It was a great joy for all the participants to be able to meet in person. After many years of working and sharing online meetings, the possibility of a personal meeting was experienced as a moment of grace. It is the joy of a family meeting, the joy of dreaming together, praying together, reflecting together…

It was a simple meeting. We felt at home at all times because of the wonderful welcome received by the CLM and the MCCJ from Poland. Those who arrived earlier had the opportunity to visit the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy and to entrust to the Sacred Heart of Jesus the days to be shared.

The next day, with everyone present, we began a shared analysis of the reality of each of our groups. Step by step, theme by theme, we have been sharing and deepening the richness of our missionary life, the difficulties we face in each country (many of them common to the whole continent) and the dreams we have.

Once we had a clearer idea of the path we have traveled during these years and how we find ourselves in each country, it was time to go into the fundamental topics of the meeting.

First of all, we had time to deepen our CLM vocation and the life commitment it implies. To discover what we are called to as missionaries in Europe. To understand the difficulties and challenges that our continent presents to us. An increasingly secularized Europe, where the danger of individualism and indifference looms in the face of the many problems that should be faced in solidarity. A lifestyle that is so often opposed to the values of the Gospel and the search for the common good.

But in the presence of all the difficulties we found the antidote to use, the ideal characteristics of the good missionary that should help us to overcome all these difficulties (here we had to use our more artistic side).

And from there to go deepening and understanding that our CLM community is our main strength, that alone it is difficult but that in community and placing Jesus in the center everything is possible.

To recognize that we are involved in many aspects of life, that lay life with all its family aspects, work, pastoral and social involvement is not easy, that we must learn to prioritize. We must be aware that our life is not compartmentalized in our many tasks but united by a single vocation that is expressed in the various areas where we are present and share our life. That prayer, formation and community accompaniment as CLM are basic pillars that help us and strengthen our fidelity to our vocation. We are aware of the difficulties of many of our CLM in living their vocation on a daily basis, that many times the return from the mission in other countries is not easy and finding what the Lord asks us every day is a challenge, but from the personal and community discernment it is possible.

We also had time to reflect on our responsibility with the mission outside our continent. The diversity with which each group was born brings us a lot of richness that we do not want to lose, but at the same time the essence of a single CLM vocation and the commitment to face it together is strong. Our CLM groups are the local expression of a single global commitment, being part of the CLM makes us belong to a large international family with which we feel committed to the service of the Kingdom of God. Doing mission wherever we are at any given moment does not detract from the other responsibilities we have at the global level, starting with our international communities present in Africa or America and everything that has to do with our international membership.

The numerous agreements we have at the international level, the documents we have jointly approved and the tools we have created (such as the international formation plan or the communication guide) are important tools that can help us in our journey.

Finally, we dedicated some time to visualize what kind of service is expected from the European Committee in the coming years, where to focus its work priorities and how it can be an instrument of help for the different groups in Europe.

Undoubtedly a very intense few days, which as always are made short because one enjoys a lot when one is with the family. But now it is not the time to make three tents but to come down to reality and make the dream of Comboni possible in and from Europe.

Thanks to all of you who have made these days possible (both to those who have attended and to those who have prepared beforehand) and lots of encouragement to make our CLM vocation come alive.

Best regards

Alberto de la Portilla, CLM Central Committee Coordinator.