Europe
My beginning in Ethiopia
After long preparations at last I arrived in Ethiopia. Everybody welcomed me very cordially. Our Comboni Lay Missionary Madzia came from Awassa to pick me up at the airport, help me and explain everything at the beginning of my stay. Together with Father Sixtus and Father Julio (the Ethiopian Provincial) we made the decision that I would go to Awassa the next day. The first plan established was that I would learn Amharic in the capitol for at least 3 months. It turned out a new Amharic course is starting in June, so I could spend the time first getting to know my destination Awassa, the community and language’s basics. This information was a very nice surprise for me. My new community received me very kindly. Madzia, Maggie and Mark help me as much as they can. The three children of Maggie and Mark cause much joy and life. The kids also accepted me as a new member of their community. Awassa is a big city, however it’s peaceful and picturesque. Now I’m getting to know the place, the local people and missionaries’ jobs.
Last week we celebrated Easter. It wasn’t only a time to meet with the Risen Lord, but also an interesting experience of my new cultures celebration’s which is fulfilled by different surprising elements. The Catholic Church in Ethiopia has a lot in common with the Orthodox Church. We obviously spent Easter in our community. We cultivated two Polish traditions: egg painting and Easter Breakfast on Easter Sunday.
I’m starting learning Amharic this week. I’m going to have three classes per week with a professional teacher and five classes with a tutor- a local boy who speaks English. If I’m satisfied with the schooling system, maybe I will continue my studies here, in Awassa. In that case I could stay at home. A big challenge is waiting for me now – learning Amharic language!
Magda Fiec, CLM in Ethiopia
Third meeting of the Faith and Cooperation Foundation (Portugal)
The weekend of 13 and 14 February took place at Fatima the formation of the 3rd FEC (Fe Foundation and Cooperation) Meeting with the theme “Missions, cultures and religions” in which we had the pleasure of having as trainer the Provincial of the Comboni missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, father Jose Vieira. As in other meetings, a wide variety of institutions, groups and missionary organizations were present. We thank God for the presence of all, for the fraternal union and joy that always happens when we are meeting in His name.
In this meeting the main message was the importance of going to meet the other. Go to meet them involves knowing them and knowing their culture. In addition, this meeting of cultures often means that, for a moment, we forget ourselves, our cultural habits and routines that are so natural in us. Accept the other and its culture is a necessary challenge for the full experience of the love of God in mission lands. More than witnesses of God, He invites us to follow his example, be living gospel of love. And for this, we must know the people, their culture and their customs … we should inculturated to love people in a full form.
In fact, Jesus is the true example of inculturation. He, who to witness the infinite reach of His love for us became man like us. Following his example, we must not only respect but to know and participate in culture, routines and habits of the place where we go. However, this is more complicated than we think, in first place, because we are all inherently ethnocentric and see the world from us, from our experience and our culture. However, we can never forget that cultural diversity is a gift loved and respected by God. Each of us comes with everything that is conform: defects, qualities, life history, culture, and our faith is the result of a personal relationship with God. However, it is important not to forget that cultures that welcome and receive us are sacred territory to which we must barefoot sandals of pre-judgments and preconceptions. From this arises the importance of learning the language, learn the culture, learn, especially, to celebrate and be with people sharing our lives with them. Therefore, go to a new culture requires availability to be born again, learning life differently.
During this meeting, on 13 February we had the honor of thanking God for the life of Marisa, who turned 23 years old. We thank God for the grace to walk and celebrate life at her side. Life gets bigger and better when we are surrounded by people with God in their heart.
Marisa and Paula
Forgive us our debts!
From 22 to 24 of April, I participated in Uberlandia, a city of Minas Gerais, in the Regional Prison Pastoral Assembly, an annual meeting that brings together all representatives of the State of Minas Gerais who work in this ministry. The theme was: Ecumenism, Justice and Mercy.
A justice who is the mother of peace, justice that is done with Mercy and Truth, justice is not only done with reason, not only with the heart, but Justice which is reason and heart together.
Justice often suffer from a stifling bureaucracy, old and conservative, a corruption that is evil in the world, who forgets to be restorative, seeking the good of all, to be punitive and elitist. There is an African proverb that says “in the trials you should go with a sewing needle and not with a knife to cut”, a justice that works to bring the lost humanity, even when you are guilty, because only through an act of mercy and not of condemnation will come the change, life and hope. If I did not believe it, I could not do my missionary service in the Prison Pastoral Care, where three times a week I meet the prisoners of male and female prison. It is my daily Gospel, where the wounds of guilt bleed and cause pain to whom committed the crime and to whom received it: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”.
To know how to forgive, to listen, through a journey that is done together, guilty and victim, through a reconciliation that completely changes your life, the weight of guilt and the weight of hatred.
In the days of the Assembly, I strongly felt my commitment to this path, as well as my colleagues who volunteer in prisons. None of us receives a salary, or admiration from people, on the contrary, they see us as “friends of the bandits and vagabonds” because the prisoners are considered the world’s waste, an evil to be eradicated rather to recover.
Everything we do is the result of our passion and our conviction of faith for a prison which can educate and not just punish, which can be more dignified and respectful, who knows how to create mercy and peace.
Brazil ranks fourth among countries with the highest number of prisoners in the world, after the United States, Russia and China. Human rights are not welcome in Brazilian prisons and other prisons in the world, this is also our “struggle” for full recognition.
Overcrowding, nonexistent sanitation, mice make detainees company, physical and psychological violence, illegal activities. All this happens when you visit prisons, where humanity and legality have no meaning in a complete contradiction with a structure create to rebuild and secure these values. These are the reflections, proposals and commitments we talked in our meeting, which encouraged and inspired our YES to this pastoral, remembering that there is no crime or sin that can eliminate man from the heart of the Merciful God.
Emma, CLM
Comboni Family Meeting in Spain
This past weekend was held the third meeting of Comboni Family in Spain under the theme “Comboni Family: Together on the Way“.
We were present 60 people between Comboni´s religious and laities and also we could count this year with Isabel as a representative of the Secular Comboni Missionaries who could participated with us during the week-end.
It was a weekend to get deeper into our dreams and fears in this Comboni Family path, with time to express commitments that will facilitate to follow this path together.
On Saturday, we count on Carmen Sara and Luis Guitarra to motivate the meeting. Unhurried and dynamically they helped us to go deeper in this issue, sharing our hopes, through stories, tales, songs and group dynamics we have built among all the tree of the Comboni Family.
Sunday was time to share the concrete projects we are doing together as the Vocational Youth Ministry, the Missionary Animation taking place in Granada or the project we will carry out this summer on the Camino de Santiago. Small steps that make possible, securing and assessable this common path.
All seasoned with moments to share the liturgy, with celebrations that helped us to vibrate and placed at the foot of the altar this common dreams and a nice vigil prayer where we join all those who pilgrimage as a Comboni Family on four continents.
Let´s the Lord help us overcome our fears and inspire us with the passion of St. Daniel Comboni to make concrete our Comboni Family with concrete experiences for the sake of the mission to which we try to serve every day.
