Comboni Lay Missionaries

“Mission in the world today”: Meeting of the Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM) in Mellatz on 3 and 4 July 2015

German CLM

On 3 and 4 July 2015, some members of the Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM) met with the Comboni Missionaries Fr. Franz Weber and Br. Friedbert Tremmel in the mission home in Mellatz to exchange views on the theme “mission in world today”. On Saturday, some members of the “Mellatzer Weggemeinde” arrived at the group and we increase at least 15 persons.

At the beginning of the meeting Fr. Franz Weber gave a brief introductory presentation: the term “mission” is quite negatively affected by the history of the conquest and colonization that sometimes went hand in hand with the evangelization of the peoples of Africa, America and Asia. Today, this term should be rediscovered. The mission must come from the heart from where one can live and act as missionaries, that is, the mission begins with me.

Jesus was the “first missionary and the source of all missionary work” brings good news to the poor, and this is testified by his life and his cures. The core mission is the Good News, the Kingdom of God is present with Jesus. “We have to speak about the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

After this introduction to the topic, the group began to think about how they can act in the sense of Jesus, as individuals and as a group. One of the options that can be done starts in the family, with friends, at work or in the parish.

In conclusion, we can say that the mission is made by and for men and women. The essence is given by me. It is give and take. The day ended with a Mass in which we thanked God for our skills and talents.

The next time the CML Group will meet in the Comboni house in Nuremberg will be on Friday night (9/10/2015) till Sunday (11/10/2015) at noon. The theme will be the new encyclical “Laudato Sí” from Pope Francisco. All people who are interested are invited.

CLM Germany

In the footsteps of Jesus – spiritual retreat in the streets of Berlin

BerlinOn May 13, three women of the small group of German CLM went to Berlin, to make a spiritual retreat in the streets. We were anxious, how will that be? Full of gratitude we can say that it was worth it! The Jesuit Christian Herwartz and the Comboni sister Margit Forster affectionately accompanied us. Each of us made her personal and profound experience, going to places that made possible an encounter with God in a special way: the jail, a drug sales point, a meeting place for the homeless, tourist places in the center… Like Moses, we take off our sandals (fears, prejudices, judgments) and in the holy places we find God in a new way. Unfortunately, we had to return home on May 17. It was a brief but very rich experience, especially together. THANK YOU!

Barbara Ludewig CLM Germany

Meeting of the CLM in Nürnberg about the “Evangelii Gaudium”

Grupo LMC Alemania

The German CLM group met in Nürnebrg in the house of the Comboni Missionaries from 17 to 19 of October 2014. Even the machinists strike could stop it 🙂 .

On Saturday, We dedicated to the intensive study of the encyclical “Evangelii Gaudium” with the help of Pia Schildmair. On Sunday we highlight the common points of the encyclical with the Comboni spirituality. We look for specific impulses for everyone and for the group and agreed steps to implement them. We ask that the joy of the Gospel continue to accompany us along the way!

Barbara Ludewig

Meeting of the CLM with stakeholders from Mellatz Christian Community

Grupo MellatzIn the middle of the holidays, from 15 to 17 August, our CLM group gathered. For Saturday Martina and Brigitte had prepared a program on Daniel Comboni and his spirituality. We invite to participated interested persons from the ecclesial community of Mellatz. We deepen our knowledge about the life and work of St. Daniel Comboni and seek the meaning of his spirituality to our reality today. We found it very interesting, the exchange of ideas with the 12 community stakeholders brought so much to us all. This encouraged every one of us to continue or re-start our missionary service: each in their daily personal life but also together as a group. There was also a time to speak personally and to continue the presentation work (website, poster) and plan the next steps for the group. On Sunday we had the opportunity to celebrate Mass with the parish community. After Mass there was time for many conversations with the community about the CLM.

Special thanks to Brigitte and Martina for preparing the meeting so fondly, to brother Friedbert for his support and to all participants.

The next meeting will be from 17 to 19 October in Nuremberg with the theme “The common points between the exhortation of Pope Francis ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ and the Comboni spirituality.”

Grupo MellatzBarbara Ludewig

Celebrating Plurality

Encuentro alemania
Assembly of Comboni Lay Missionaries of the German Speaking Province (DSP), July 2014 in Nuremberg.

It is now thirty years since the first German Comboni Lay Missionary (CLM) went to the missions in Kenya. He was considered as an associate member of the Comboni Missionaries, in German called “MaZ” (missionary ad tempus – Missionar auf Zeit). A number of MaZ who had returned from the missions and some friends had gathered in Nuremberg in order to celebrate this jubilee. Some of the participants stayed throughout the whole weekend; others just joined the meeting for one day. All enjoyed sharing experiences, talking about vocation, about their life and in turns played with the children of the CLM. All in all there were seventeen CLM, seven friends and eight Comboni-Missionaries, including the Provincial Fr. Karl Peinhopf as well as former and present members of Comboni-Missionaries in charge of CLM.

At the beginning of the assembly, four posters were shown concerning the results of a Master thesis on sustainable impacts by international volunteers and Lay Missionaries such as MaZ from Germany. The posters presented key findings of a survey among persons who had come back from their mission commitment. By now, most of them work as teachers, in the parochial field, as social workers or in the sector of health care (e.g. nurses). Even if they currently do not work in the missions abroad or in development work, they enter their experiences into their work, i.e. in additional projects, intercultural commitments or financial donations. Furthermore, the far reaching impact on the life of ‘missionaries ad tempus’ are commitments concerning topics like sustainable way of living, migration and globalization as well as global justice. Being interviewed, some returnees emphasized that their faith was strengthened by the experiences in other parts of the universal church.

Later on, items of the agenda confirmed this positive and sustainable impact: Mathias returned from Uganda last year and reported about his time in Kasaala. Together we discussed the projects and his input at secondary school and farming.

Sigrun who had been in Matany/Uganda some time ago provided insights into her field of profession in tropical agriculture and horticulture. During the past years she returned to West Uganda several times for biological surveys.

Lena let us have a look behind the curtain of political science, bringing closer the dispute between the African Union and the International Criminal Court.

All the contributions showed the plurality of MaZ and the topics they deal with. Father Markus Körber and Father Hubert Grabmann, two Comboni Missionaries participating in the gathering, reported about their present missionary work in South Sudan and in Kenya. Father Hubert Grabmann assisted in the formation of CLM in the DSP some years ago; now he received CLM in his parish in Kenya for the second time.

Apart from the official programme, there was time for sharing information about life and changes, watching football games of World Cup, having barbeque as well as singing and praying together. At the concluding mass we prayed for the CLMs in formation and those in missions. We thanked Br. Friedbert Tremmel for the hospitality. We bid farewell to Father Günther Hofmann before his departure to South Africa in the near future. For the season of Advent and for next year we have already been planning further meetings with contributions from MaZ/CLM.

Encuentro alemaniaChristoph Koch