Comboni Lay Missionaries

Staying true to our nature

LMC Kenia

Hello Saints!

The month is still fairly new, so please allow me to begin by saying happy new month!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the women out there, especially in and around the Comboni Family, a happy women’s day, celebrated internationally this past Friday, the 8th of March. Did you know that our patron St. Daniel Comboni was a great champion for women? All through his mission work, he was insistent on the importance of including women in evangelisation. On May 5th 1878 (W5117) he wrote: “…My secret, based on my long experience of 21 years, is this: in a mission station in which there are six or seven sisters, I only need to put two missionary priests. Two priests and six sisters in a mission in Central Africa will do more good than a Mission with twelve priests and no sisters. This is a fact.” (Pg. 24, Daniel Comboni, Witness of Holiness and Master of Mission.) ‘Without women missionaries, men would achieve nothing in Africa.’ (Pg. 186, The Spirituality of Daniel Comboni by John Manuel Lozano.) To every female, I hope you feel seen, loved and appreciated. You are wonderfully and fearfully made and you deserve to be celebrated every day!

This past weekend, beginning Friday 8th to Sunday 10th March, we, the Comboni Lay Missionaries – Kenya had our monthly formation meeting. We had a guided recollection at Uganda Martyrs Scholasticate with Fr. Sylvester Hategek’Imana MCCJ. We delved a little more into what our identity is as CLM – adding to what Fr. Maciek taught us last month. My identity and my call/vocation to be a CLM should never be in conflict. My values and my work must always reflect my identity as a CLM. We have been called to be the salt and the light of the world. We must let our light shine before men that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven. Mathew 5:13-16.

Fr. Sylvester shared this beautiful story with us. Once there was a holy old man who loved to meditate every morning under a large tree on the banks of a river. One morning, after he had finished his meditation, he noticed a large scorpion stuck, fighting helplessly against the strong current of the river. He reached out his hand to help free the Scorpion and immediately the Scorpion stung him. And again, he reached out his hand to help free the scorpion. A young man who was passing by saw this. He asked the old man, “Why risk your life to save such an ugly useless creature?” The holy old man was in much pain having been stung violently, severally. In his pain, he said to the young man, “Friend, because it is in the nature of a scorpion to sting why should I give up my own nature to save?” The world is consumed with different shades of darkness. Our nature as CLM is rooted in Christ. We have been called to be kind, loving, empathetic, selfless, forgiving and so much more. In our daily lives, we get stung – by friends, family, employers etc. We can only find solace in Christ. At no point must we allow it to alter our nature.

We also learnt that love and forgiveness go hand in hand. The greatest commandment is love. Christ is the embodiment of love. That a man should give up his life for the sake of his friends. There is no greater love. And while Jesus was stretched out on the cross, he showed mercy to his persecutors and asked the Lord to ‘forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ Jesus set a great example for us. He expects much of us. Every day we must love more and forgive more. Christ will give us the grace to love the unlovable and forgive those who show no remorse.

This weekend was more special as we had a chance to hear from Fr. Gregor MCCJ, the Provincial of the Comboni Community in South Sudan. He was pleased to learn of our formation program for CLM-K. In Juba, they only have Friends of Comboni. They are yet to have Comboni Lay Missionaries. Christianity is very young in South Sudan. So young that the first generation of Christians in Nuer are still alive. The country is also young. Infrastructure is almost non-existent and illiteracy levels are as high as 70%. It was very grounding to hear of the work the missionaries are doing in South Sudan. Being a missionary there requires that you truly give up everything and offer up your life in service to God. We are very thankful to Fr. Gregor for taking the time to share with us and indulge our curiosity.

We would like to thank the Scholasticate for having us through the weekend. Your environment offers the stillness that one requires when seeking and hearing from our Lord. Thank you for your hospitality that knows no bounds.

We would also like to thank the Comboni priests stationed at Holy Trinity Kariobangi for allowing us to do our apostolate there and at the outstation, on Sunday.

This coming Saturday, March 16th, all Comboni family will gather to commemorate St. Daniel Comboni’s Birthday. St. Daniel Comboni pray for us that we may follow in your footsteps. May we use our time on earth to prepare for heaven.

This fourth week of Lent, let us reflect on what matters most in this life. St. Mother Teresa said, “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me, I was homeless and you took me in.’”

Remember, the goal is heaven.

Warmly,

Cecilia Nyamu

Comboni Lay Missionary – Kenya

Formation meeting and sharing with Father Tesfaye General of the MCCJ

CLM-Kenya

Hello Saints!

Receive the warmest greetings from Comboni Lay Missionaries – Kenya. We hope you all had the best St. Valentine’s Day and a wonderful start to Lent.

We had our monthly CLM-K formation meeting this past weekend from Friday 16th February to Sunday 18th February. This month’s topic was “What is our Identity as Comboni Lay Missionary?” There are three aspects to look at: The spiritual approach, Comboni Charism and the Human aspect.

On the Human aspect, we learnt that Identity grows from discernment. We must all reflect on our values, what matters most, and what we stand for. It matters how you view yourself. Our identity affects the decisions we make. Making decisions without discernment causes strife, unhappiness and discontent with life. We also learnt that our environment affects our identity. In the famous words of Dr. Asfia Qaadir, “Our roots keep us grounded and help us remember what truly matters at the end of the day.”

On the Spiritual approach, we reflected on various scriptures that tell us what God thinks of us. One of my favourites is Proverbs 139:14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Another favourite is 1st Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” If He who created us in His image and likeness thinks so highly of us, how dare we question his judgement? Our identity is in Christ and by his grace and mercy, He has made us worthy.

Lastly, on the Comboni Charism, we reflected on the life of St. Daniel Comboni. St. Daniel Comboni wrote: “We must pray instead that we may save many souls and go to heaven, not alone but with a great crowd of converts.” These and many more words of St. Daniel Comboni speak of his heart and his identity. He made so many sacrifices, travelling back and forth through the desert, the suffering he endured: tropical diseases, hunger, poverty, language barrier, opposition and more. Yet, he did not give up. Ordained as a priest at the young age of 23 years, he went ahead to become a Bishop and later formed the Comboni sisters who helped him with his missionary work in Khartoum, South Sudan. St. Daniel Comboni gave up his life in service to the poor and most abandoned until his death. Every single morning, he lived for the glory of God. This was his identity. As CLM-K, we must fashion our lives to match the great example set for us by our founder. “So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1st Corinthians 10:31.

This weekend was also quite special for us. On Sunday we had a visit and seat down with MCCJ General Fr. Tesfaye and his Assistant Brother Alberto. They were accompanied by Fr. Juanma and Fr. Christopher. It was so lovely sharing further on the topic of identity with them. What made it more special is their experience over the years. Their sharing spoke of the goodness of the Lord. We are so thankful to you General Fr. Tesfaye, Brother Alberto, Fr. Juanma, and Fr. Chris for making the time to meet with us.

On a final note, we wish to thank all Comboni Priests stationed at Holy Trinity Catholic Parish Kariobangi for hosting us for dinner on Saturday evening. We would also like to wish our MCCJ province well during their annual assembly that began Monday 19th February and will run through Friday 23rd February.

1st Peter 1:3-5, St. Peter wrote to the Christians saying: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, which is kept in heaven for us. This Lenten season, reflect on the suffering of our Lord and be filled with hope knowing that Christ will rise from the dead and in him we have been made new.

Warm regards,

Cecilia Nyamu, Comboni Lay Missionary – Kenya

Happy New Year from Kitelakapel

LMC Kenia

Greetings from Kitelakapel!

We hope you are doing well. We are doing great. We are starting the new school year. Linda and Pius return to schools to teach life skills. I spend more and more time in clinics. I am patiently waiting for my official work permit. Our pastoral work, the Why Blue Sky project supporting teachers, also return to the regular schedule.

Last 3 weeks, the turn of the old and new year, we spent on the road. Just after Christmas, which we spent in Kitelakapel, we went to the Turkana region inhabited by the tribe of the same name. We went there together with Guilia and Hani who visited us again 🙂 . We went to visit two Comboni missions in Lokichar and Lodwar. Built from scratch by the Comboni Missionaries. In the middle of nowhere. In Lokichar there is a church, a school and a center for children with various disabilities. In nearby villages there are further schools built by the Comboni and handed over to the people. Similarly in Lodwar. Schools, chapels, health centers. From people to people. Created with love to serve others.

On Monday we returned from Nairobi. We spent a week there, completing various formalities, but also getting to know numerous projects such as a children’s center in the middle of the largest slums in Africa, run by our friend from the CLM community, or the Kivuli Center street children’s home founded by the diocesan priest Kizito. As an international community, we also participated in the annual meeting of the Kenyan CLM group. Together we summed up 2023 and planned 2024. During the meeting, new leaders were elected and at the solemn Holy Mass, one of the candidates, Mercy, officially became a lay Comboni missionary. It’s amazing how much we feel part of this group.

We have various ideas in our heads and planned workshops. The new year promises to be intense. We will keep you updated on what’s going on with us.

Marzena Gibek

Comboni Lay Missionary –Kitelakapel, Kenya

Happy New Year Saints from Kenya!

Kenya CLM assembly

We from CLM sure hope that your 2024 is going great so far.

We are grateful to God for his grace that saw us through to a new year and that continues to surround us. Our community is growing and we couldn’t be happier! Surely, His love endures forever.

What better way to plan for our new year than to reflect on the year that was? We had our annual CLM meeting this past weekend from Friday 12th January to Sunday 14th January. It is always so joyous being together. Over these three days, we reflected on our activities and brainstormed new ideas for 2024, plus improvements on what we are already doing. We also went through our finances and discussed our income versus expenditure. We are grateful to God for his providence. We are especially grateful for people like you and me whom God has called to support ‘the littlest’ in his Kingdom. In 2024, we pray for more Grace. Grace to give up more of ourselves for the Kingdom, Grace to serve in the most difficult situations and grace to live like Christ did – loving each other without measure.

We also had the commissioning of one of our own. After two (2) years of formation, Mercy Chepoghisho is now a full member of Comboni Lay Missionaries. She has been trained, she is baptised and she is now ready to be sent to do the Lord’s work. We are all so very proud of her. May her faith always light her path.

On Sunday we had the sending of two Comboni Secular for missionary work in Uganda. Lucy and Ruth. We wish them well.

This new year also happened to be CLM election year. As part of CLM constitution, elected leaders are to serve for a renewable two-year term. We are grateful for our leaders who took on their roles very well the past two years. Our new CLM leaders are Fr. Maciej Zielenski – Assessor/ Chaplain, Martin Juma – Coordinator, Maria Ajiambo – Secretary and Mukami Muthee – Treasurer. Martin, Maria and Mukami will be our representatives through January 2026, when we will have the next election. Congratulations to the three.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the MCCJ, who generously hosted us all through the weekend. Thank you for the hospitality and the resources that you availed to us. Our words are not enough, but may our good Lord remember you for your hospitality.

We’ve had a great start to the year, and we are all very hopeful for 2024.

May the Eucharistic Jesus be our strength always. (St. Daniel Comboni – Writing 6044).

Warmly, Cecilia Nyamu

Comboni Lay Missionary – Kenya.

One year of missionary experience in Kitelakapel Kenya

LMC Kenia

The hospitality and arrival in Kenya started on the 19th November’ 2022 welcomed by Fr. Maciej and Linda and CLM Kenya members. As a new international CLM from Uganda I was introduced to so many people and places in Nairobi…. Karibu Kenya.

Touring the Peace Center where many lives were lost due to terrorism…. Was a moment of reflection and meditation, finding grace and peace and God’s divine mercy. As we reflect on the world of today in war Ukraine vs Russia, war in Sudan, pandemics and our daily struggles with each other and our own selves.

Gratitude

I would like to start with gratitude to my CLM Uganda community and MCCJ Uganda for all the financial, spiritual and moral support accorded to me to be able to travel, survive the challenging environment of missionary experience… They sacrifice a little from their hard earnings to contribute to my up keep in Kitelakapel. They gather in the community house of Bugolobi Mbuya to share and assemble for meetings and prayers and recollections and formation of new members. They also meet in Luwero for seminars and workshops to refresh their faith and missionary work.

Gratitude also to Alberto and the Central and African committee and coordinating team for the trainings and formation programs and all the moral support given in the one year and encouragement in tough moments of fear and anxiety.

You have not chosen me; I have chosen you to go out and bear fruit that will last… Jn 15:16

My community in Kitelakapel…

We live three people in the community: Linda Micheletti from Italy, Marzena Gibek from Poland and Pius Oyoma from Uganda. We care and look up to each other. We are the first team to start the international community in Kitelakapel- Kenya. We often receive visitors from within and out of Kenya. We share together good moments of prayer and laughter. Our community organizes games for kids. We also do various training like Kiswahili langue, enneagram, formation programs, assemblies ad attend Mass and other festivals in the church. We travel to train and do youth retreats.

The Lord is loving and merciful, slow to anger and full of constant love…

Education….

We are teaching Life Skills in secondary schools of St. Paul’s Boys and St. Bakita Girls boarding school. Gratitude to our sponsors who have financially supported to meet the cost of reach out to the distant schools to train more than 800 students in 2022-2023 academic year as we seek to open doors to other schools in need of our services.

My work and mission… transforming lives…. touching lives…. inspiring… sowing practical talent… and skills

Let the children come to me…

Pastoral Activities with the small Christian communities… Jumuiya.

Another of our main activities consist in visiting families, praying for the sick and troubled families and connecting… being there… being with people, we do also meetings with YSC, Sunday School, Catechism, Bakhita Group, choir, TTI Group.

Kitelakapel is an outstation of Kacheliba Parish. It is still an area of first evangelization. There is a small church, built by the MCCJ, and a fathers’ house with a farming project. Not far from it, the MCCJ built a new house that has been allocated to us, in a large compound. Within the compound, on the left side of the CLM house, there’s a plan to build, in the future, a hospital, and on the right side a hall and pitches for the youth to play. The idea is to prepare for the possibility that one day this may become a parish on its own. It’s a very marginalized area, very dry, where people lack access to water and live mainly out of pastoralism. The Pokot in this area remain quite attached to their traditions, with low rates of school attendance and low school performances. As soon as we got here, we could immediately identify some basic needs, in terms of pastoral work, as there seems to be little involvement of the faithful into the running of church activities. The same catechist in charge is too busy to dedicate time to the Jumuiyas and teach catechism. Only recently have some women organized themselves into a small choir, while there are still gaps in the organization of church cleaning and provision of essential elements like candles and other accessories for the celebration of the Mass.

In terms of social aspects, there is an evident problem of alcohol addiction in the area, as well as drugs, disaggregated families, early pregnancies and early marriages (with consequent school droppings), but we are still in the process of understanding and discovering more about the social needs in this area.

Economy….

Supporting the communities with ideas and programs to survive the tough economic times after the COVID pandemic and ongoing world wars is also part of my duties… SACCO it is a system to encourage savings and product development to create jobs and increase revenues and earnings of the group… I was appointed project coordinator for CLM Kenya.

I will bless the fruits of your hard work and multiply you… I will uphold you with my victorious right hand… nothing will ever separate you from my love.

My stakeholders…

Meeting our Bishop HENRY JUMA was the most exciting moment of my life and this feeling of faith and passion made enjoy every moment of his presence… Our parish priest, father Charles, a friendly and fatherly man and fathers from Kacheliba Parish and Amakuriat Parish… Comboni sisters and brothers and our lay missionaries of Kenya. Our provincial superior Fr. Andrew so welcoming and warm hearted and fatherly to everyone.

Fr. Philippe and Fr. Thomas our legends of west Pokot share with us good moments of the 50 years of Comboni in Kacheliba. Golden jubilee…

The moment I met you, my value increased and that’s how much valuable you are to me…

The youth… young …the energy and the magic.

Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God so that he will lift you up in his own time. Leave all your worries with him for he cares for you…

God is my creator and my redeemer and he loves me dearly… Shukurani…

Pius Oyoma, CLM in Kenya