Mexico – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Community Experience in Mexico

4 February, 2025 by Alberto de la Portilla

“BECAUSE TO SERVE YOU MUST BE PREPARED”.

The final stage in the formation of the American candidates of the “Comboni Lay Missionaries” (CLM) movement has begun, a time of being in tune with themselves and with the other CLM before leaving for the ad-gente mission to give a generous response to the call received to go to the evangelization of the most abandoned peoples, the main reason why we exist as a group.

There are four people who share this experience: Mariana Meléndez Cándido, 36 years old; Rosalinda Olivo Oria, 69 years old; Sandra Luisa Rodríguez Andalón, 64 years old; all Mexican and José David Rojas Quesada, Costa Rican, 43 years old; from a human point of view it is not understandable to leave family, work, friends, customs, knowing that only the ideal of Comboni unites them, with the only objective of being ready for the mission.

Now they are part of the same family where, strengthened by prayer, it makes sense to be together. United, remembering that being children of the same Father makes them brothers, rescued by Jesus Christ who from daily life invites them to be with Him and moved by the Holy Spirit to be sent to the most needy as Daniel Comboni did in his time.

Today this legacy continues as heirs of the Charism, the Comboni Family (MCCJ, HC, SC, LMC).

CLM Mexico

Vocation is a call

20 November, 2024 by Alberto de la Portilla

There is always a response to God’s call, when people say yes, a celebration can be held over the years, where we can all participate to celebrate, I Lety was invited by a religious to support her Missionary Animation and so it happened from November 9 to 17, in the community of Bocja Arenal Hidalgo, a community between Actopan and Pachuca we participated.

It was a week of sharing where I participated and not alone; I was able to live it with Sandra CLM from Guadalajara, a companion of the local group and who will soon begin her community formation to be able to go out to the ad-gentes mission.

Sharing with the people our Catholic Christian Joy in the style of St. Daniel Comboni, the reason for the week of Missionary Animation was the 25th anniversary of religious life of my friend, a vocation of this place to awaken the vocation in new generations. We are grateful for all that we lived; always filled with the presence of God.

María Leticia Ordoñez. CLM Mexico

National Assembly in Mexico

2 November, 2024 by Alberto de la Portilla

From September 27 to 29 we had our national assembly in preparation for the international meeting 2024, the appointment was in Mexico City where 15 CLM from different groups of the national movement participated, Fr. Filomeno Ceja MCCJ as our companion present and Fr. Luis Enrique Ibarra invited to give the theme of Missionary Animation.

In an atmosphere of prayer and dynamism we were able to address the issues provided by the central committee that we had to work, we made groups where each one of us had the opportunity to express our missionary feeling about the reality presented, in addition we established our commitments based on what we can do in our place. We have managed to address all the issues, we are still preparing the documents that will be sent to the central committee and we managed to make the work plan for next year.

We have established dates where we highlight the moments of prayer in the monthly retreat in each group, dates for virtual prayer where we all participate remembering key moments in the life of Comboni, as to strengthen the spirit and our retreat in person at the national level, as well as the date for our next assembly.

The dates for the beginning and closing of the community experience.

The formation for the following year.

The activities that will be carried out to gather economic resources for the following year. To continue sending our contribution to the central committee, to sustain the community experience and the mission house in Metlatónoc.

Each one of the members wrote our letter of commitment where we specify what we are going to commit ourselves to for the following year. This letter was received by the Assessor and the Coordinator of the CLM movement in Mexico. It was really a moment of happiness to see something concrete for each of the CLM members present.

The party was not long in coming and we all shared the typical things that each one has in their region. Thank God we all returned safely to our cities.

CLM Mexico.

Visiting the family

19 September, 2024 by Alberto de la Portilla

When you decide to go on mission you know that you are not going alone, that is why it is necessary to dialogue with the family.

Mariana CLM since 2017, has decided to go on mission, she has demonstrated it by enrolling in the diploma course on Mission offered by MILAG (Misioneros Laicos Ad-gentes en México), she requested to enter the community experience next year, she is in dialogue with her immediate boss to define the day she will leave her job to concentrate on her preparation for the mission.

And most importantly, we have taken on the task of getting to know her family, especially her parents and talking with them to let them know that we are accompanying their daughter for the vocational step she is going to take. With happiness I can say that it has been a meeting of Faith, Prayer, Sharing and Living together where I have confirmed that Mariana our Sister in Christ has everything to take this step to the mission since God occupies the first place in her life, she experiences this every day following the example of her parents.

Beatriz Maldonado, CLM Mexico

Animating the mission in our parish

5 September, 2024 by Alberto de la Portilla

Because of the call of Pope Francis to be a Church that goes out and because of the message of Our Lord to go in twos and twos.

Through these lines we want to share that it was very motivating for us as a couple to do MISSION ANIMATION in our parish of Our Lady Guadalupe del Puente, in Irapuato, Gto.

Our experience meant sharing with the people the gifts that God has given us, of missionary animation as Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM), the fruits of this experience, among others, a little girl, who went to mass in the morning and took a “aguilucho” (missionary magazine for children); Her mother told us that the girl told us that she had already read the whole magazine and she wanted more, because she had liked it very much and we gave her two more aguiluchos. Also several people who already knew the magazines, and asked us when we would bring the magazine again, showing their interest in the mission, so we invite you to always share the gifts you have received and help others to find their mission, keep working.

Affectionate couple Florencio and Ana, CLM Mexico.