Peru – Comboni Lay Missionaries

A New Family in Lima

25 May, 2026 by Alberto de la Portilla

When we were in Lima, we met a new family who helped us with so many things.

We never felt alone because they were there for us every step of the way. They also introduced us to Peruvian culture and cuisine.

Despite the language barrier, we had a wonderful experience, which became a source of strength and confidence for us.

In Lima, we met many people, families, and friends of the CLM.

We often went to pray the rosary, and on other days we went for walks. We also celebrated birthdays together. Plus, we went to the beach to have fun.

In all those encounters, we found hope and confidence, especially in the Spanish language.

Belinda Awino, CLM in Peru

Our Experience in Lima (Peru)

21 April, 2026 by Alberto de la Portilla

After traveling quite a bit, we arrived in Lima, Peru. We were warmly welcomed by Mrs. Ana and Mr. Fisher from the CLM in Peru. It was the first time we had spent Holy Week away from our country and family.

We celebrated Palm Sunday at the chapel near our home. We enjoyed the songs and prayers. People were very happy to meet us. They gave us a brief moment to introduce ourselves.

On Good Friday, we went to the Pamplona neighborhood for the Stations of the Cross. It was a new experience. Everywhere we went, we shared food and joy.

On other days, we visited the families of the CLM members who live in Lima, and we also went to the scholastics’ house and the provincial house. We also visited downtown Lima to do some sightseeing and see some very beautiful places.

So far, we’re having a very good experience. We like the food in Peru. The climate suits us well. We’ve learned about the culture, about money, and how people pay for food and other things.

We’re currently studying hard to improve our Spanish. We want to learn Spanish well so we can provide the best missionary service possible. We’re learning a lot about the culture and history, and we’re also interacting well with the people.

Belinda, CLM in Peru

Signs of Hope in our Being and Missionary Work

2 February, 2026 by Alberto de la Portilla

On January 30 and 31 and February 1, 2026, the group of Comboni Lay Missionaries of Peru held its National Assembly in Lima, a meeting that brought us together to reflect, evaluate, and revitalize our way of life and missionary commitment.

Guided by the theme “Signs of Hope in our Missionary Being and Doing,” members of the communities of Lima and Trujillo, accompanied by our advisor Fr. Gianni MCCJ, gathered in Chorrillos thanks to the careful organization of the national team.

During these days, we conducted a thorough review of our missionary work, sharing a sincere evaluation of achievements, difficulties, and lessons learned. It was a space to exchange experiences, express concerns, and nurture common dreams, thus strengthening the bonds that unite us as a sent community.

The assembly culminated with a Eucharist of commitment, which sealed in our hearts the signs of hope that, as lay missionaries, we want to embody and offer throughout the year 2026.

Among the most significant agreements, we highlight:

To assume greater responsibility for our commitments within the CLM, including financial support through voluntary contributions
To prepare ourselves to welcome with fraternity and accompany the Comboni Lay Missionaries who will join the mission in Peru from Kenya, Africa

This meeting has rekindled our missionary spirit and confirmed that, through communion and shared dedication, we are called to be tangible signs of hope in our land.

CLM-Peru

Experience at the spiritual retreat of the Comboni Lay Missionaries-Peru

3 September, 2025 by Alberto de la Portilla

It was an experience that touched our hearts with the light of the Gospel, inviting us to recognize Jesus even when our human blindness prevents us from seeing him. He manifests himself in every moment of our lives, offering us the freedom to choose our paths. Inspired by the attitude of the disciples of Emmaus, who chose the path of proclamation and the breaking of bread, we understood the necessity of sharing this experience with our brothers and sisters, thus transforming our lives and our commitment to the mission.

As Comboni Lay Missionaries, we are called to follow this same path: to proclaim with joy and to place ourselves at the service of those most in need. This learning experience was deepened during the retreat held on August 1, 2, and 3 at the Laudato Si’ Center in Lima, Peru, under the guidance of Fr. Gianni Gaiga MCCJ, renewing our commitment to live and transmit the love of Christ in the world.

Teodolinda Chingel Nuñez

CLM-Peru

Statement of the Comboni Family of Peru: “We want peace”.

25 January, 2023 by Alberto de la Portilla

Pronouncement of the Commission “Justice, Peace and Integration of Creation”.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” Mt 5.9

The Comboni Missionaries (MCCJ), the Comboni Missionary Sisters (CSM) and the Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM), present in the Coast, Highlands and Jungle of Peru, we join the call for peace with social justice, that different instances and institutions of our civil society and the church, have been requesting, and echoing the words of our Pope Francis and our pastors: “Violence, extinguishes the hope of a just solution to the problems, which encourages us to the path of dialogue.” No more violence wherever it comes from!
Faced with the serious social crisis that our country is going through, with increasingly worrying levels of violence, we call on our authorities to summon representatives of all possible sectors to a fraternal dialogue table to listen to us and seek solutions to the crisis in the short, medium and long term. We are not listening to each other! Many of us are using terms that divide, stigmatize, offend and discriminate. Let us look for terms and strategies that unite us, let us be bridges of union and reconciliation. May each one of us become an instrument of peace!
The pandemic showed us with crudeness, as in an x-ray, the weaknesses we have as a country: poverty, inequalities, the precariousness accumulated for decades of our health system, also of unequal education, regions and towns forgotten by the State where there is a lack of basic services such as water, sewage, a medical post, etc. How many of these demands are already being met?
We are a rich country not only because of our minerals, but also because of the diversity and cultural richness of our people. Enough of belittling ourselves because of the color of our skin or the place we come from. We are all Peruvians with the same rights and the same duty to move our country forward. Our differences must become a channel of grace and blessing for our people.
We call on the political class and our authorities to interpret the generalized discontent in our country and to use all legal and democratic tools to find a solution as soon as possible to this crisis that has been taking human lives and paralyzing the country. For decades, we have been observing how our politics has been increasingly degrading to levels that are difficult to understand. There is a contained rage, which is beginning to express itself in ever greater forms of violence. However, we all have the right to demonstrate in a peaceful, just and democratic way, but never in a violent and destructive way wherever it comes from! It is not possible that the current congress is more concerned with passing bills that favor their own interests, while the people they represent suffer loss of life. It is incomprehensible that, in 6 years, we are already on our sixth president and that, of the last 10 presidents of Peru, 7 of them are in trouble with the justice system for corruption crimes. How is it possible that, of the 26 regional governments, most of them are also being investigated for corruption, as well as many provincial and district mayors’ offices? Corruption means fewer schools, fewer hospitals, fewer roads and fewer opportunities for all!
We ask all the members of the Comboni Missionary Family, in its various sectors: mission, formation, animation and all those close to us and committed to our work, to continue to bet on life, for it is the greatest gift that God has given us and to continue working for peace and for the good of our families, for being the cradle and first school of values that make a dignified life possible. Let us continue working so that these difficult times we are going through may make us more human and more brothers and sisters. May Our Lady of Peace intercede for us!

WE WANT PEACE!

COMBONI FAMILY OF PERU

January 24, 2023