Poland – Page 10 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Time of sadness – time of joy

14 November, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Last days went by with these two ambivalent feelings. Moments of sadness interspersed with moment of great joy- this because of our children.

On All Soul’s Day we attended the Mass which was celebrated on the local cemetery situated near our St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Gulu. After the Mass we went with our children to pray at the tomb of our small Angel-as we used to call Moses, who died 6 months ago. After prayer we covered the tomb with flowers which we’d picked from the tree growing in St. Jude Children’s Home.

Here The Day of All Saints is a day of great joy- in this special day children receive sacraments of baptism, First Communion and even Confirmation. The Mass in the Cathedral is pretty long- 4 or 5 hours, because there are for example 150 children to be baptized. Anyway we are in Africa, so the length of the Mass is normal, and good that our Cathedral is big and long so all people can enter. After receiving all sacraments all people gathered in the church, lift up their hand and candles and shout loudly to show their happiness. At the beginning, I was very surprised that the day, which in Poland is a calm day of reflection and prayer, here in Gulu is a one of the most happiest day. But when during the Confirmation each candidate reads the name of Patron out you get the feeling that All Saints gather in one place- beautiful experience, unforgettable.

Children from our Orphanage received the sacraments of Baptism and First Communion earlier- on October 28^th– memory of St. Jude, who is a Patron of our Orphanage. Children from both schools- Nursery and Primary, all workers, orphans and friends of our Orphanage met under the big tree to celebrate the Mass. Seven our children have been baptized and eight children first time received Holy Communion. It was a very joyful day for all of us. Children who received First Communion were in different age, between 10 and 16. None of them asked about toys or super gifts. All of them were prepared well by our catechist.

I came back to Uganda 5 months ago- I already live according to my routine, which is different from the one which I had 2 years ago. Now, the majority of my time I spend with children. In the morning with babies and disabled, in the afternoon with children from Primary 1,2,3 and children from Nursery School. But many different people who come to our house break our daily routine, for what we are very grateful. Some of them come for short time- like Peter- our Lay Comboni Missionary from Poland or for longer like David- Comboni Lay Missionary from Spain, who came for more than one month. Also meetings with Comboni Family, during the feast like on October 10th- the Feast of Comboni or just simple accidental meetings on the street, in the town or in the church. All these meetings give us a lot of joy and positive energy. So if someone plans to come to Uganda for a few days or maybe for longer, remember that our house is always open and you are welcome.

Greetings for everybody!!!!

Ewa, CLM in Gulu (Uganda)

The new coordinating team of the Comboni Lay Missionaries in Poland

15 October, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

The opening session of the new formation cycle for the young people in Poland who wish to become Comboni Lay Missionaries was held from September 30 through October 2. Seventeen young people from different parts of the country gathered for a process of discernment under the leadership of the new director of the CLM in Poland, Bro. Tomek Basiński, and Fr. Maciej Miąsik.

On the last day of the meeting, the new coordinating team was appointed. Kinga Piwecka (first to the left) was picked as the new coordinator and Krysia Tarnawska (first to teh right) was reappointed as treasurer. We wholeheartedly thank Michal Kędzior for the service he carried out with great dedication up to this moment, for his ability and good will.

Meskel

13 October, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

The Feast of the Holy Cross (called ‘Meskel’) is one of the biggest celebrations in Ethiopia. It is especially celebrated in the Gurage region where we had the opportunity to spend a few days and see the celebrations for ourselves. Our friend Desalegn invited us, so we could observe life in his village. We slept in a traditional hut that we shared with Desalegn’s relatives.

During the Meskel celebrations, whole families come to the villages to spend this special time together. Slaughtering a bull is one of the most important traditions and everyone is involved. After prayers were said, the men of Desalegn’s village slaughtered the animal by cutting its throat. Then everyone helped cut up the meat and prepared it to be eaten raw during the feast. Raw meat is a very popular delicacy in Ethiopians, especially when fresh.

That same day, the women prepared a traditional speciality called Kitfo – raw meat cut into very small pieces and served with butter and very hot spice. Nobody asked us if we would like some – we were all given a portion so we couldn’t refuse. Magda, my namesake, coped quite well, but it was a big challenge for me to eat raw meat. I ate just a little.

According to tradition, Saint Helen, who wanted to find the Holy Cross to save it from desecration, discovered it by following the smoke of a fire. In memory of this event, people all over Ethiopia light bonfires on Meskel Eve. In the Gurage region, the people from the whole village meet together in a large open space and then light the bonfire together.

After speeches by one or more leaders, people wish each a Happy New year. It is indeed the beginning of New Year according to the local calendar. Next they start to dance a traditional Gurage dance in a circle. After some time they go home and each family lights a bonfire in front of their house. Many people move from one bonfire to another.

We noticed that when a number of people gathered at one particular bonfire, many of the neighbours joined them. Then they all together wandered from place to place dancing and singing the same traditional song. This lasted late into the night.

The next day we went to a church for Mass. Afterwards, another large bonfire was lit. There was dancing and singing. First religious songs were sung and then the same traditional Gurage song as on Meskel Eve.

Many people visit their relatives and friends on Meskel Day. We too went with Desalegn to visit his relatives. Everywhere we were welcomed with food and drink, starting with coffee and various snacks and finishing with Kitfo.

Summing up, I can say we personally witnessed the Gurage traditions associated with the Feast of the Holy Cross. It is special family time for this tribe. Just as in Poland we spend Christmas with our close relatives and friends, with special meals together, eating Christmas fare, the Gurage people spend most of the time sitting, talking and eating together. Of course there are also differences. For instance, the Gurage people do not use tables for meals and don’t spend hours watching TV.

During our brief visit, we had a privileged view of a Gurage family. They allowed us to come into their life, feel the atmosphere of the place, observe the way they greet each other, have their meals, drink coffee and talk to each other. We saw up close how they work, rest, celebrate and live their daily life. It was a really interesting and enriching experience. We sincerely thank Desalegn and his relatives and the Gurage people for this great honour.

Magda Fiec, CLM Awassa (Ethiopia)

11.09 – Happy New Year 2009!

14 September, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

For several days in the street everywhere you could see people with chickens! Walking, riding on motorcycles, in bajajs, mini-busses … Everywhere! And also topic about the price of chicken he was one of the most common ones (because the price is not small, 250 birr, which is about 10 euro!). All these things are the sign of the approaching New Year, which we celebrate today! Ethiopia uses the Julian calendar, according to which today began year 2009. For me, it is still quite strange, once the celebration of the New Year in mid-September, secondly that it is year 2009, and thirdly that the year has 13 months … 🙂 However, here it is the most natural thing and great joy! All the people are very grateful to God that he brought them through another year and they ask to bless them for the new one. Celebrating this day is completely different from ours in Europe; there are no big New Year’s Eve parties. However, in the New Year’s Day, in the morning the girls walk on the streets and visit homes singing a special song – blessing for the New Year. Then give flowers – September in Ethiopia is the time when bloom very typical for this time yellow flowers, beautiful! However, nowadays the most commonly they give a flower drawn on paper. They also expect a small gift. It is also a family holiday – all people prepare doro wat (a special dish from the chicken, mentioned above), and together with the loved ones gather for a lunch. This is very joyful time 🙂

So, Happy New Year!

And let’s pray that God will bless the Ethiopians and give them peace.

Magda Plekan, CLM in Awassa (Ethiopia)

CLM in Vatican Radio

31 August, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

We let you here an interview made in Radio Vaticana to Carlos Barros, coordinator of the CLM in Portugal, on the CLM Assembly of Europe held this past week in Viseu.