Poland – Page 17 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

New CLM international community in Krakow

31 January, 2014 by Alberto de la Portilla

This is what it means to be a missionary, be able to accept the changes with joy and hope wherever they take us and with the brothers and sister you find. And it’s much easier when I discover with enthusiasm, that also in Krakow I feel at home and like a family member. The community has welcomed me with love, and the meeting of my new companions for adventure has made only increase my desire to get to Africa. An international community, three Polish and one Spanish lady, speaking English and with the intention and desire to learn quickly the Acholi.

We are Monika, Ewa, Asia and Carmen, and despite the cold Polish winter there is a very warm feeling in our hearts and all willingness to walk this path together as a community. We don´t know if it is the desire that we all have but we have connected really good and the atmosphere we breathes is wonderful.

We continue with the training process trying to assimilate and internalize things as necessary as knowing who we are (Comboni Lay Missionaries), our history and what it means to integrate and enter in a different and unfamiliar culture, that we want to approach with the utmost respect.

I think we’re a team that is going to complement quite well, where there is much freshness and the joy of living the Gospel and the Mission, as Pope Francisco is reminding us and that we will try not to forget at any time in our experience in Gulu (Uganda).

It could not have been more positive beginning of this year with my family, the Comboni family, with the Polish laity and the Comboni Fathers in the community of Krakow. Together they manage to transmit the idea, that we all dream, of unity and enthusiasm for a common goal: to follow Jesus next to the last.

Carmen Aranda Arnao. CLM

Visit to Poland

28 January, 2014 by Alberto de la Portilla

Hello everyone. As many of you know last week I was visiting the polish CLM group. It has been a very interesting week. First I would like to highlight the weekend with the group of young CLM candidates. In Poland we have a large pool of boys and especially girls interested in missionary life who come to this group in order to meet this vocation and with desire to serve the mission. It is a large and dynamic group, with great interest and availability.

On Saturday we were working in groups and in plenary on what means to be a Comboni Lay Missionary and what it means to participate in the group. It was a nice moment to share expectations, hopes, doubts and questions about this lay missionary life.

At night we share the missionary witness of Monikę Krasoń (Polish) and Carmen Aranda (Spanish). Two of the CLM who are now preparing themselves to go to Uganda as an international community, and also some of my experience in Mozambique. It was short but nice.

We also had time to participate in Sunday’s official sending of Joanna Owanek and Ewa Maziarz (the other two Polish CLM to form part of this international community) from their parish. This Mass was presided by the Bishop Monsignor Nitkiewicz, accompanied by the parish priest, some diocesan priest and 6 Comboni Missionaries of the two communities in Poland led by P. Gianni Gaiga (representative of the general vicar in Poland).

It was nice to see how the whole community, with his bishop in front was responsible for these lay that are sent to mission, both spiritually as well as with economic commitment to enable them to travel, have a medical and social insurance as well as some money to support themselves. I think we have much to learn from the Polish Church in this regard. From Krakow (about 3 hours) we also went 7 cars with the young people of the meeting, so they were heavily covered throughout the Comboni family (We will continue this support in their time of formation and destiny in Uganda).

The weekend also gave time to particularly speak with some young people, to share vocational concerns and specific questions about the missionary work. Hopefully, many of them will find their way and commitment to service the mission here.

The official sending of a Comboni Lay Missionary in Poland

16 January, 2014 by Alberto de la Portilla

“The mission is not going away, because the mission is not a touristy tour of the world, but we are sent on a mission”- emphasized Archbishop Victor Skworc, who sent Monika Krasoń our Comboni Lay Missionary from Poland to work in Uganda. Monika will go on mission to Gulu, where she will work in an orphanage which is led by Comboni Missionaries. She will spend two years serving the poorest and the most abandoned and she will give a testimony of love of God, who doesn’t forget about Africans.

The official sending took place on 12^th January in her family parish in Łaziska Górne. It was in the church of Our Lady the Queen of the Holy Rosary in the presence of family, friends, Comboni Missionaries, Comboni Lay Missionaries and all parishioners. It was an unusual event, because Monika is the first missionary in her parish.

In the homily Archbishop emphasized that we are responsible for the future of the Gospel and we have to share with those who hadn’t heard it yet. Everyone is called to be a missionary, no matter if it’s in their country or in a missionary country which is distant, sometimes thousands of miles away. Monika decided to go to Africa. It is a very beautiful work, but also very difficult, so it’s important to support her, especially in prayer. The Archbishop assured Monika that the Church and her parish will support her CLM commitment both in prayer and through material support.

Monika received a cross from the Archbishop. That cross will be a guide in her missionary work, help in danger and give consolation in difficult times. It was an unusual and beautiful experience for Monika which means the real beginning of the mission. We wish Monika all the best, beautiful moments in Uganda and good mission experience among the Acholi. And of course we all promise a memory in prayer.

Polish CLM

The new coordinating team of CLM in Poland

19 November, 2013 by Alberto de la Portilla

On 15-17 November there was a formation meeting of Comboni Lay Missionaries in Cracow. The main theme was a missionary. We considered, what mission means for us, how we can act for the mission in our country and abroad. On the meeting also presented a presentation about Fair Trade and The Black List Companies. On Saturday evening we went to Mogiła (the place where John Paul II first used the term ‘new evangelization’) and we took part in the Mass, which was celebrated by Bishop Grzegorz Ryś. It was a part of the Evangelistic Forum .

A very important event was the election of a new coordinating team. Thank you very much Ewa and Tomek for performing these important functions in recent time and we welcome new people: Ania Obyrtacz as a coordinator and Michał Kędzior as a economist! Also Father Maciej Zieliński, who was responsible for CLM in Poland, resigned from his function, because he is leaving on a mission. Now Fr. Krzysztof Zębik, who came to us from Warsaw, is responsible for CLM in Poland.

By CLM in Poland

Community experience of CLM from Poland

8 November, 2013 by Alberto de la Portilla

On November 4th three Comboni Lay Missionaries have started the last stage of preparation to the missions. This is a time of our community experience. Now we form our little community, living in the house of the Comboni Missionaries in Cracow. The aim of these four months, that we are spending together, is to prepare us to the missions in Uganda, where we are going in the next year.

The community experience is a time to grow in faith and mutual enrichment. It will be a very interesting experience for us, during this we will have the chance to get to know each other, learn to live together, share every moment, joys and sadness.

The last stage of preparation to the missions is very active and abundant in all kinds of activities- so we have plans! We will gain the necessary knowledge, but also engage in various activities. First of all, we will continue to grow and strengthen our faith. We are beginning a biblical and theological course, that aim to broad the knowledge of faith, religion and Bible. The knowledge, we will get, will serve us both at work on the missions, and also here in Poland.

We are also getting to know better the person of St. Daniel Comboni, his spirituality and charism, learning how to love people, who are next to us- the poorest and most abandoned. There are things that you can only learn through specific actions or activities, so commitment to volunteer work is very important. Each of us will start a volunteering in different institutions, because helping starts here, at the local level. We must be able to see those who are close.

A language course is also very important. English is the official language in Uganda, so we’re learning now in Poland, to avoid the language barrier. We will also take an active part in missionary animation and assist meetings and retreats with the MCCJ.

Last months before leaving are very crazy, because we have to do a lot of formal things. We have to meet with our diocesan bishops to inform them about our departure. We’re visiting also a center of missionary formation, where we can meet other people preparing to mission (laity, priests and nuns).

So, we will have a lot of work. We know that four months will pass very quickly and we’ll have to say goodbye. We hope that this time of community experience will be a good time for all of us – time to work, study and growth spiritually. We ask everyone to pray for our community, for each one of us.

Asia Owanek, Comboni Lay Missionary