Portugal – Page 18 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Sharing life and knowledge

28 June, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

What is there in common between an over 70 Russian woman with a university education and an uneducated woman of about 50 from Guinea-Bissau? Perhaps the fact that both live in Portugal, in a low class neighborhood of the great city of Lisbon and that they both want to learn Portuguese.

And so it is that in the Quinta de Mós, in a space given by City Council for the use of the parish of Camarate, based on the concrete need of these two people, a literacy program for adults came into being. Based on the method of Paulo Freire, suited to this specific reality, we start classes in the afternoon. The learning levels and the individual needs vary greatly. But with this method, that fosters learning starting from the concrete reality, and allows the person to look critically at herself, interaction is possible and, even more, it creates solidarity between the people involved.

A little bit at a time, people are joining the group and we open a new class in the morning, because some of the women work in the afternoon. The flow is constant. There are desertions due to work, health, domestic problems.

The two classes are made up of women. A group ends and three continue. The two original women are still there and another girl, much younger who only has a second grade education.

Classes involve more than alphabet and words. They consist in conversations, in sharing of difficulties, of support, help in filling out documents, finding apartments for rental, translating conversations, clearing doubts from day to day, improving pronunciation… One has to leave her home, but another has a house to rent; One wants to learn sewing, and another knows how and is willing to teach; One finds food and shares it with another who draws no salary… And so we move on, sharing life and knowledge, promoting learning and the appreciation of the person, the sharing and the solidarity! “Saving Africa with Africa!”

CLM Flávio Schmidt

Mission Promotion – San Mamede Infesta

26 June, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

Last weekend, June 11, we held a program of mission promotion in the parish church of St. Mamede Infesta, in the town of Matosinhos. It was a sunny day and at around 10:00 a.m. we started. I must confess that I was a little worried because 70% of the parishioners were seniors. Would the words of Carlos and Sandra resonate in their hearts? But the Lord reaches everyone and truly, between the two celebrations where we were present and at the missionary rosary that we were allowed to hold, the results were very positive.

Fr. Dario celebrated the Mass at 7:00 p.m. and he gave a different tone to the usual celebration.

To identify myself as part of the Comboni family in front of my parish community made me very happy. It gives you the feeling that you are on the right path, in the way that the Lord showed to me.

Thank you, Comboni Family, for having received me in your bosom with so much kindness and fraternal love.

Maria José Martins

“Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for the catch” – Missioning of The CLM Liliana Ferreira and Flávio Schmidt

4 September, 201716 June, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

“Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for the catch” (Lk 5:4)

On Sunday, June 4, we celebrated with joy the missioning of our CLM Liliana Ferreira and Flávio Schmidt in the parish of Lamas, Miranda do Corvo to which Liliana herself belongs. United in faith and in the love of Christ they are leaving for the mission of Piquiá, Maranhão, in Brazil, having accepted the Lord’s invitation to leave, give of themselves and to be a thousand lives for mission.

And we go with them. We follow them in prayer, in thought and in the wish (belief) that God will give them light in their vocation of and for love, and in their path of dedication to share their brothers journey.

We are grateful for these two lives who generate so much life around themselves and for the gift of life they will multiply in the lands assigned to them by God.

United in Mission

Carolina Fiúza

Comboni Family Day in Portugal

14 June, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

On June 10, the day of the Angel of Portugal, we gathered with various members of the different branches of the Comboni Family – Secular Comboni Missionaries, Comboni Sisters and Comboni Missionaries – to celebrate with great joy and for the first time the COMBONI FAMILY DAY. The event took place at Óis de Ribeira (Fermentelos – Águeda) and gathered about 50 missionaries.

Following the hugs of those who meet in a spirit of family, the program began with the Eucharist held in one of the rooms of the Comboni house of Fermentelos. I must confess that the environment reminds me of a true cenacle of Jesus, thanks to the simplicity that distinguishes the entire place!

Lunch followed, and a get together at the Pateira de Óis de Ribeira, where we could take advantage of the pleasant sunny day, conversing, sharing life experiences, singing and enjoying nature. It was interesting to note the similarity of the beauty of Pateira, where there is a large lake, with Lake Garda where St. Daniel Comboni grew up.

This was a day of sharing in order to celebrate the fertility of the Comboni charism 150 years from the founding of the Comboni Missionaries. And “how beautiful are the feet of those who announce peace,” and to be able to be so close to each person who makes up this great Family and fall in love with it, thanks to the great heart of each one who was there on that day.

With love,

Carolina Fiúza

Re-reading and re-reading myself – the family and the life project

9 June, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

On May 19-21 there took place in Viseu the 9^th Formation unit of the CLM. It was moderated by the psychologist Dr. Miguel Villas Freitas.

The formation started in the late afternoon of Friday 19^th. After a warm welcome we had time to mix exchanging smiles, kisses, hugs and news. Yes, these are hugs in the CLM style, as I call them, for being firm and genuine by people who look forward to meeting in order to share unique and nurturing moments!

We started our Saturday with a brief introduction by the formator, to help us better understand what it means to re-read: to make a detailed reading of what has happened in the past and of my characteristics; to be aware that no one does it for me. It consists in being present to the “Presence” for a meeting with myself! And since ‘we all define ourselves by how we relate to others,” this encounter took place in groups so that together we met the signs of this “Presence” in our lives.

Following that, under the direction of our formator, each member of the group was encouraged to take a journey into the past looking for a period of time when we felt very happy. After a brief analysis of the motives of this happiness, we were asked to move this state of peace, success, wellbeing, joy, fulfillment and happiness into the present. We all had the opportunity to meet this pearl of wisdom that had unleashed the happiness that we were living once again. It is necessary to recover this pearl, bring it to the present, take care of it…

We analyzed biblical experiences of this interior re-reading such as, for example, the meeting of Jesus with the disciples of Emmaus or the meeting of Jesus with Nicodemus. In these experiences there are inevitably the following stages: 1) To Reform; 2) To Conform; 3) To Transform; 4) To Confirm.

Those who go through them analyze the areas of their being that need conversion, seek to be reshaped in Jesus, are transformed and go on to live according to this transformation. This way, they get out of themselves, leaving behind false securities and move towards a logic of commitment and service. They move on to enjoy not only what is wellbeing, what satisfies, but even more what fulfills and leaves deeper marks in one’s character!

In the course of the morning we were given moments of individual reflection, followed by the opportunity of sharing two by two and finally with the entire group.

We ended this morning of reflection looking at the documentary, “Celebrating what is good in the world,” by the National Geographic, very rich in messages pointing at the search for what is good in the world.

In the afternoon we reflected on the 24 strengths of character, each one choosing the one that naturally gives way to activity. We asked ourselves individually which strengths we need to work on and which are the most indispensable in our mission as CLM.

Then we had personal reflection with very precise questions in order to understand and share on two points: 1) My passion; 2) My resolve.

In the afternoon prayers we reached moments of great depth and sharing. He, Jesus, is here with us and the Spirit speaks to each one. How beautiful it is to be so united here in the cenacle!

In the evening, to relax, but without losing our recollection, we watched the movie “The Butler.”

On Sunday there were further times of prayer and of sharing.

Three scenes were presented to us on which to concentrate and reflect:

1) “Jesus shows his wounds to Thomas”

– What are my wounds? How to embrace them rather than hiding them?

2) “Footprints in the sand”

– To re-read moments of my life when Jesus picked me up in his arms. With whom and by whom?

3) “To shrink the size of my cross is not a solution.”

– Am I conscious that every time I try to shrink my cross I miss the opportunity to grow both humanly and spiritually?

We search for a personal resolution to take home as a challenge and personal effort, keeping in mind that we will only be happy inasmuch as we commit to change.

In conclusion: Only by meeting myself, seeing myself as I really am, my wounds, my cross and placing it all in the hands of God, allowing myself to be transformed, I will learn to find the best of myself in the world, I will travel on the path that will lead me to my mission and be happy in the mission where I will be assigned.

Gloria Rocha