Comboni Lay Missionaries

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Spain

Greetings from London

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LondonWe’d like to share our community life in London with you. Our first impression is very positive. The community is much opened and fathers are very helpful and polite. Of course, for them it’s a little strange situation having four young girls living with them. But they got used to live with us and us with them.

The most important thing is learning English in the Stanton School of English, but not only. It’s time for our community, so we learn how to live together and we learn from each other. Naturally we have our own timetable which includes our activities, e.g. meetings about Uganda, meetings about thing which are important and interesting for us. We also have meetings with the fathers about the Lent and different theological issues… We also try to have a community day. This is time for us, for common prayer, for adoration and for relax 🙂

The 15th of March we celebrated the birthday of St. Daniel Comboni. It was a big feast for our family, for fathers, sisters and lay people who live in London. Great day!!! We could feel like one big family. And Comboni sisters invited us for dinner. So last Sunday we could meet all sisters who live in London. Their community consists of 14 sisters, so it is really big. They shared their mission experiences with us and gave us many useful guidelines.

We are here just 3 weeks so we can’t say more. It’s a short general sharing to inform you that everything goes well. Although it’s a busy time, we are very glad that we are here.

Greetings and hugs from our community

Happy anniversary of Comboni

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Greetings to everybody in this special day.

On this important day for all Comboni Family, friends and collaborators we want to share with you a modest video with some pictures of our missionary activity.

Little by little we are encouraging and preparing for the meeting that we will have as Comboni Family in Spain around the 150th anniversary of the Plan of Comboni.

Hope you like.

St. Daniel Comboni helps us to be faithful to our missionary vocation and continue to support all those who need it.

With your help it will be possible.

The palace of learning

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The trip to Paris took me to the “palace of learning”, the house of the Comboni Missionary Sister where they gives “shelter” to everyone who wants to know and learn French to better serve the mission.

It was therefore here that I met Palmira. Palmira -Comboni Secular Missionary- has been during two months in Paris studying and preparing herself better to go to the Central African Republic, where she will integrate and collaborate with the CLM community present therein.

Always encouraged, Palmira, looks forward with missionary enthusiasm the time of departure and beyond the current situation of the Central African Republic, far from discourage her, is an incentive to keep going.

“Why do people ask me if I want to depart? Of course I do. I’m here for that and my desire is to be at the service of this mission!” – Said Palmira, full of desire to move forward.

During these days, we managed to contact Elia that rejoices in the strength of Palmira and reaffirmed its willingness to continue to share her life with this people: “There is fatigue, but nothing makes me want to leave. If Palmira comes, then we will be together in this missionary journey. In these difficult times the missionary family is my refuge and help. ”

We also find Veronica who, for professional reasons, is in France since October. Veronica is happy both professionally and at the pastoral level, offering to help Palmira with whatever she needs.

I want to show here my gratitude to Fr Luciano who accompanied me during these days.  To the Comboni Sisters who welcomed me so well, thanks to Veronica for a fabulous dinner which gave us a good missionary moment.  And especially big thanks to Palmira: for all that we have shared during these days.

God walks with us in this way that we continue towards the mission He entrusts to us.

By Susana Vilas Boas

Sister Angelique Namaika in Granada

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CARTEL DEFLast Friday February 7th, Sister Angelique Namaika, Fellowship Award 2013 granted by the magazine Mundo Negro published by the Comboni Missionaries in Spain, was in Granada invited by the Comboni Family to give her testimony and share her life and her work with the poorest and forgotten.

More than a hundred people gave us gathered at the Jesuit Center Suarez to hear a firsthand testimony of this strong and passionate about life woman. A testimony of hope amid so much suffering.

Sister Angelique works with victims of the atrocities of the greatest criminal of the recent history of mankind. Joseph Kony, leader of the vicious Lord’s Resistance Army, which roams freely in Congo, South Sudan and Central Africa. Tens of thousands of people are forced to flee from their homes, leaving their homes and families, sometimes losing their children converted into little soldiers.

This religious woman is a symbol of the work that the Church develops in one of the most dangerous corners of the African continent with a collective, the refugees, often more easily forgotten.

Among many other issues, she told us about her work in the field of training and accompanying psychological support to women who have experienced violence in the first person and how her work is focused on advancing the culture of reconciliation so that little by little go slowly disappearing the hate fruit of lived atrocities.

La hna. Angelique junto a LMC de Granada
Sister Angelique with CLM of Granada
La hna. Angelique durante su conferencia
Sister Angelique during her conference

Back to the mission

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DSC08793bAfter a short stay in the land of Peruvian mission I’m back, and I want to thank the CLM Movement that gave me this opportunity.

It was to help one of our families in mission: Isabel and Gonzalo with his two sons, Angel and Carmencita, after an accident. Gonzalo walking along a ravine to attend its work with the people, slipped and rolled about eight meters injuring his shoulder, arms, head … and the worst, a vertebra. This was in November and has been bedridden until mid-January, after a new review, the doctor advised him to start up for short walks.

I had never thought to return to Peru after a missionary period on top of the mountain over 10 years ago… but these are the surprises that the Lord gives us! So, totally open to what I could find there, without knowing exactly what would be my work… I “set off”, rather fly, to the land at Arequipa. There I met my brothers Gonzalo and Isabel.

DSC05867It has been so good this month that I want to share in this blog what I perceived to be at their side. They welcomed me with affection, making me feel like a member of the family, because from the first moment they show me what they are and what they live from their gut, their vulnerability, fragility and great generosity.

Leaving behind friends, work, family … they came out of themselves to take care of the others, to take to our brothers and sisters the Good News, the certainty that God is in their world of poverty, along with them, He does not forget them, that there is hope despite the harsh conditions in which they live. But these are words and were not sufficient for the truth be convince or be persuasive. So leaving the parish house in which they lived, they settled in Villa Ecológica, a settlement on the outskirts of Arequipa. And what I saw there is how with their lifestyle, imbued among the people as a family, have managed to bring the liberating experience of Jesus to the center of their hearts. Day by day they share poverty and environmental constraints, lack of amenities, serve and welcome each person with respect, patience and love, form groups to fight against violence and injustice, helping to recognize their rights and helping to denounce bad  situations; supporting pastoral and organizing youth groups of prayer … on this, sometimes I accompanied Isabel confirming what I somehow knew.

What this has brought me…? a “tune-up” in the meetings with the people relive many things: the joy of meeting, the listening, letting me to be welcome; create, though this little time, a relationship of respect, cordiality, they showed me their simple homes, the “dear God” hope for your life … and the feeling that arose in me was of gratitude and humility. What could I tell them with a return ticket in my pocket?

DSC05884On the other hand we find three moments to share about their work and lifestyle. We propose the challenges of the mission: the loneliness when a community lack, wear and fatigue times, the need to be physically and mentally strong, the difficulties in the presence of a family with children aged 4 and 7 years; lack, sometimes, to have a “companion” to help discern in times of frustration or dryness, loss of perspective when you go into a routine. Also, in certain moments, certain that you follow the steps of Jesus feeling His instruments…

We prayed together and this was a joy … There have been many frank and open dialogues that have warmed my heart and my missionary vocation was excited like a young girl.

Joining them in some way my life has grown because I had the opportunity to see Isabel and Gonzalo to live honestly the Love of God. May He bless you always.

M ª Carmen Polanco. CLM Spain