September 2011 - Familia Comboniana 689

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

Meetings and Assemblies

-  Meeting of Comboni missionaries responsible for ongoing formation at the European level: 27-30 June in Rome

-  Meeting of the Comboni bishops: 21-30 July at the Comboni Missionary Sisters’ spirituality centre at Bethany, near Jerusalem.

-  Assembly for Missionary Animation in America/Asia (with 20 confreres present): 6-21 July at Quito (Ecuador).

-  General Assembly of Formators of Novitiates, Brothers’ Centres and Scholasticates: 10-30 July 2011 at Palencia (Spain).

-  Workshop on Continental Formation and Assembly for Anglophone Africa and Mozambique: (with 23 confreres): 8-28 August 2011 in Nairobi (Kenya).

-  Assembly of Comboni provincial treasurers of America and Asia: 15-21 August 2011 at Bogotá (Colombia).

Continental Assembly for MA: America/Asia

Towards the Continental Plan for Missionary Animation

The Continental Assembly for Missionary Animation in America and Asia was held at the provincial house in Quito, Ecuador, from 6 to 12 July.

Twenty Comboni confreres attended the meeting which had as one of its main objectives the formulation of the Continental Plan for Missionary Animation.

During the first part which was concerned with reports from the circumscriptions, the mass media and MA centres, the Comboni Sisters and the Comboni Seculars were present.

On the second working day, Fr. Jorge O. Garcia Castillo, Secretary General for MA, presented the theme “What sort of Missionary Animation is needed in America/Asia today? Some inspirational elements”. With reference to the last General Chapter, he said that even if it contained nothing “absolutely new”, it did say many important things such as: We say we are “passionate about the mission” and therefore we cannot but “infect the local Churches in this regard”; we are also heirs of the charism of St. Daniel Comboni that has MA as one of its fundamental elements. Furthermore, we Comboni missionaries reaffirm our preferential option for the poor, a theme which leads us to sensitise the Church and those who work in human promotion so that they may commit themselves in this way. In the afternoon of the same day, Fr. Alcides Costa, provincial of South Brazil and the continental director of MA, presented a broad introduction to the Continental Plan for MA and put forward some suggestions to bring it about definitively.

One of the most engaging periods of the meeting was the morning spent discussing ongoing formation. The main theme was developed by Mgr. Eugenio Arellano Fernandez, Comboni Bishop of Esmeralda, Ecuador. He took as his starting point number 379 of the Aparecida Documents inviting the Catholics of the continent to be “many disciples going to evangelise the other side” so that “we may begin on our continent a new spring of the ad gentes mission. The remainder of the assembly was spent working out the Continental Plan.

The general opinion about the meeting, despite the absence of some confreres, was very positive, due to the peaceful and positive atmosphere, especially regarding our becoming aware of the many MA initiatives we are engaged in America/Asia, of the participation of the Comboni Sisters and the Comboni Seculars and of our perception of the two main supports of MA: vocations promotion and working for justice and peace and the integrity of creation.

Meeting of the Comboni Missionaries Bishops

Appeal for Africa

On the occasion of the meeting in Jerusalem, the Comboni Missionaries Bishops coming from Latin America (3) and Africa (9), the Superior General and the Mother General of the two Comboni Institutes, felt a strong need to launch an appeal in favour of Africa. Here we quote a few excerpts from it.

“One cannot be blind to what is happening now. Lies are widely used: the lack of information about what is happening in the mining and water supply industry is systematic. The contempt for the deteriorating situation of people who are living in these areas is disturbing. The expropriation of lands is carried out with violence and a sense of impunity especially at the expense of poor peasants. There is much conflict over land and widespread social strife with frequent loss of life. The replacement of the values of solidarity by unrestrained, lawless and personal gain is relentless. Corruption at all levels is shockingly increasing, damaging and distorting people's mentality. In short, the decline is not only social but ethical and moral: prostitution is worryingly on the rise, especially among young people; family life is weakened because of frequent cases of marriage infidelity due to easily accessible money; husbands leave their family commitments and their wives who are left struggling by themselves; there are conflicts among parents who abandon their parental duties and their responsibility of educating their children and so on. Rather than fighting poverty, the newly acquired wealth has been and is openly causing degradation and inequality; it is used to buy weapons and fuel endless conflicts. Instead of being a blessing, wealth has, unfortunately, become a curse for most of the people.

The Church’s involvement is a must. ‘Africa is already moving; and the Church is moving with her, offering her the light of the Gospel. The waters may be turbulent. But with our gaze on Christ the Lord we shall make it safely to the port of reconciliation, justice and peace’. (Final Message of the Second African Synod, n. 42)”.

Comboni website (www.comboni.org)

-  The site is in the final stages of reorganisation and updating.

-  As regards the Writings of Comboni, the search function is now working properly in five languages (only German and Polish have still to be added).

-  The provinces are asked to inform the person in charge of the website whenever there are changes in the data which are given on the website and to check if the present data are correct and updated.

-  Please note that all texts on the site have a field for all seven languages in use in the Institute. If you consider texts to be important and you want them to appear in other languages, please translate them into the language you know and send them to the person in charge. The translated text will be immediately included in the site. This possibility is open to all members of the Comboni Family.

Specialization

Fr. Patrick Benywanira has obtained a Licentiate Degree in Philosophy, at the Urbaniana University in Rome, specialising in moral philosophy and social ethics. Title of the thesis: The concept of communicative ethics and its relevance in guiding action: A study based on Argen Habermas’s contribution to the current debate in ethics. Basically, communicative ethics is a theory of ethics developed by Júrgen Habermas who argues that we are living in an era which he classifies as “post metaphysical”, meaning that God, the Scripture, or religion should no longer intervene in the “public sphere”. According to Habermas, there are no absolute values and we are the ones to make moral rules. Fr. Patrick argues that the denial of absolute values is wrong both socially and politically, especially in an African context. Fr. Patrick defended his thesis on 28th June 2011, and obtained a “magna cum laude”.

Perpetual professions

Priestly ordinations

Holy Redeemer Guild

September              01 – 15 NAP                 16 – 30 PE

October                  01 – 15 P                      16 – 31 RSA

Prayer Intentions

September – That all the members of the Institute may participate actively in the implementation of the decisions of the Chapter, seeing in this project the will of God who has spoken to us through the last General Chapter. Let us pray.

October – That we may increasingly conform our personal lives and our missionary service to the life-witness of our Founder, Saint Daniel Comboni, as we confidently invoke his intercession with the Father. Let us pray.

Publications

Graziano Pesenti: Fratel Giosuè Dei Cas, lebbroso tra i lebbrosi. Preface by Fr. Francesco Pierli. Editrice Velar. A booklet of 48 pages with a good number of photos. This is a biography of our confrere who worked for fourteen years in Sudan, at Tonga and at Lul among the Shilluk, before being admitted to first vows (1921). Two years later he was found to be suffering from leprosy and a small house with a chapel attached was built for him near the leprosarium of Kormalan, near Wau. Brother Giosuè lived as a martyr to charity right up to the end (1932), by offering his own life in exchange for the cure of a dying confrere. The booklet is available to Comboni missionaries at € 1, 50 (One Euro, fifty cent) through the general secretariat.

Fr. Enzo (Vincenzo) Santangelo, missionary in South Brazil for 38 years, has published 55 books in Portuguese. For more information see the website www.combonianos.org.br (section “livros”).

Here is a list of his more recent publications:

- O Cristo de Pedro (2010)

- Eu serei o amor (2010)

- O Jesus de Paulo (2009)

- Maria de Nazaré (2009)

- Daniel Comboni, a ousadia de um santo (2008).

ITALY

Golden jubilee of priestly ordination, class 1961

A group of Comboni Missionaries, who were ordained in 1961, celebrated their fifty years of priesthood on 1 July, 2011, the feast of the Sacred Heart, at the Verona Mother House, together with the confreres of the community, other priests and many friends. They were joined by three other confreres celebrating sixty years of priesthood.

Of the 29 Comboni Missionaries ordained fifty years ago, 19 are still alive and following the path they undertook; five have died and five others chose another way of life. Of the 19 still living, only nine of them were able to come together at Limone and Verona.

The celebration was preceded by three days at the Native Home of St. Daniel Comboni, at Limone sul Garda. They were prayer-filled days, days of sharing experiences and reflection, during which the participants availed themselves of the help of some proposals offered by don Mario Trebeschi, Fr. Carmelo Casile and Fr. Andrea Polati. On the final day the group made a pilgrimage to the Marian sanctuary of Pietralba (Maria Weißenstein), visited the confreres at Bressanone and the Augustinian monastery of Novacella (in the footsteps of Canon Mitterrutzner, friend and benefactor of Comboni) and stopped to greet the confreres at Arco.

The most frequently expressed feeling was one of gratitude: to Our Lord for his call and fidelity; to the Comboni Institute for the formation received; to the mission communities and to the Italian province.

In memory of Fr. Antonio Dutto († 2003)

On Sunday, 31 July, the community of San Mauro di Boves, in the province and diocese of Cuneo, celebrated its annual feast and the memory of one of its sons, Fr. Antonio Dutto, Comboni missionary, who worked for almost fifty years in Uganda. Fr. Antonio was obliged to leave Uganda because of an attack in which he received serious wounds causing the eventual amputation of a leg in a Verona hospital. The town council named a small square after him situated in front of the church. His family set up a photographic exhibition on the life of the missionary, using photos chosen from among the many he used to send home.

Among the participants were Fr. Primo Silvestri and Fr. Romeo Ballan, from Verona, the latter giving the commemorative homily. The church and the space available for the feast turned out to be insufficient for the many people attending, including the local authorities, young people taking part in competitions and the band.

MEXICO

The Catholic Church comes closer to the people

On 25 and 26 June, 2011, the community of the Comboni Missionaries of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, was present with its stand at the Cintermex exposition centre of the city, to participate in “Asercat”, an event of the archdiocese of Monterrey organised in order to give people the opportunity to come close to the Church and to establish a closer relationship with its cultural and religious outlook. The exposition had 32,000 visitors and 110 stands from the archdiocese representing the world of youth, the family, catechesis, institutes and congregations of consecrated life, the liturgy, social pastoral work, Catholic publishers and others. Over two days, the various pavilions were busy with conferences, Masses, seminars, lectio divina, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, confessions, Rosaries, games for children, artistic plays, films, displays of works of art, architecture and music. On this occasion, our Institute expressed its own reality, its richness and its charism: the possibility of meeting people who knew nothing of our vocation, of engaging in dialogue with them and giving testimony of our joy in being missionaries.

The presence of Fr. Vittorio Moretto was very important. He had been contacted for the organisation of the event and held a seminar on the theme: “Live the Mass in its fullness”. The exhibition met with great success and it’s planned to repeat the event next year.

NAP

Comboni Missionary attends the Hispanic Policy Conference

The first-ever White House Hispanic Policy Conference took place in July. Over 150 Hispanic leaders met with 100 administration officials to discuss the President Barack Obama’s agenda and its impact on the Hispanic community and, more importantly, to strategize together on how best to move forward together to improve outcomes and access for the Hispanic community.

The future of the United States depends on the success (or failure) of this community. At 54 million strong, growing rapidly, and spread over every state in the Union, this part of the population is critical to every aspect of US growth.

The Comboni Fr. Jorge E. Ochoa Gracián, Ohio’s chaplain for the League of United Latin American Citizens, attended the conference. The president told participants that without a sincere effort on the part of the country to educate, to build job skills, to deal with the vast problems of a broken immigration system, the future will dim and the American Dream will fade. Fr. Ochoa agrees: “Without a united effort to address these matters, the country will, in essence, shoot itself in the foot. The whole conference was well worth the time, but this is just the beginning. This kind of dynamic must continue.”

Meet a missionary

People in the Cincinnati area of the NAP had the opportunity to meet Comboni Missionary priests who are in the United States for mission appeals. The evening provided the occasion for the priests to introduce themselves and spend time with guests, to answer questions and talk about their mission experience. Those missionaries who attended were Fr. Austine Odhiambo Radol, Fr. Jesto Michael Bwalya, Fr. José Alberto Guzmán Pimentel, Fr. Markus Lorenz Kõrber, and Fr. Sebhatleab Ayele Tesemma. During their orientation week, prepared and directed by Fr. Brian J. Quigley, the priests were able to meet with the provincial office directors and the Justice and Peace resource manager, which was a benefit and learning experience for everyone involved.

Comboni parish goes back to the Archdiocese of Chicago

St. Donatus parish in Blue Island, IL, under the pastoral leadership of the Comboni Missionaries since 1991, was handed back to the Archdiocese of Chicago in July.

What started out as a handful of Italian immigrants in the late 1800s ended up as a large, active, closely-knit faith community that kept increasing through the years. With time, however, the younger generations of Italians sought a life beyond the boundaries of St. Donatus Parish. Better jobs, broader opportunities, newer schools, and adventure called them out. Eventually the congregation dwindled and those left had to struggle to keep the parish alive.

This is the story of many old parishes in the United States, and too often the end result is either merging or closure. In the case of St. Donatus, however, things turned out differently. The Comboni Missionaries, always ready to take on at-risk projects, in 1991 arranged with Cardinal Joseph Bernardin to go to St. Donatus and work to revive the parish.

Fr. Domingo Campdepadrós Ayinés, the first Comboni parish priest, found a shrinking faith community, almost all Italians, even though the neighborhood had evolved into a predominantly Hispanic immigrant community through the years. He, along with Comboni Fr. Robert M. Kleiner, started off by offering a Sunday Mass in Spanish. From a dozen people at that first Mass, the attendance grew until some present-day liturgies are standing room only. Now, Italians and Hispanics are active and working together for the good of the parish.

Comboni employee in South Sudan for Independence Day

Roxanne Schorbach, office manager for the Comboni Mission Center in Covina, CA, went to Juba, South Sudan, in July and witnessed the first Independence Day of The Republic of South Sudan. She was the guest of Teresa Juk, the daughter of the late Chief Benjamin Juk of the Dinka in Kwajok. The experience was one she will never forget, and her excellent photographs will serve to help others experience just a little of this momentous occasion.

PORTUGAL

The Comboni Family on pilgrimage

On the last Saturday in July, over 2,000 people took part in the annual pilgrimage of the Comboni Family to Fatima. This year it adopted the theme: “Portugal on a heart to heart mission”, derived from the pastoral letter of the Portuguese bishops entitled: “Do as I have done to you – towards a missionary face of the Church in Portugal”.

Mgr. Ilidio Leandro, Bishop of Viseu, presided at the Eucharist during which he spoke in his homily of being the pastor of a diocese where the Comboni Missionaries have been present for the past sixty years. The Eucharist was concelebrated by about thirty Comboni priests. At the offertory a bouquet of flowers was brought to the altar to symbolise the gifts and services which exist in the Church, and also a towel as a sign of the gratuitous service which must characterise all Christians.

In the afternoon, the Comboni Family again gathered at the same church for a Marian celebration consisting of missionary testimonies, the recitation of the Missionary Rosary and the sending of two missionaries to Africa.

The testimonies were given by the Comboni Lay Missionary Susana Vilas Boas, who has worked in the Central African republic, and the Comboni Fr. Joao Rodrigues da Costa, who works in Tchad. They shared missionary experiences based on their lives in those African countries.

The Comboni Missionary Sisters led the Missionary Rosary with the reading of excerpts from the Gospel and extracts from the letter of the bishops.

Making present the mission in Portugal and overseas, the Comboni family participated in the sending of two missionaries who will soon be leaving for Africa: Fr. Marcelo Fonseca Oliveira (going to Congo) and Fr. Germano Joaquim dos Santos Serra (going to Uganda).

PERU-CHILE

The Huánuco House is blessed

“The convent of St. Peter was built with many purposes in mind; it was to house not only the Fathers who worked in the parish of St. Peter but had to be a centre for all: provincial house, retreat house, a place where confreres could rest or take their holidays... as well as being the seat of the Inter-provincial Novitiate since 1983” (cf. Misioneros Combonianos: 50 years in Peru). It was a prophetic foresight of what the “convent” of the Comboni missionaries in Huánuco was to be and that which it eventually became.

Now, on 13 May, 2011, 46 years after the first official blessing of the then bishop of Huánuco, Mgr. Francisco Rubén Berroa, and as we see the completion of the work of restructuring, the convent has received a second official blessing by the bishop of Huánuco, the former parish priest of St. Peter’s, Mgr. Jaime Rodríguez Salazar. The convent was restructured and adapted to the needs both of those at the service of the parish and those who have given their lives to the province and who, now in their old age, wish to enjoy the salubrious climate of this land “of the most noble and loyal city of the knights of Leon de Huánuco”. The present bishop, Fr. Jaimito – as he is affectionately known to the people – was very moved and, speaking to the Comboni community in Huánuco, gathered for the event with the provincial, Fr. Luis Barrera Pacheco who did his novitiate in this house, said: “The Comboni Missionaries here represent the universal Church, committed to showing the world that the mission is the work of all. Since their official arrival at Huánuco in 1952, they have been and continue to be, with their example and dedication, the pillars of the evangelising work of the Church in this part of the world”.

Celebration of the Sacred Heart

The communities of Lima, the Comboni Sisters, the postulants and the laity, gathered together at the provincial house, celebrated with joy the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A morning of prayer was led by Fr. Manuel Pinheiro who helped us to study the letter of the Superior General for the feast of the Sacred Heart. After the Mass and the renewal of vows, a fraternal meal was served.

SOUTH SUDAN

Annual retreat

Fifteen confreres, together with two Comboni Sisters and an Apostle of Jesus priest, took part in the annual retreat from June 6 to 12 in Juba. Fr. Francesco Pierli developed the theme of “ministering” in South Sudan in eleven very relevant and well grounded reflections. During the concluding Eucharist, the participants renewed their commitment to mission for life.

Independence celebrations

South Sudan celebrated its independence day on 9 July, 2011, thus becoming the 54^th State of the African Union. Juba hosted the main celebration. The city underwent a general cleanup operation and the airport was upgraded with a new passengers terminal and lights for night flights to welcome the over 1,000 invited guests.

The Superior General, Fr. Enríque Sánchez González, was among the invited guests in recognition of the role the Comboni Missionaries played during the liberation struggle.

During the ceremony, the president Salva Kiir Mayardit asked the people present to focus on unity: “You are Zande, Kakwa, Lutuko, Nuer, Dinka or Shilluk, but remember that first of all you are Sudanese of South Sudan.”

On 14^th July, 2001, the UN General Assembly officially numbered the RSS as the 193^rd member of the UN. The Republic of South Sudan reached independence also through the support of the Western World. The question now is: at the beginning of this new journey, will this support continue, as it is crucial to the survival of North and South Sudan?

Symposium

The Catholic Church in South Sudan is organizing a three-day symposium to reflect on its past, present and future, integrated in the Country’s Day of Independence programme. The symposium, which has as a theme “One Church from every tribe, tongue and people!” is planned for 13-16 October, 2011, in Juba.

The symposium is intended to remind the participants about the prophetic role the Church played before 1956 until the birth of the Republic of South Sudan and to reflect on the challenges the Church has been facing and is continuing to face. It will also focus on the role of the Church in evangelization, service delivery, and ministry of reconciliation, justice and peace.

Let us pray for our beloved dead

THE FATHERS: Miguel, of Fr. Senén Hipólito Pedro (CN); Salvador, of Fr. Elías Arroyo Román (BR).

TTHE MOTHERS: María, of Fr. Francisco José Martín Vargas (E); Paula, of Fr. Rafael Huerta Carbajal (M).

THE BROTHERS: Pio, of Fr. Eugenio Rossi (I); Henri, of Fr. Léonard Ndjadi Ndjate (CA); Vincent, of the scholastice Augustin Soedjede Kossi (T); Luigi, of Bro. Giuseppe Manara (I); Liberio, of Fr. Efrem Angelini (EC).

THE SISTERS: Ma. da Graça, of Fr. Manuel Lopes Ribeiro (MO); Ester, of Fr. Alessandro (†) and Fr. Vittorio (†) Trabucchi; Imelda, of Mgr. Agostino Baroni (†); Cristina, of Fr. Renzo Piazza (I); Maria, of Bro. Giuseppe Lagattolla.

THE COMBONI MISSIONARY SISTERS: Sr. Rosa Maria Vago; Sr. M. Lucilia Cori; Sr. Venturina Ferrari; Sr. M. Eugenia Facheris; Sr. María Consolación Correa Martínez; Sr. Eliana Poletti; Sr. M. Giuseppina Galbiati; Sr. M. Claudia Mombelli; Sr. Emanuella Casiroli; Sr. Teresilde Pirovano.

THE SECULAR COMBONI MISSIONARY: Julia De Oliveira Coelho (Portogallo).

Fr. Rufin Waway Kimbanda (CN) (21.11.1959 – 18.08.2011)

He died at Belo Horizonte (Brazil). He was living out of community.