The Comboni Lay Missionaries of Portugal start their activities for 2011-2012

During the revision of the Directory attention was given in particular some points dealing with the reasons for one’s vocation, the pillars of the lay Comboni missionary spirituality and the reorganization of the contents of the Directory itself.

The document has already been passed on to the people in charge both nationally and internationally and to the Portuguese CLM for their evaluation and eventual suggestions. In November, the final version will be given to the Provincial Council of the Comboni Missionaries for their approval.

In the planning of the pastoral activities for 2011-2012 an effort was made to increase the activities of Mission Promotion in order to give better exposure to the vocation of the CLM, namely to proclaim the Kingdom of God beyond our borders. The outline and the topics of ongoing formation of the CLM in Portugal were also listed.

Pedro Moreira, the person responsible for the CLM, spoke of this meeting: “Common prayer was very positive. We were able to take several steps forward in our intimate sharing of the Word of God and to contemplate the exposed Blessed Sacrament, the one and only reason for mission! We also had the opportunity to welcome two new women in formation, in the hope that they may be able to find in our Movement the space to listen to what God wants of them and the freedom to follow His deepest plans! I cannot refrain from expressing my joy seeing the group of “camminatori” of the mission organize their activities for this year. With them we enjoyed a family atmosphere, all of us in love with Jesus, with mission and with the person of St. Daniel Comboni.

We deeply thank them for their cooperation and wish that all may go well in the journey that they have chosen for this year… both materially and spiritually!”

Mission Promotion in the parish of Santiago de Antas, Famalicão
“I will sing for my beloved my song of love for his vineyard” (Is 5,1). The first reading for Sunday, October 2, opened with this verse and, with it, were started the activities of mission promotion for the “opening” of this mission month in the parish of Santiago de Antas, in Famalicão.

In this parish, entrusted over the last few years to the Comboni Missionaries, the CLM attempted during the weekend to promote and to use as a starting point for this mission month of October “the love for the vineyard.”

Susana Vilas Boas, CLM, told us what she did during the weekend: “Both in the parish church and in the chapel of St. Anthony I shared the love for the vineyard that has been entrusted to me over these last five years in the Central African Republic. With the children, the parents and the catechists who were about to begin the new year of catechesis I tried to explain this love for the vineyard which the Lord entrusts to us on a daily basis both within and without our borders. At the beginning  of this mission month I had the pleasure to share, in close contact with the closest Comboni community, and to work on behalf of the love for this vineyard which the Lord entrusts to all of us today. I thank this community for the affection, the availability and the commitment shown in accepting and working, in communion with the Comboni family, to produce fruit that will please the Lord of the vineyard.”

Parish of Santiago de Antas, in Famalicão (Portugal)
– Parish entrusted over the last few years to the Comboni Missionaries –