Between tradition and audacity

Finally the "long expected” week arrived for all who are doing the Comboni Year of Ongoing Formation (CYOF): the week of meeting with the Father General. Expected not so much because we were anxious to know the latest news from the Institute or the latest theological trends that inspire the actions of many of our fellow brothers in the different provinces, our anxiety had a much more mundane reason, simple and pragmatic: to meet with the father Henry to "talk" about our next destination.

The atmosphere that existed in the third and fourth floors of the once Scholasticate “80 Via Luigi Lilio” prior to the arrival of the official visit of Father Henry was one of expectation.. And with good reason, for many knew that they would probably not return to the mission that had seen us grow as missionaries and that the Institute could ask us for a new responsibility or service.

It might have been the long and motivated invitations to availability and obedience, the constant and detailed repetition of the challenges of mission today, repeated citations and references to Chapter Documents and the RM or simply because after several hours of sitting and understanding  that without rotation and without our commitment  this "big machine" of the Institute of the Comboni Missionaries cannot function well, that all or almost all, came out calm and motivated after talking with Father Henry.

The speech of the Father General to the 19 participants at this year’s CYOF was between tradition and audacity, of classic and new, between the functional and prophetic. His speech, however, was not lacking in evidence, consistency and claims to improve our quality of consecrated life to God.

Of the nineteen participants in this 15^th edition of the CYOF, eleven are Latin Americans, five are Europeans and three are Africans. Fifteen have worked in the missions in Africa, three in America and one in Macao, China. (See Attachment for the complete list of the participants). At present, the Coordinating Team is made up of Fr. Danilo Cimitan, Bro. Guillermo Casas Rosell and Fr. Siro Stocchetti who, with Fr. Manuel João Pereira Correia, make up the Central Commission for Ongoing Formation.