Daniel Comboni
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IV Assembly of the Comboni Lay Missionaries of America
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
In the provincial house of the Comboni Missionaries, in Mexico City, the IV Continental Meeting of the Comboni Lay Missionaries (CLM) of America is in progress – from 18 to 24 September. Twenty-seven lay people from the United States (USA), Brazil, Guatemala, Peru and Mexico are participating. Also present are the Comboni confreres who follow the CLM in their respective countries, the Comboni Sister Saby Embaye Ghidey, the general coordinator of the CLM, Alberto de la Portilla, together with Fr. Arlindo Pinto. The theme is “The CLM vocation, identity and commitment to the mission starting from America”.
In the picture:
Members of the American Committee
(Cristina Paulek, Miriam Rubelina H.,
and Fr. José Manuel Baeza)
and (on the right)
Fr. Erasmo Bautista Lucas.
The IV Continental Meeting of the Comboni Lay Missionaries of America began Sunday, September 18, with the words of welcome of Fr. Erasmo Norberto Bautista Lucas, superior provincial of the Comboni Missionaries in Mexico, and the heads of the Committee Coordinator at the American Continent’s level. Soon after, the participants, country by country, presented themselves.
“Your presence in this house – said P. Erasmus – is a blessing for the province, the Institute and the Church. Allow me to take up the nature, extent and purpose of this continental meeting, within the general framework of the spirit of the XVIII General Chapter (see no. 34 and 35), in three words: to rediscover, recognize and accompany”. After commenting these concepts from a missionary perspective, he cited the document of Aparecida (n. 209): “Laymen and laywomen are men and women of the Church in the heart of the world and men and women of the world in the heart of the Church”.
On the following day, Monday, they started with the celebration of the Eucharist, presided by Fr. José Manuel Baeza, provincial superior of the NAP (Province of North America) and coordinator of the CLM at the continental level.
In the morning activities were recalled the commitments made in the previous meeting in Guatemala City (2014) and the considerable progress made in the field of communication in recent years among the groups and coordinators.
Alberto de la Portilla, coordinator of the Central Committee, explained how the CLM – present in twenty countries – are organized and reminded them of some of the challenges they are facing.
In the afternoon Cristina Paulek, member of the Central Committee, presented a reflection on the care of creation and the vocation of the laypeople in the Church.
Comboni Lay Missionaries from Guatemala with Fr. Humberto da Silva Rua.