Familia Comboniana 750 - March 2017

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

CIRCUMSCRIPTION SUPERIORS AND COUNCILS 2017- 2019

Perpetual Professions

Priestly Ordinations

Holy Redeemer Guild

March              01 – 07 CO          08 – 15 E                16 – 31 DSP

April                 01 – 15 CN          16 – 30 EC

Prayer Intentions

March – For all women: that in every part of the world they may be accepted and respected with all their rights and that, in all situations, they may be witnesses of the tenderness of God for every human being. Lord hear us.

April – That in these times when evil and violence seem to prevail, Christians may firmly witness to hope founded upon the resurrection of Jesus who conquers sin in all its forms. Lord hear us.

Publications

Enrique Sánchez González, Buscando a Dios en todas partes, Mexico City, January 2017 (pp. 128). A booklet that Fr. Enrique dedicates to his parents who “by their simple faith, sowed in his heart the desire to seek God, teaching him to encounter him in the routine of daily life and in every person he met”. This is the theme that Fr. Enrique addresses to his readers through short stories and anecdotes born from his 32 years’ experience of Comboni Missionary life.

BRASIL

Process on the martyrdom of Fr. Ezechiele Ramin

On 4 March, 2017, with a Eucharistic celebration at the parish of the Holy Family in Cacoal, the Brazilian stage of the process on the martyrdom of the Servant of God, Fr. Ezechiele Ramin, was concluded. After the celebration, the documentation was sent to Rome for the remaining stages of the process so that Fr. Ezechiele may be recognised as a martyr by the Church.

In Brazil, the prophetic witness of this young missionary is remembered by the poor of the internal rural areas in the Brazilian states of Rondónia and Mato Grosso: Ezechiele was seen by all as a joyful and simple priest who loved to visit the families and spend time with the people. People still say today that the joy of the Gospel was always present in his heart and in his life. They say that Ezechiele the missionary fought for justice and dignity for the indigenous people and the small farmers and that he saw the face of Christ in the faces of the poor.

Perpetual vows and ordination to the diaconate

The Togolese scholastic Anoumou Mossi Kuami (Bernardin) was ordained deacon by Mons. Luiz Carlos Dias, Auxiliary Bishop of São Paulo on 11 February. On the occasion, the Bishop affirmed that the main mission of the deacon is to serve: to serve the Church, the Institute and the poorest and most abandoned. Bernardin Mossi, born at Lome in 1983, took first vows in 2011 and perpetual vows on 3 February of this year.

Bernardin, who performed his missionary service among people of African descent in São Salvador da Bahia, will continue this service in the community of Nova Contagem, at Belo Horizonte (MG). He will then spend some time with his family in Togo where he will prepare for his ordination to the priesthood and then return to Brazil.

CURIA

Meeting of the General Administration with Circumscription Superiors

The Provincial Superiors and Delegates of the Comboni circumscriptions met in Rome at the Generalate from 5 to 25 February. The purpose of the meeting was to pray and reflect together on the service of authority, to get to know one another, to meet at the continental level and to strengthen ties of communion between the various Circumscriptions and the General Administration.

The meeting was opened on Sunday with Mass and the presentation of both the participants and the programme. Monday 6 February was a day of retreat led by Bro. Emili Turu, Superior General of the Marist Brothers. During Mass at the end of the retreat Fr. General presented each of the participants with an apron as a sign of the service they must carry out for the Institute and the Church.

The first intervention of Tuesday, 7 February, was by Fr. General who presented the theme “The service of authority in our Institute”. Having thanked the Superiors for accepting this task, he reminded them that: “service is a burden, as St. Paul affirms (Rm 12, 12-13), but the service of authority is a calling that is meant to bring hope and joy to the confreres of a circumscription”. There followed the first round of sharing experiences and concrete testimonies by some confreres and members of the General Administration and some offices of the Curia.

During the second week (13-17 February) there was a discussion on the services of the Procure, missionaries in difficulty, life-long formation and elderly and sick confreres. Among the speakers were Fr. John Baptist Opargiw, Secretary General for Formation and Fr. Fermo Bernasconi, coordinator of Ongoing Formation, who presented a reflection on the new aspects of the unified secretariat at the general level and that of the circumscriptions, in an organic vision of Comboni formation.

On Saturday, 18 February, there was a break in the work with a day spent visiting the Franciscan places in the province of Rieti (quite close to Rome), something very much appreciated by the Provincials.

At the beginning of the third week, after the second round of meetings with the Circumscription Superiors (the first took place on 11 and 12 February), Fr. Tibaldo Mariano spoke of the new Mission Secretariat and, on 21 February, Fr. Claudio Lurati presented the General Secretariat for Finance. Various other questions were examined, one of which was the 150^th anniversary of the founding of the Institute and the revision of the Rule of Life (Fr. Rogelio Bustos), the Six-Year Plans and the protocols for dialogue (Fr. Jeremias dos Santos Martins and Fr. Pietro Ciuciulla) and communications (Fr. Alberto Lamana and Fr. Arlindo Pinto).

On 24 February, the second-last day, the Superiors decided to send a message (published on our website) of hope and encouragement to our “brothers and sisters in South Sudan”. In their message, the Superiors pray for peace so that the political leaders of South Sudan “may look beyond personal or group interests and commit themselves to serious national dialogue for forgiveness, reconciliation and reparation” and that the religious leaders may accompany the population in this journey towards forgiveness and concord.

The meeting ended on Saturday, 25 February, with Mass presided over by Mons. Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.

Preparation for the sesquicentennial (150th anniversary)

On 30 January, 2017, the commission in charge of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of our Institute met for the first time, to exchange initiatives and plan the various activities to be carried out this year. The commission is composed of Fr. Mariano Tibaldo, Fr. Claudio Lurati, Fr. Venanzio Milani, Fr. Rogelio Bustos Juárez and Bro. Alberto Lamana.

Besides the invitation letter prepared by the General Council, there will also be supplements to be published in Familia Comboniana, with reflections on the history, the present moment in which we are living and the challenges facing our Institute. The meeting also established the programme for the symposium to be held at Rome from 26 May to 1 June, 2017, with participants from all the circumscriptions of the Institute.

A booklet is to be prepared on the history of the various circumscriptions, updated to December, 2016. Other ad extra activities were proposed, which each Circumscription will carry out in loco with the proposal to engage in mission promotion everywhere we are present. All our magazines and websites are requested to feature this jubilee celebration.

New Round of Conferences

For some years, the Curia has been organising Conferences open to the public. This year’s programme is centred on ecology:

• Climate Changes: risks and challenges. Thursday, 2 March. Relator: Fr. John Converset, Provincial of the NAP.
• Before the Flood. Point of No Return. Thursday, 16 March. A documentary by Leonardo Di Caprio.
• The Encyclical Laudato Si’: the mission of a Christian for a just world. Thursday, 30 March. Relator: Dr. Antonio Gaspari.

CONGO

Ordination to the priesthood

On Thursday, 9 February, at Butembo, Mons. Melchisédech Sikuli, the local Ordinary, ordained Deacon Deogratias Nyumu Murondimwenge to the priesthood, together with four others and also ordained a student of the Congregation of the Cross to the diaconate.

The Eucharist began at ten before an immense crowd of Christians; also present were a hundred priests and men and women religious, most of them working in the diocese but also some from elsewhere. Fr. Deogratias was accompanied by the large community of Butembo, composed of Brother Postulants and Pre-Postulants, of confreres coming from Kisangani and Isiro and by relatives and friends of the Comboni Missionaries of Butembo.

In his homily, the Bishop invited the newly-ordained to be aware of the mission entrusted to them by the Lord and to place their confidence always in Him. The Mass was embellished by the singing of the Gregorian choir of Butembo. Before the final blessing, Fr. Jérôme Anakese, Vice Provincial, expressed, on behalf of the entire Province, the gratitude of the Combonis for the number of missionaries the diocese has given to the Institute and announced that Fr. Deogratias had been appointed to Mozambique.

Fr. Deogratias celebrated his first Mass on Sunday, 12 February, at the parish of Notre Dame du Mont Carmel, Butembo.

ESPAÑA

Mundo Negro Brotherhood Prize 2016

The Mundo Negro Brotherhood Prize for 2016 has been awarded this year to Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga and the Imam Kobine Layama, two Central Africans very different from one another but with an identical commitment for peace through dialogue and fraternity that they have been working on for years. At Bangui, they are known as “God’s Twins”. The Cardinal and the Imam, in fact, show how it is possible, first of all by their own example, to live as brothers in mutual acceptance. They have brought about many occasions of friendship and peace between the two religious communities of Catholics and Moslems.

Intervening at the “XXIX Africa Encounter” (Madrid, 3-5 February), organised annually by Mundo Negro magazine and during which the prize was awarded, the two leaders from the Republic of Central Africa reaffirmed that the war which afflicts the country is not a religious war and insisted on the need to educate and to form people, the only way to break the spiral of violence that now lacerates the country.

Together, they have created an inter-religious platform to foster dialogue and to mediate in the many conflicts afflicting the population of both religions. Because of all this, they have received recognition and many awards in the United States, in Germany and in Holland. The Mundo Negro award, worth ten thousand Euro, will be devoted to the work of the peace platform.

ITALIA

Mondiario

Mondiario 17-18 has been issued at the usual price of 8€. It is called ALL RIGHT and deals with the rights of minors in the countries of the world, including Italy. As with past editions, the 288 pages of Mondiario are filled with thematic sections, pages useful at school, information, jokes, pictures, games and a prize competition to fund a primary school in the areas of central Italy struck by earthquakes. Thirty thousand copies have been printed.

PM (Piccolo Missionario) is 90 years old

The first issue of Piccolo Missionario (Little Missionary) was published on 1 January, 1927. The founders were Fr. Capovilla, Director of Nigrizia, and Fr. Negri.

In the eighties, its name was changed to Piemme which became PM, subtitled “IL PICCOLO MISSIONARIO”.

Some suggestions for the celebrations:

To organise a PM celebration in the Comboni communities of Italy, inviting the subscribers and former subscribers of the area. A “Format” will be sent to each community indicating how to organise the celebration.

1. A display on the rights of children (13 panels) and another on how PM historical presented Africa and the Africans (15 panels). Both displays will be exhibited at the African Museum in October. The display on Africa and the Africans will be placed in the civic library of Verona.
2. A 12/15-minute video presenting PM.
3. Two publications: 1. “Whatsapp”: a children’s manual of 48 pages on how to use Whatsapp. 2. As you know…..” a 228pp. publication with illustrations created by Antonio Ferrara, a famous expert in infancy and childhood literature and a PM correspondent.

Universal Missionary Calendar

An interesting calendar has been printed entitled “Universal Missionary Calendar” that recalls each day men and women evangelisers, martyrs, saints, founders and other personalities who left their mark on the history of the mission throughout the world. It also marks some special days and events connected with the mission. This 96-page, pocket-size work is by Fr. Romeo Ballan and is available from Fondazione Nigrizia Onlus Verona.

SOUTH SUDAN

Manual on Justice and Peace

The Comboni office of Justice and Peace of the Province has published a manual in five languages: Bari, Dinka, Nuer, Arabic and English. The text, prepared by Comboni Father Raimundo Nonato Rocha dos Santos, is an instrument for parish committees for justice and peace to be used – as Fr. Raimundo, provincial coordinator of the sector explains – for “formation, reflection and action”.

While it aims to “provide some lines for action and formation to persons, communities and committees working in, or wishing to work in, the ministry of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC)”, the manual may also be useful for seminarians, formators or other teaching Institutes and is free.

UGANDA

Peace Award

In February Fr. Paulino Twesigye Mondo won a Peace Award from the Government of Uganda and was given a Gold Medal. “It seems that the National Award Committee and the entire military world had been following my movements for at least two years. One can imagine how God and St. Daniel Comboni do protect us. I seem to have been the first Comboni Missionary to get this Award, while still alive, in Uganda. I thank God for our Comboni Missionary Family and the Holy Martyrs of Uganda who enable us to remain witnesses of the Gospel in all seasons.”

Hymn for the 150th anniversary

The Comboni Missionaries of South Sudan have composed a Hymn for the 150th anniversary (1867-2017) of the Foundation of the Comboni Institute. “It is a simple sign of celebration from our land – said Fr. Guido Oliana, one of the principal promoters of the initiative –. We have recorded it with our poor means. Maybe the result could be better, but it has an original and rustic South Sudanese touch and flavour. It is sung by a group of seminarians of the Major Seminary of Juba and a Comboni Sister with one of her friends.” The “song” can be found on the “Comboni Website”.

Let us pray for our beloved dead

THE FATHER: Felice, of Fr. Carlo Castelli (I).

THE MOTHERS: Margherita, of Bro. Genesio Maroso (CN); Angela, of Fr. Alessandro Garbagnati (I).

THE BROTHER: Carlo, of Fr. Raffaele Cefalo (I).

THE SISTER: Katharina, of Fr. Alois Eder (DSP).