GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

Appointments

During the June Consulta, the General Council made the following appointments:

Appointments for scholasticates /CIF and formation communities

• Fr. Mwariri Joseph Maina: Superior of Lima scholasticate as from 1.7.23.
• Fr. Andrés Miguel Pedro: Bursar of Lima scholasticate as from 1.7.23.
• Fr. Carbonero Mogollón Pedro Percy: Formator of Nairobi schola-sticate as from 1.8.23.
• Fr. Stefano Giudici: Formator and bursar of Casavatore scholasticate as from 1.10.23.
• Fr. Maku Joseph: Formator and bursar of Pietermaritzburg scholasticate as from 1.9.23.
• Fr. Mboka Ngere Faustin: Formator and bursar of Beirut formation community as from 1.8.23.
• Fr. Kornu Godwin Kwame: Formator of Chicago formation com-munity as from 1.8.23.
• Fr. Peinhopf Karl: Formator of Graz formation community as from1.9.23.
• Bro. Mwamba Kabaya Jean Marie: Formator and superior of Nairobi CIF as from 1.10.23.

Novitiate appointments

• Fr. Leandro Araya Leonardo: Father Master of Mexico novitiate as from 1.9.23.
• Fr. Kiwanuka Achilles Kasozi: Father Master of Lusaka novitiate as from 1.8.23.
• Fr. Torres Cuyubamba Noé Abel: socius of Mexico novitiate as from 1.9.23.
• Fr. Kaliya Benedict: socius of Sarh novitiate as from 1.9.23 (ad interim socius at Cotonou until 1.7.24)
• Fr. Tesfaghiorghis Hailè Berhane: socius of Namugongo novitiate as from 1.9.23.

The General Council wishes to thank all formators who have ended their service in the scholasticates and novitiates: Fr. Tomas Herreros Baroja, Fr. Karl Peinhopf, Fr. John Baptist Opargiw, Bro. Adossi Koffissan Adekplovi Matthias-Elie, Fr. Gabriel Martinez Torres José, Fr. Gabriel Uribe Gonzalez, Fr. Dawit Wubishet Teklewold, Fr. Alejandro Canales Maza.

Admission to Perpetual Vows and Holy Orders

During the same Consulta, the General Council examined the dossiers prepared by the General Secretary of Formation with the auto-evaluations of the candidates, those of the formators, those of their respective Provincial Councils and the Missionary Service (where relevant). Of the 24 confreres presented (3 brothers and 21 candidates for the priesthood), 22 were admitted; the General Council has requested a further verification period for the remaining two.

The General Council wishes to remind all circumscription Superiors that the letter by which they present their candidates must, besides everything else, indicate the results of the votes leading to their decision.

General Assembly of Ongoing Formation

According to the decision indicated in the Guide for the implementation of the XIX General Chapter, the General Secretariat of Formation organized the assembly of those in the circumscriptions in charge of ongoing formation, which took place in Rome from 16^th to 30^th June and was attended by representatives of almost all circumscriptions. The representatives of the circumscriptions were joined by the superior of the Curia community and three other confreres, for a total of 33 people.

The general aim was to be formed together, deepening and appropriating the vision of formation, which is that of the Church, and which our institute has assumed and progressively put into practice, so that we can become motivated people capable of living this service for all the confreres and for everyone to live “in a state of formation”. Indeed, formation is either permanent or it does not exist at all! The nature and characteristics of the service entrusted to those in charge of ongoing formation in the circumscriptions were studied in depth and the tools for carrying it out were identified. Among these tools, there is increasingly close collaboration between all concerned, at the continent and Institute levels. A specific objective, precisely for this purpose, was to deepen the themes that the Chapter has chosen and that the Guide for the implementation of the Chapter has indicated for the coming years: spirituality, identity and community life.

Comboni Family Meeting

The General Councils of the three Institutes and the coordinator of the Central Committee of the Comboni Lay Missionaries met at the Generalate of the Comboni Missionary Sisters in Rome from 2^nd to 4^th June for the traditional annual meeting of the Comboni Family. The meeting began with a moment of prayer during which the participants remembered some of those who have left a mark on our Institutes with their exemplary way of living the mission. The particular situation of Sudan and other peoples in situations of suffering was then recalled with a letter expressing the solidarity of the whole Family. The meeting provided an opportunity to share the journey that each reality is making and to discern the progress of some common initiatives, in particular the relaunch of the commission for social ministry.

Brothers’ Continental Reference Person

The General Council makes it known that the continental representative of the Brothers elected by the APDESAM circumscriptions is Bro. Gédéon Ngunza Mboma and that of the circumscriptions for Europe is Br. Tomasz Basinski. Both are members of the Continental Assembly of Circumscription Superiors. The General Council wishes them a good term of service in this post. The GC awaits, for the next Consulta, the conclusion of the electoral process in the constituencies of ASCAF and America/Asia.

Council for the Mission

The General Council wishes to thank those councillors who have terminated their period of service: Fathers Giorgio Padovan, Edmond Dimonekene Sungu and John Richard Kyankaaga Ssendawula. The General Council has appointed the new members of the Council as from 1. 7. 2023:

• Fr. Dario Bossi (America/Asia);
• Fr. José Joaquim Luis Pedro (APDESAM);
• Fr. Víctor-Hugo Castillo Matarrita (ASCAF);
• Fr. Javier Alvarado Ayala (Europa).

The Council thanks all of them for their availability for this service of co-responsibility together with the General Secretary of the Mission and looks forward to seeing a renewed drive in the coordination of the mission sector.

The 100^th anniversary of the division of the Institute

July 27, 2023, marks the one-hundredth anniversary of the division of the Comboni Institute into two separate and autonomous Congregations. Remembering the pain of division must strengthen in us the indescribable beauty of rediscovered reunification, of the discovery made - together again - of our most authentic charism and of today’s awareness that being “one” makes us more ready to face the mission, to grasp its true meaning and to accept its implications and sacrifices. In the coming months, publications and commemorative initiatives are planned.

Note on drafting the minutes

The Secretary General will publish in the next MCCJ Bulletin an extract of his presentation, made to the new Circumscription Superiors, concerning the drafting of the Minutes of the Circumscription Council. The General Council asks all the Superiors of the circumscription to carefully read what is published and to inform the respective Provincial Secretaries or the Minute Secretaries who draw up the minutes. There are currently few circumscriptions that fully comply with the requirements of the minutes, which have the dual purpose of ensuring formal communication between the circumscription and the General Council and constituting historical documentation of the decision-making process that takes place in the circumscriptions.

The next Consulta

The General Council informs that, due to Father General’s ecclesial commitments which occurred during the month of October, the third ordinary Consulta scheduled for that month will be divided into two sessions:

• from 13 to 23 September;
• from 6 to 17 November.

They therefore ask the circumscription superiors to present, before September, the points they wish to be taken into consideration.

Journeys and Absences of Members of the General Council

During the period June – October 2023, the following visits will take place:

• Fr. Tesfaye Tadesse Gebresilasie

• 28 June – 3 July: London together with the Vicar General – Meeting with the Comboni Survivors’ Group.

• Fr. David Costa Domingues

• 28 June – 3 July: London with Fr General
• 6 – 26 July: Ecuador
• 28 July – 23 August: GMG and Portugal
• 26-30 August: Poland
• 28 September – 30 October: NAP and Mexico

• Fr. Luigi Codianni

• 22-25 June: Granada (Spain) with Fr. Elias Sindjalim
• 1 July-7 August – Brazil, with the General Treasurer

• Fr. Elias Sindjalim Essognimam

• 22-25 June – Granada (Spain) with Fr. Codianni
• 5-18 July: Uganda with the General Secretary of Formation
• 18 July – 3 August: Benin with the General Secretary of Formation
• 5 - 18 August: Congo for the Episcopal Ordination of Mons. Léonard Ndjadi Ndjate

• Bro. Alberto Lamana

• 26 June – 16 July: Ethiopia

It is also made known that, within the limits of their respective journeys, during the summer months the members of the General Council will take their holidays.

General Secretary Absent from Rome

From 17^th to 26^th August, the General Secretary will be absent from Rome. We are asked to limit our correspondence to items that cannot be postponed.

Spiritual exercises

The General Council and some members of the General Administration will have their spiritual exercises together with the members of the general administrations of the missionary Institutes of Italy, from 3^rd to 13^th September, at the Carthusian monastery of Chiusa di Pesio (CUNEO), run by the Consolata Missionaries. The programme will, in the final days, include some moments of ongoing formation on various themes. We are asked to limit our correspondence to essential and urgent matters during this period.

Holy Redeemer Guild

July                 01 – 15 KE           16 – 31 M

August            01 – 15 MO          16 – 31 MZ

September      01 – 15 NAP        16 – 30 PCA

Prayer Intentions

July – That the first anniversary of the memorial of Blessed Joseph Ambrosoli (on 28^th July) may help all Comboni missionaries in the service of the most fragile to renew their commitment to a journey of holiness in faithfulness to the circumstances of daily humble service to the sick, the suffering and the fragile. Let us pray.

August – That the rights, cultures and ways of life of indigenous peoples may be ever more respected in their journey of emancipation and reaffirmation of their full dignity, and that the deep religious sense they express may find a new welcome in a secularised world. Let us pray.

September – That, in our pastoral practice, we may be ever more aware of the situations of sexual exploitation and the spread of the phenomenon of the trafficking of women and children, giving attention and support to those who work to eliminate these situations of suffering and injustice. Let us pray.

Comboni Liturgical Calendar

JULY

SEPTEMBER

Meaningful anniversaries

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

GENERAL SECRETARIAT OF THE MISSION

Meeting of the General Councils of the Comboni Family

The General Councils of the Comboni Family met from the afternoon of Friday 2 June to midday on Sunday 4 June, in Rome, hosted by the Comboni Missionary Sisters.

After an initial moment of personal presentation, in the afternoon there was an opportunity to deepen the understanding of the programmatic homily delivered by Comboni in Khartoum on 11^th May 1873. We began by asking ourselves what echoes it arouses in our hearts today, a century later, and what challenges it can still present to the missionary family that bears its name. It was a beautiful and intensely lived moment, which brought us to state that the charism that shines clearly in that text continues to keep us united and encourages us to move forward the Founder’s dream.

The following day was devoted to getting to know the individual institutes. The first to “speak about themselves” were the Secular Comboni Missionaries who shared their enthusiasm for the first vows of the first four African sisters, made last April 23 in Nairobi (Kenya), and the long journey travelled to reach the new opening.

It was then the turn of the Comboni Lay Missionaries who are currently revisiting the themes that emerged in their Continental Meetings in America (Lima, Peru) and Africa (Cotonou, Benin). They also presented the goals of their next European Assembly (in October in Poland) and shared the priorities the Central Committee has for next year.

In the afternoon, the Comboni Missionaries, speaking of their General Chapter last June, presented the new methodology adopted on that occasion, which prompted them to create “dreams” and to outline the guidelines by which to achieve them by 2028.

The Comboni Missionary Sisters also shared what they “lived” with their recent General Chapter and the steps taken in recent months to put the decisions taken into practice. We all appreciated the courage they showed in the radical restructuring of their Institute, which will see the current 19 circumscriptions reduced to 7.

We have joyfully recognized the importance of the work done in recent years, the goodness of the collaboration shown by the CF in the field of ministeriality and the good teamwork carried out by the General Councils, so much so that we have undertaken to draw up a small “directory” that helps us to work better in our meetings. (Alberto de la Portilla, coordinator of the Central Committee of the CLM)

European Mission Assembly

The European Assembly of the Mission brought together in Rome (6-10 June 2023) about thirty confreres and representatives of the Comboni Family who work in the Mission sector. After recalling the previous meeting in Maia in March 2017, the reports of the various circumscriptions and that of the European Council of the mission were presented, enabling us to retrace the work carried out from that date to today.

The meeting with missionary realities present in the diocese of Rome helped us to grasp suggestions and provocations coming from the work of others, especially lay people, who are committed to the proclamation of the Gospel and human promotion.

The social and ecclesial challenges that Europe poses to us today have been explored thanks to the interventions of Serena Nocetti, a theologian, and of Mons. Roberto Repole, Archbishop of Turin, and the reflections of some confreres.

From the group work and from the sharing of the participants some requirements emerged, first of all, the need to clarify personally and as a community the meaning of mission in Europe today - a mission that must undertake a synodal journey that must be continuously subject to evaluation.

From the various proposals formulated in six sectors – mass media, missionary animation, parishes and rectories, collaboration such as the Comboni Family, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) and migrants, mission in Europe – there emerged the priority to be given to the training of competent and qualified personnel for missionary service in Europe. Furthermore, the need to encourage experiences of collaboration and to favour the annual meeting, in each country, of the provincial councils and the coordinating team of the Comboni Family was underlined.

Retreats in the spirit of Integral Ecology

The Comboni Family of the Americas, wishing to share an itinerary on Integral Ecology, proposes spiritual exercises in five stages.

The proposal is addressed to all members of the Comboni Family and to lay people very close to our charism: “Those who are committed to defending the dignity of the person can find in the Christian faith the deepest reasons for this commitment” (Laudato si’, 65).

Below are the topics that will be addressed and the relative dates:

►”The cry of the earth and cry of the poor” (Fr. Dario Bossi, mccj, Saturday 12 August 2023);

►”Integral ecology” (Sr. Dalva Maria Areia, smc, Saturday 9 September 2023);

►”Regeneration of the body-earth territories” (Sr. Betty Pompei, smc, Saturday 14 October 2023);

►”The spirituality of the native peoples of Latin America” (Bro. Enzo Balasso, mccj, Saturday 11 November 2023);

►”The ecological conversion of the Church” (Elena Larangeiro, msc, Saturday 9 December 2023).

For information, you can connect to the following site:

https://comboni.github.io/espls/ (Comboni Missionaries of America)

CURIA

Accommodation at the EUR House

In addition to the welcome afforded to the meetings organized by the General Administration, the community of the Curia at the EUR house is always happy to welcome confreres passing through or arriving for periods of stay in Rome. However, it is important that arrivals are communicated in time and according to pre-established methods, in order to avoid any confusion that may prevent whatever preparations are necessary to welcome the confrere in an adequate way. Therefore, those traveling to Rome are reminded to inform the Superior of the Community well in advance (Fr. Tomás Herreros Baroja – +39 327 056 4904 – supeur@comboni.org) or the treasurer of the house (Br. Marco Binaghi – +39 327 999 1287 – casaeur@comboni.org) of their planned arrival and the details of their stay.

If the mode of transport is by air, it is necessary to communicate, in addition to the date and time of expected arrival, the airport of arrival and the flight number, adding whether you would like to be met at the airport or if you intend to use public transport. Even if the trip has been communicated to other members of the Curia, it is still necessary to take care to inform the superior of the community or the treasurer, because these two confreres are responsible for receiving guests.

BRAZIL

Remembering Lino Pretto

“From the time I was born until I was 92, I have always been guided by God. God is my Father, and as such he has always cared for me, his son. Therefore, I accept all that God gives me, and I feel that I am right where God put me. I am grateful to him for always guiding me and never making me want for anything, especially in terms of love and affection. I also have to thank him for when he wants to call me, to continue life up there, eternal happiness and love ». These are the words of Lino Pretto in his farewell to this world.

Lino was born on 13^th July 1930, in Malo, in the province of Vicenza. He was a child when World War II broke out. He witnessed the horrors perpetrated throughout Europe by the Axis Forces (a military alliance composed of Germany, Italy and Japan, also called the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis, ideologically characterized by Nazism and Fascism) and the Allied Forces (United States, Soviet Union, England, among others). He was 13 when he saw with his own eyes the disaster caused by the bombs dropped by American planes on Vicenza, Padua and Verona. He also reads and heard of the tragic bombings of Milan and Turin and was shocked. The death and destruction left a deep and enduring mark.

As a young man, he sympathised with the Comboni missionaries and entered their Institute. In September 1948 he began his novitiate in Florence. On 9^th September 1956, he made his perpetual religious profession and, on 15^th June 1957, he was ordained a priest.

After a stay in England to learn English, he was sent to the Sudan. In 1958 he was assigned to Isoke mission and, in 1961, he was sent to Kator mission near Juba. In 1963, he moved to the residence of the bishop, Msgr. Sisto Mazzoldi, in Juba. Everywhere he went, he taught in the mission schools.

Father Lino was expelled from the Sudan with other missionaries. Once back in Italy, he was assigned to the Rome scholasticate (Via Luigi Lilio) for a specialization course. He majored in philosophy, psychology and history. He then went to Brazil where he was a professor of psychology and history. However, after a short time, he left the Comboni Institute, got married, and started a family.

Sister Death came to him at the age of 92, on 21^st June 2023, in São Paulo. He now rests in peace. (Father Enzo Santangelo, mccj)

ECUADOR

Assembly of Comboni Missionaries in Ecuador

The Comboni Missionaries of the province of Ecuador celebrated their annual provincial assembly in Quito, from 5 to 9 June. The theme that guided the work of the last General Chapter was chosen for the meeting: «“I am the vine; you are the branches” – Rooted in Christ together with Comboni».

During the five days of the Assembly, the participants sought to establish the priorities of the Province for the next six years, reviewing the five priorities chosen by the Chapter itself: Spirituality, Identity and Community Life, Review of Formation, Ministeriality at the Service of Redevelopment, Communion of Goods, Sharing and Sustainability.

The concrete commitments chosen for each priority, specified in clear lines of action, must now be accepted with strong determination by all, in order to be able to respond to the challenges that the mission is facing today in Ecuador, in the full awareness that the country is going through political instability, made even more critical by the elections scheduled for August.

Another major challenge today is the escalation of violence “controlled” by drug mafias, especially in the provinces of Guayas and Esmeraldas, where a state of emergency was declared a few days ago.

The Assembly also said it was very concerned about natural disasters, such as the heavy rains caused by El Niño, a meteorological phenomenon that invariably produces extreme conditions, with tragic consequences shown in climate change and the destruction of our Common Home. Not to mention the numerous illegal mines, the reckless extraction of oil, the increase in palm cultivation, now indicated as one of the causes of the deforestation of vast areas of tropical forests and the loss of forest cover in the country. As always, those present at the assembly underlined that it is the poor and defenceless who suffer the consequences of all these situations.

May St. Daniel Comboni intercede for all the Comboni Missionaries engaged in Ecuador, so that they know, with their missionary service of evangelization, to really help his people find the right tools to face and thwart all threats to life and to Mother Earth. And may God help the Ecuadorian people to find ways of “continuing” - through non-violent attitudes and actions - to affirm lifestyles that respect each person’s culture, traditions, values and dignity.

ITALIA

Feast of the Martyrs of Uganda Parish, Rome

On Sunday 4 June, the parish of the Martyrs of Uganda solemnly celebrated the feast of its patron saints, postponing the liturgical feast from 3^rd to 4^th June 2023, to allow a greater number of the faithful to be present and commemorate the 22 Martyrs to whom the church is dedicated, commissioned by Pope St. Paul VI after his visit to Namugongo in 1969.

A crowd of around 400 gathered for the 12:00 Mass. The Mass was presided over by Father Torquato Paolucci, a Comboni Missionary, and concelebrated by the parish priest Don Luigi D’Errico and about a dozen concelebrants, including five Comboni Missionaries. Also present was the Ugandan ambassador to Italy who, at the end of the Mass, thanked the assembly and invited everyone to pray to the Ugandan Martyrs and to imitate their faith.

After the celebration, over 300 people gathered under the large canopy adjacent to the church for lunch, prepared by the Filipino community that gathers here every Sunday for the Eucharist.

Between the parish of Lira (Uganda) and that of the Martyrs of Uganda in Rome, a twinning was set up some time ago which is producing spiritual and material fruits in the two communities. In the last two weeks of July, four catechists from the Rome parish will make a pilgrimage to Lira to meet the Catholics of that diocese and bring aid for various projects supported by the Roman parish. Thanks to various initiatives, 12,000 euros were raised for the various projects. Also, on the occasion of the feast of the Martyrs, the missionary group collaborated in the organization, and the “Together For” group exhibited and put on sale objects produced by the women of the group. An atmosphere of joy and fraternity energised the day.

Acse – “Dying of Hope”

On 22^nd June, in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, the annual Vigil in memory of those who have lost their lives on their journeys to Europe was celebrated. The “Dying of Hope” Vigil was promoted by ten organizations, including Saint Egidio, Centro Astalli, Migrantes, Caritas and… Acse.

The function was presided over by Card. Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, who gave a broad speech on the dangers of forgetfulness. All those who, from June 2022 to today, have lost their lives in the Mediterranean and on the mainland at the gates of Europe were remembered: as many as 3,170 refugees!

NAP

Yet another prize

Congratulations to Editor-in-Chief Kathleen M. Carroll and all the members of the Comboni Missions magazine editorial board! The publication earned second place as “Magazine of the Year - Mission Category” during the 2023 Catholic Media Conference. The judges motivated the award as follows: «For the excellent coverage, always wide and complete, of the challenges and results of the mission. The variety of contents presents significant news and insights on current issues, offering the relevant contexts and historical perspectives».

PORTUGAL

The Comboni Family and World Youth Day (WYD)

This summer, Pope Francis has an appointment with young Catholics from all over the world in Lisbon for World Youth Day (WYD). For months, in every corner of the earth, groups of young people have been preparing the themes proposed for this WYD centred on the figure of Mary, contemplated as the one who “Immediately set out on a journey” (Lk 1:39). They are also looking for financial support to pay for their trips to the Portuguese capital.

The Comboni Family will be present at WYD with the World Youth Comboni Gathering (WYCG), an initiative that will bring together young people in Portugal who follow Jesus according to the charism and style of St. Daniel Comboni. As many as 120 young people between the ages of 14 and 30 from Europe, Africa and America have signed up. From 26^th to 31^st July, they will gather in the Portuguese town of Maia to listen to missionary testimonies and participate in activities and dynamics on interculturality and universal fraternity. For some activities, they will join other young people from the dioceses of Oporto and Braga.

On 31^st July, en route to Lisbon, they will stop at Fatima for a visit to the great Marian shrine. Then, on 7^th August, they will meet again in Santarém to evaluate the experience lived in Lisbon and reflect on how to give this experience continuity throughout the whole year. This aims at avoiding the danger of WYD becoming just “One more experience”, but something that helps the youth to become more committed.

LET US PRAY FOR OUR BELOVED DEAD

THE FATHERS: Romano, of the scholastic Romanos Sichongwe (MZ).

THE MOTHER: Santa, of Mons. Luis Alberto Barrera Pacheco (PE).

THE BROTHER: Elio, of Fr. Bruno Carollo (…); Sebastien, of Bro. Jean Afanvi (TGB).

THE SISTERS: Gisela, of Fr. Juan Armando Goicochea Calderón (PE); Maria Rosaria, of Fr. Torquato Paolucci (C).

THE COMBONI MISSIONARY SISTERS: Sr Ancilla Adele Fumagalli; Sr M. Agnese Chiappa; Sr Orsolina Balzarini; Sr Luisella Musazzi.