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THE COMBONI FAMILY |
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WHO ARE THEY? The purpose of the Comboni Missionaries is to carry out the evangelizing mission of the Church among peoples and human groups not yet, or not sufficiently, evangelized. The Institute carries out this aim by sending its members to places where missionary activity according to the charism of the Founder is needed, and by increasing awareness of Mission among the People of God, promoting missionary vocations and forming missionaries for the field. According to the Inspiration of the Founder, the Institute is made up of priests and Brothers. This composition gives the Institute a fuller ecclesial character and makes its activity more fruitful, through the variety and complementary nature of its service, in keeping with the purposes of the Institute. MISSIONARY METHOD The proclamation of the Gospel means, for Comboni Missionaries, a particular way of living the Mission, following a precise, concrete and courageous method. The basic elements of this missionary action are: Save Africa through Africa It means respect for the culture and natural religion of the groups of people to whom we are sent, showing great trust in them, so as to make them the principal actors in the process of their liberation and evangelization, and bringing out the human resources they already possess. Make common cause with the people It means having a simple lifestyle, to show sharing and solidarity with the least of all, and to be prophetic spokesmen for those who have no voice. Making common cause with the poor can mean sharing in their lot, and even being subjected to persecution and martyrdom. Evangelize as Community It means living like a Cenacle of Apostles, united by prayer and work; and to seek in union the ways by which to serve our brothers and sisters more effectively.
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Comboni Missionaries in the world
A little cenacle of apostles After trying to involve various Institutes in carrying out his “Plan”, Daniel Comboni found himself forced to found his own in Verona on 1st June 1867: the “Institute for African Missions” a small group of priests and brothers of various nationalities, united by an oath of membership and of faithfulness to the mission. When Daniel Comboni died in 1881 there was some dismay among the cardinals and Bishops who took an interest in his mission. His missionaries and Sisters however, both in Italy and in Africa, faced the tragic moment with fierce determination. During the first years they found themselves really in turmoil, suddenly immersed in a great trial. As early as 1882, Sudanese troops led by Mohammed Ahmed, who proclaimed himself “Al Mahdi”, or descendant of the Prophet, plundered the missions, took all the missionaries prisoner, and made them march barefoot across the burning sand for weeks on end. Comboni’s first successor, Bishop Francesco Sogaro, made constant efforts to obtain their release, but the process was not completed until 1898. Meanwhile, in Italy, it was decided to form closer links among the missionaries and between them and their superiors, so as to give stability to the missionary work and make it more efficient. In 1885 the group became a Religious Congregation. With this new strength and unity the missionaries began to return to the missions: Egypt in 1887 and Sudan in 1900. First they had to reconstruct all the missions destroyed by the Mahdi; but they were also eager to push further South. Into the heart of Africa The new missionaries were called “Sons of the Sacred Heart”. Comboni had always had a great love of the Heart of Jesus, and spread both its spirituality and devotions. One of these missionaries became the second successor of Comboni: Mgr. Antonio Roveggio, who pushed right into the Southern Sudan, almost as far as the border with Uganda. But he was cut down by illness, dying of fever in 1902 at the age of 43. His successor got a firm foothold in the heart of Africa, among the strong Dinka groups, the tall Shilluk and the hard-working Bari. There were difficulties, of course: in the area called Bahr-el-Ghazal five missionaries died in one year, and others had to spend long periods convalescing in Cairo or Italy. Bishop Franz Geyer, third successor of Comboni, did not lose courage; he even pushed into Uganda in 1910 with a group of missionaries. Progress and problems According to Comboni’s wish the members of the Institute came from various countries, but there were two large groups: the Italians and the Austro-Germans. Problems relating to that particular moment in history led the General Assembly, or Chapter, of 1919 to decide on a certain autonomy for the two groups. However the Holy See, having consulted the Superior General Fr Paolo Meroni, decided in 1923 to divide the Institute into two missionary Congregations. Reunion was approved by the General Chapter of 1979; it was achieved especially because both groups preserved their missionary identity and above all, their memory of Comboni. Fr Paolo Meroni had the merit of introducing the process for the Beatification of the Founder in 1927. Expansion and international character Fr Meroni expanded the Institute into the centre and South of Italy. But it was Fr Antonio Vignato, one of the pioneers of the missions in S. Sudan and Uganda, who opened to other nations in Europe and across the Atlantic. He was elected Superior General in 1937, and conscious of the mission areas in Africa under British rule, he opened a house in England in 1938 (the first attempt having been made in 1906). Once on the Atlantic, he sent his missionaries across to the United States (1939). He needed more English-speaking personnel, and financial help too. But also, with his love for Africa, he could not disregard the Africans of the USA (American negroes, now known as Afro-americans). For similar needs in Mozambique, a Portuguese colony, a house was opened in northern Portugal (1947). Then came Fr Antonio Todesco, Superior General from 1947 to 1959, who responded to the needs of an ultra-Atlantic mission, in Baja California on the Pacific coast (January 1948). But there is no stopping the Comboni Missionaries! In 1952 it was Brazil’s turn: in the North, the poorest part of the country, and later in the favelas of the suburbs of big cities. Noticing this healthy expansion, the Holy See - through Propaganda Fide - asked the Comboni Missionaries to take an area in Ecuador: Esmeraldas, where the first missionaries arrived in 1954; some of them had been in Africa, and found themselves at home with the black inhabitants called morenos. Personnel from Spain (1954) played an important part in these countries, because of the language. Right into the East Notwithstanding the expansion beyond the Atlantic to the Pacific shores, Africa was never neglected: the very first mission areas entrusted to Comboni had been Sudan and Egypt, and Uganda (where he had never been able to reach, despite his longing to do so). Ethiopia (1936) and Eritrea (1942) were the first places in Africa outside the traditional “Comboni areas”. In 1947 came the turn of Mozambique; and during the 60’s French-speaking areas asked for help: Zaire (1963) Togo, Burundi and the Central African Republic (1964). German confreres had been in South Africa since 1923 and in Peru from 1938. In the seventies there was further expansion: Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Chad and Benin in Africa and Costa Rica in the Americas. In recent years there has been some consolidation in Central America (Guatemala and Salvador) and, urged by the signs of the times, a move into the Far East: Philippines, Hong Kong and Macao. |
The year 2003 marks the canonization
of the founder of the Comboni Missionaries: Bishop Daniel Comboni. It is
also a year of achievements, a harvest time for the Comboni Missionaries
in Asia.
Pinoy mission power On June 14, in Mercedes, a small town in Samar, Fr. Antonio C. Arnaiz, the 7th Filipino Comboni Missionary, was ordained to the Priesthood. The 8th, Fr. Marnie C. Cuarteros, was soon after ordained in Bato, Camarines Sur. The congregation of the Comboni Missionaries is present in Asia since 1987. The contribution of the Combonis originally from Latin America, especially Mexico, was instrumental to reach the decision on opening to Asia. The link between the Philippines and Mexico (then called Nueva España) is strong in the evangelization history of the Far East. It is even a blood link since among the Japanese Martyrs we find the first Mexican martyr as well as the first Filipino martyrs: Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calunsod. The Comboni Missionaries in Asia are only a handful of about twenty members, but with a form of presence that is dynamic. In the Philippines, the only Catholic country of Asia, the Comboni Missionaries aim at widening the scope of the local Church towards the missions, especially through their monthly publication of WORLD MISSION magazine and the training of local personnel for the mission ad gentes (to the Non Christians). The missionary potential of the Philippines is enormous and it is only recently that it has been underlined, particularly by the Pope during his last visit. John Paul II has recalled the missionary responsibility of the Filipino Church primarily towards the whole Asian continent and also towards the rest of the world. The opening of the Filipino Church before the universal mission is facilitated also by the emergent phenomenon of the overseas Filipino workers. The Philippines, with a young population in continuous expansion, are searching for room not only on the world stage, but also as a Church in the missionary field. The Comboni charism, strongly missionary, finds in the Philippines its natural place helping to arouse the interest of the Filipino youth that come in contact with it. In the fifteen years of their presence, the Comboni Missionaries have attracted more than thirty young men who have thrown their lot with them because of the missionary ideal. Of these: 10 (8 Priests and 2 Brothers) have finished their formation and are working in front line missions in Africa and Latin America; other 10 have taken their first religious vows, becoming members of the Comboni Institute, and are now overseas, in different international communities of the Comboni Missionaries, for their theological studies. In the meantime, in the Philippines, other 12 are going through the various formation stages of the Postulancy and Novitiate. A good…drop in the ocean In Macao and Taiwan, the Comboni Missionaries are in charge of two mission parishes, though small in numbers, they intend to contribute to the evangelization work among the Chinese. There, with the primary and urgent task of evangelization, their missionary charism is most clearly visible and active. On a slightly different note, a project named Fen Xiang (Sharing) represents a further important aspect of the Comboni Missionaries apostolate in favor of the Church in China. On February 22 this year, Fr. Peter Chen, a diocesan priest from mainland China, graduated from the Loyola School of Theology in Manila and now holds a Master (License) in Moral Theology. Fr. Peter Chen was sponsored for his studies by the Comboni Missionaries’ Fen Xiang project. Since then Fr. Peter has returned to his Diocese in Hebei, north China, now providing a more qualified service to his local Church. Another Chinese priest, Fr. Paul Tan, also sponsored by Fen Xiang, is at present following a similar course at the Ateneo in Manila. Peter and Paul: two names that have strong symbolic meaning for the Asian dream of the Comboni Missionaries. In mainland China, there is a fairly large number of young people who want to join the catholic Priesthood or Religious Life. This, strangely enough, notwithstanding more than 50 years of religious persecution. In mainland China the local Church often lacks books, teachers and funds to sponsor local education courses and degree courses abroad for those who need higher qualifications. This is where Fen Xiang comes in. The project continues sponsoring the formation and education of the Church Leaders of tomorrow’s Catholic China. In front of the enormous needs of the mission in China this is only a drop in the ocean, but a good one! Mission through the media On January 5, this year, the Combonis saw the realization of one of their main goals when the Comboni Mission Center of Sucat, dedicated to the mass media, was officially opened. The blessing was officiated by Bishop Jesse Mercado of Parañaque. Fr. Rafael Gonzalez, representing the General Superior, was present. Some confreres from the China missions also took part in the celebration. The ceremony was enlivened with a good number of benefactors and friends who joined in thanksgiving. The opening of the Comboni Mission Center is the point of arrival of one of the most original and characteristic features of the presence of the Comboni Missionaries in Asia: the publication of the monthly missionary magazine WORLD MISSION. The Combonis have a tradition that goes back to their founder, St. Daniel Comboni, with a major interest in means of mass communication, especially the press. More than half a million copies of their missionary magazines are published each month in the various countries where they live and work. In Asia with WORLD MISSION they wish that the missionary adventure of the Church in the third millennium be on all the coffee tables of waiting rooms, offices and residences of Filipino and Asian Catholics. The magazine, now in full color, has received the generous review of colleagues in the countrywide press: “Because it reports on the different Catholic mission outposts in the five continents, WORLD MISSION has variety and excitement, hewing as closely as possible to reportage. Factual, generally tightly written and almost competently laid out, WORLD MISSION has the quality of a Time and a Newsweek. In the wide breadth of its coverage and its colorful presentation, it reflects the general optimism and courage of a Church seeking to convert and transform the largest but the least Christianized continent in the world.” (The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Monday, April 1, 2002). The experience of the Comboni Missionaries in Asia is still at the beginning. This continent, as a whole, poses tremendous challenges to the mission of the Church for its enormous population and the complexity of its socio-economic-cultural and religious reality. At present we are living the hour of Asia, which calls for all the active forces in the Church to be at the service of life in this vast continent. So, from this point of view and for an institute that is specifically missionary, it has been and even now is a ‘must’ to be there in Asia, even though with a still too small nevertheless meaningful presence. Fr. Lorenzo Carraro MCCJ 2003©World Mission Magazine |
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