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TH E Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E F R O M T H E C O M B O N I M I S S I O N A R I E S

Spring 2018

Pope’s visit to Chile/Peru pages 10 - 11Easter - Born in a Grave page 13

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2 Comboni Mission • www.comboni.org.uk

COMBONI MISSION ISBN 0962-7154 is a quarterly publication ofthe Comboni Missionaries (also known as the Verona Fathers), aCatholic Missionary Institute for the evangelisation of peoples, issued free to their friends and supporters.

Cover Photo: Pablo Porciuncula Brune/AFP

Current issue: Spring 2018

Comboni Missionaries are sponsored by freewill donations.Please support the Comboni Missionaries, charity registration numbers 220240(UK), 8653(IRE), (SC 039530) Scotland.

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COMBONIMISSION

Spring 2018

COMBONIMISSION

From the Editor

We’ve moved away from 2017 (al-ready three months ago!) and arenow forging ahead in this the new

year 2018. Talk always abounds of the needor good sense to make plans and draw upstrategies for our future. Not too many con-sider themselves soothsayers. Perhaps thedown to earth thoughts of Rabbie Burnsmight make us think again! ‘The best laid schemes o’ Mice and Men,Gang aft agley,An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain’For promis’d joy!’Things don’t always work out as we would

like and this undoubtedly must lead us notto despair but rather nurture in ourselvesthe never-dying virtue of HOPE against allthe odds!Looking back at the recent year we could

pick out good and also sad events in ourjourneys. Thanking God for the graces andredoubling our efforts to avoid the unfortu-nate and sad.In 2017, the Comboni Missionaries cele-

brated 150 years of their existence andcelebrated in many parts the patient andkind God leading them (religious and laity)ahead, through the light and dark of life’s

corridors. We push ahead on our Faith Journey,

filled with HOPE, for Christ is forever withus: “Go forth…and look, I am with youalways; yes, to the end of time.”(Mt.28.v20).In this our Spring edition we wish to

live the Spring of Nature and what betterway than celebrating the birth of Christfrom the tomb “He is Risen, Alleluia!”the Christian people sing.“But Christ is risen, he is alive, and he

walks with us. Forthis reason, we singand we walk, faith-fully carrying outour task in thisworld with ourgaze fixed onheaven” (PopeBenedict XVI)May we all re-

joice in this eventthat renews andrekindles ourHOPE! A happy and HolyEaster!

By Fr John Downey mccj

VIEW OUR WEBSITESwww.comboni.org.uk

www.combonimissionaries.co.uk

The road ahead

He is Risen

Comboni Mission • Spring 2018 3

Editorial - The road ahead

PAGE 2

Church NewsPAGE 3

Getting to know TheComboni Missionaries

PAGES 4 - 6

America/ChilePAGE 7

My Beloved Mission in Malawi

PAGES 8 - 9

Pope’s visit to Chile/Peru

PAGES 10 - 11

The Donkey – Palm Sunday

PAGE 12

Easter – Born in a Grave

PAGES 13

Brazil, Paths of FreedomPAGES 14 - 15

African LegendsPAGE 16

‘Keep us Alive’PAGE 17

From Yorkshire to Africa

PAGES 18 - 20

The World Social Forum PAGE 21

You WritePAGES 22 - 23

ProjectsPAGE 24

CONTENTSChurch News

Dublin, Ireland, has beenchosen by Pope Francis tohost the next World Meet-

ing of Families in August 2018.Started by Saint John Paul II, andheld every three years, this majorworld event celebrates family as thecornerstone of our lives, and thefundamental building block of soci-ety and the Church.Families and others from all over

the world will gather in Dublin from21-26 August 2018 to celebratetheir lives together, to share their ex-periences from different parts of theworld, to reflect on the differentchallenges they face and to grow to-gether in faith.The theme chosen by Pope Fran-

cis for WMOF2018 is The Gospel ofthe Family: Joy for the World. TheWMOF2018 Logo, launched in De-cember 2016, reflects on this themeand our journey towards August2018.The event will consist of a joyful

and reflective programme of work-shops, talks and discussions foradults; an engaging and excitingprogramme for young people aswell as faith and fun activities forchildren. WMOF2018 will includethe daily celebration of Mass, a fes-tival of families event, exhibitions,cultural events and musical per-formances, events around the city,gestures of solidarity with those inneed, and much more.

World Meeting of Families 2018The World Meeting of Familiescomes to Ireland!


Getting to know theComboni Missionaries

Fr Paul AnnisA Comboni Missionary who has been living in the Arabic world for almost 25 years,talks about his origin and how he feels working among Christians and Muslims. FrPaul’s last assignment here in the London Province was at Carmyle, Glasgow, from91 – 96. He now ministers in the parish of the Holy family, Helouan, Cairo, Egypt.

Fr Paul offers his deep reflections on how he lives and ministers in an Arabic- Islamic State:

“My missionary experience changed from trying to proclaim values and toenlighten, into asking questions and accompanying people to reflect about

realistic choices in life. A life that we live together as human beings with meaning and dignity”.

Moving to EnglandOn the eve of the Lebanese civil wardue to an opportune contract inLondon, Dad took me and my twoyounger brothers to England. As ateenager in the ’70s growing up withthe Beatles music, Simon and Gar-funkel and Abba, my passion forscience and technology moulded myaspirations, dreams and discontent.

Soon the systematic analysis of sci-entific disciplines allowed me toexamine my quest for meaning. Inthe music of ‘The sound of silence’,I pondered the purpose of my being.

The quest for meaning andGod’s designThoughts, knowledge and feelings

knitted a tapestry of significance as Isought meaning in solitude. My ori-gin was not calling me to return tobe in the past, but to become mydestiny. My experience of God as anitinerant in foreign lands was my fab-ric on which God drew his design. Ibecame a Catholic Missionary withan Arabic background; Sudan andEgypt were undisputed destinations.

Fr Paul Annis

Fr Paul’s parish Church, Holy Family


Being a British-Egyptian, which re-calls Egypt as a British protectorateand the Sudan as a colony, set my of-ficial identities as an ideal passportto Sudan and Egypt. While otherswould wait for years to acquire theirvisas I would enter with ease. As ifGod had designed me for the pur-pose to be sent into these Arabisedlands.Arabs and Muslims are associated

in popular perception, which begsthe question: what is the use inpreaching to Muslims? AlthoughSudan and Egypt are Islamic states,where Christians in both countriesare a minority, our mission is to carefor the minority and witness to theMuslims through health care and ed-ucation. Before the NewMillennium, activities in human de-velopment were no longer exclusiveto the Church. UN bodies, NGOs, al-Da’wa al Islamia – the Islamic call –and many Islamic Organisationstook over, more professionally,human aid and development. WhileIslamic Organisations aimed at pros-elytising in Sub-Saharan Africa, forme ‘Saving Africa with Africa’ meanteducation. Comboni College, Khar-toum, furnished an appropriatespace for cultural, moral and spiri-tual education.

Proselytizing or Conversion ?When humanitarian aid-systems ad-dressed the needs of people who areon the edge of survival, it was diffi-cult to create a self-sustainingsociety. Emergency after emergencyoccurred: for 14 years in the Sudanthis fact dug a deeper pit of depend-ence and poverty. With aid as bait,Islamic proselytizing activities wasstate-protected and swiftly spreading

through Africa. Despite that Chris-tians were prohibited fromincreasing their affiliation with alegal ban on converts to Christianity,Sudanese from the South embracedChristianity regardless of persecu-tion and discrimination. The joy ofneophytes amidst misery and op-pression was a repeated miracle thatbaffled the reasons for their joy. I sawunconditional joy in their laughter,singing and dancing, as pure in itsmanifestation as it is spontaneous.

Transmitting Christian joy in an Islamic environment

Witnessing as our Mission in a Muslim world


More than possession, their joycomes from their sense of affiliation.Their ‘richness’ is their community,so that even when dispersed, theyfind each other when they dancewith joy in binding rhythm andmovement.Their being community has a

sense of belonging; it is instinctive.Where we speak of sharing andteach about common good, they liveit before they name it as a value.Being community surpasses reli-gious differences, giving way to tribaladherence above any religious one.Marriage is the institution that pre-serves this affiliation where twofamilies enter into alliance for gen-erations to come. Where the coupleare not just two individuals from var-ious clans, but a new buddingbranch of an existing tree of parents,grandparents and ancestors. The re-ligion of aliens when it enters thesystem of marriage, is confrontedwith verifying tribal rules, such asthe dowry. The secured future of thenewly wedded is assured by the eld-ers and chieftains of the tribeshaving to verify the fidelity and thebond of union. In this contest, Chris-tianity is disadvantaged with itsmonogamy, where Islam has boththe financial advantage of the dowryas well as the legal acceptance ofpolygamy. Since missionaries workamong the poor, the chance of agood dowry is much less than that ofthose who are commercially abled.So Muslim young men marry easilyand more numerously than Chris-tian men.

The spread of Islam and DemocracyAlthough Islam has the upper handon Christianity through polygamy, itattempts to ‘educate’ African youthin their institutes according to ide-ologies that form the future radicalIslamists. Islamic education differsfrom Catholic education in bothmethod and content. Although a cer-tain degree of bias exists in everyeducation system, the anthropologi-cal philosophy determines itsobjectives. The past is better thanthe present; where the age of theCaliphates is the model of ruling.The Abbasid age was the peak of sci-

ence and knowledge. For Islam, obe-dience and submission to Godsupersedes human will or choice.Therefore democracy is based onhuman opinion that will always beerrant in comparison to divine willexpressed in the Shari’a. Becominga Muslim guarantees a predestinedfuture to be among the elect.At best a true Muslim is God’s slave

(‘Abd Allah), a faithful, obedient ser-vant to the Shari’a and Muhammad’spractices (Sunnat al-Rasul – the rulesof the Messenger). Humanity is pre-destined by God to the reward ofParadise or condemnation to Hell.Since Islam is the ultimate religion,

it abrogates what comes before itfrom Judaism and Christianity. ThusIslamic mission calls all humans tobelieve – to accept this ultimate truthor else die.

A Mission of ChoicesEducation and human developmentin Christian Catholic anthropologyrespects the human conscience, withall its limitations, without denying itsdepth and that it is an essential fab-ric of human dignity. Working in theSudan and Egypt during their transi-tional events of the Sudanesereferendum with the birth of the Re-public of South Sudan; and theEgyptian revolutions in the midst ofthe so called ‘Arab Spring’, as a Com-boni Missionary, I spent time inlistening and understanding peo-ple’s motivations and convictions.Arabs, Egyptians and Sub-Saharan

Africans seek choices. Among thesevarious ethnic groups I hear a fre-quent question asked; are humanscreated to be pre-destined and thussubmit to our fate or do we havechoices?My missionary experience changed

from trying to proclaim values andto enlighten, into asking questionsand accompanying people to reflectabout realistic choices in life. A lifethat we live together as human be-ings with meaning and dignity, bothof which stem from knowing oneselfand the One who desired my being.As we journey together on a quest indiscovering the purpose of ourbeing, I share what I believe andhow I came to discover it. Religion isa necessary vehicle to transmit andreceive experiences of God, but faithhelps me to interpret the world inwhich I live and grow. While faithhelps me to understand the variousimages of God without excluding theimage of the unseen God, who isChrist. Christ Jesus whom Muslimscall ‘Isa’ is an option that you canchoose. Even if no one chooses toknow Christ, I remain to be myself, aChristian living the meaning of aGod-Man offering Himself as an op-tion for more life with integrity.Mission for me is not about prose-lytising, but about ‘seeing’ optionsthat God has put in our way. As Ijourney on the choices I live, dia-loguing with those who aresearching; enriching my faith-life inthe hope for a better world.

Coptic Christians protest against persecutions


Openness towards immigrantsand foreigners is a sign thatChrist is working in our

hearts, bringing to fulfillment his“miracle”. On the contrary, “we knowthere is no Christian joy when doorsare closed; there is no Christian joywhen others are made to feel un-wanted, when there is no room forthem in our midst”. This is what PopeFrancis said in the homily of Mass ona beach in this city in Chile’s far north.Inspired by the Gospel episode of theWedding of Cana, read during Mass,the Pope highlighted the prompt so-licitude Mary shows in taking on thedifficulties of the spouses.That solicitude - the Pope wanted to

suggest - is familiar to the peoples ofnorthern Chile, which thanks to pop-ular devotion almost conforms to thefeelings and actions of the Mother ofGod: “You” said the Pope addressedto the faithful present “know how tocelebrate by singing and dancingGod’s fatherhood, providence, con-stant and loving presence; thisengenders interior attitudes rarely ob-served to the same degree elsewhere:patience, the sign of the cross in dailylife, detachment, openness to others,devotion”. The Virgin Mary - said thePope “passes through our towns, ourstreets, our squares, our homes andour hospitals. Mary is the Virgin of laTirana; the Virgin Ayquina in Calama;the Virgin of the Rocks in Arica. Shenotices all those problems that bur-den our hearts, then whispers intoJesus’ ear and says: “Look, they haveno wine”.Iquique is a region of immigrants,

accustomed to welcoming flows of

migrants in search of a better life. Thefamilies who arrive there – especiallythose who had to leave their land forlack of life’s bare necessities – are animage of the “Holy Family”, whichhad to cross deserts to keep on liv-ing”. The Pope expressed the hopethat the local populations will guardthe attitude to hospitality that charac-terizes them, continuing to conformto the industrious solicitude of theVirgin Mary towards those who findthemselves in need, and also contin-uing to “take advantage” of wisdomand of good things that migrants carrywith them: “Like Mary at Cana”, thePope said, “let us not be afraid to raiseour voices and say: ‘They have nowine’. The cry of the people of God,the cry of the poor, is a kind of prayer;it opens our hearts and teaches us tobe attentive. Let us be attentive, then,

to all situations of injustice and tonew forms of exploitation that riskmaking so many of our brothers andsisters miss the joy of the party.The reception of foreigners, mi-

grants and solicitude towards those inneed, in the perspective of works ofmercy, was outlined by the Pope notas a voluntary effort, but as the signand effect of the change made in usby Christ: “Let us allow” the Pope saidin conclusion of his homily “Jesus tocomplete the miracle by turning ourcommunities and our hearts into liv-ing signs of his presence, which isjoyful and festive because we have ex-perienced that God is with us,because we have learned to makeroom for him within our hearts. Acontagious joy and festivity that leadus to exclude no one from the procla-mation of this Good News”.

AMERICA/CHILE -The Pope in Iquique: there isno Christian joy when doors

are closed to others.Agenzia Fides

In Iquique, Mary is the Virgin Mother of the people


Once again greetings to all ourreaders and benefactors fromthe warm heart of Africa, my

mission land, and its wonderful peo-ple. I recall the first time I touched

down at Lilongwe airport on 23November 1992. Hence with joy, I amtoday celebrating the silver jubilee ofthe start of my missionary life in amission land I love and you maycome to know a bit better throughthis article.

A Description of Malawi and its PeopleThe Republic of Malawi is a nation ofEastern Africa known also asNyassaland. It is a landlocked coun-try bordering North with Tanzania,South and East with Mozambiqueand West with Zambia. Lake Malawi isthe third largest lake in Africa. Thecapital is Lilongwe. It has 17 millionpeople scattered in rural areas. Lifeexpectancy is 49 years for men and51 for women. The dominant ethnic

My beloved Mission

IN MALAWIFr Donato who recently worked in the London Province (2002-2013)

tells us of his happy ministry in Malawi as a teacher, formator and thechallenges facing the people in face of scandalous poverty and

exploitation. The Bishops of Malawi proclaim that overcoming theseevils is to “empower the communities (Christian) through promotion ofhuman rights, education, good health and sustainable development”.

Fr Donato with his parishioners

group are the Achewa but, there arealso other minority ethnic groups.The national language is Chichewa,spoken in all the country. At religiouslevel, although there are still tradi-tional cults, the population declaresto be Christian with a majority ofProtestants and Sects (55%),Catholics (28%) and a minority ofMuslims (13%) who live along theshores of Lake Malawi. Malawi isranked among the world’s 20 leastdeveloped countries on the UN’sHuman Development Index beingone of the LDCs (Least DevelopedCountries) of the world marred byrural poverty. The poor are dispro-portionately located in rural areas,they are primarily engaged in agricul-tural and associated activities, aremore likely to be women and chil-dren. The statistics show that 50.7%of the country’s population livesbelow the poverty line of US $1.25 aday the rate grows to 56.7% in ruralareas. Healthwise people have tocope with epidemics of AIDS andmalaria.

The Local Church tacklingpoverty: Not long ago the African bishopscomparing the economic gulfbetween nations wrote:“Science and technology are mak-

ing giant strides in all aspects of life,equipping humanity with all that ittakes to make our planet a beautifulplace for us all. Yet tragic situationsof refugees, abject poverty, diseaseand hunger are still killing thousandson a daily basis. In all this, Africa isthe most hit… rich in human andnatural resources, many of our peo-ple are still left to wallow in povertyand misery.” (n.4-5 ‘Final Document’2nd African Synod 2009)It was Jesu’ mission to proclaim the

Gospel to the poor. In today’sChurch, Religious MissionaryInstitutes and Diocesan Bishops andClergy are trying to follow the samepath encouraging the participation ofthe Laity in an effort to eradicate thecauses of poverty. As I hold the postof Vicar for the Religious in myDiocese before coming to the UK todo mission appeals this year, Iattended the launching of the strate-gic plan of the Diocese of Mangochi

By Fr Donato Goffredo mccj


Seminarians (looking rather camera-wary!)

Some kids show excitement at their new school building blocks!

toral and human commitment. Onthese premises, since our arrival inMalawi, with Fr. Joseph Gusmini in1973, we found ourselves serving inparishes, major seminaries and voca-tional training campuses. In 1974 four parishes were offered

to our pastoral care: Phalombe,Chiringa, Muloza and Gambula, allbordering Mozambique, from wherewe cared for the refugees from thecivil war ravaging that country.Currently we serve the parishes ofLirangwe, Lisungwe, Mbera andMsamba (in Lilongwe) and… from2015 a new-born parish, St. Peter’sMbera, in the Diocese of Mangochi. Fr. Mennas Mukaka the acting

parish priest explains this late acqui-sition: “the mission of Mbera coversan area of 400 squares Km, with apopulation of 20,000. The rate ofdemographic growth is very fast with52% of people below the age of 18.60% of the houses are still built withmud and straw. The people thatinhabit the area are for the majorityAyao. The main language spoken by

the people is Chiyao. The level ofeducation is very poor. The large per-centage of farmers practiceagriculture of subsistence and thetool used in the cultivation of thefields is the hoe. Unemployment rateis close to 80% in the area, for lack ofbusinesses. In Mbera there are nostructures yet, such as a presbytery ora parish church but with help fromSCIAF (Scottish Catholic Aid Fund)and other generous donors we hopeto make some progress pang’onopang’ono that is a bit at the time”.

Working with the young and vocation ministryAs Pope Francis is asking to focus onyouth and their vocational discern-ment (forthcoming 2018 Synod ofBishops) and so the care of youth hasalways been a constant for usComboni missionaries starting fromour parishes. For the professionaltraining of youth in 1991 ourComboni German brothers built theComboni Technical College (C.T.C.)at Lunzu (north of Blantyre) whichwe still administer with an intake ofmore than 100 apprentices per year. On a more distinctive note, in 1986

we Combonis co-founded with theMonfortian Missionaries the Inter-Congregation Seminary (I.C.S.) nowa Philosophical Institute (I.C.I.) atBalaka where I happen to be thesuperior of a Postulancy hostingsome 20 seminarians. Since myreturn to Malawi in 2013, I have beenworking with the formation of broth-er, sisters and priest candidates.Teaching them different courses,from missiology to religious life fromspirituality to (yes) the sweet taste ofEnglish Grammar! I am now growinga grey and white beard, a sign of theaging that is our common humanbond, but I feel still energetic as everto serve as a Comboni missionary foras long as the Lord gives me to live. Dear friends of the Comboni mis-

sion, as I come to the close of myarticle, I raise my eyes from my deskto look at the worried faces of my stu-dents sitting an examination andreflect on how all of them are still soyouthful and full of energy for themission. Praise be to God, blessing to you all

dear Friends and good luck to them!

2017-2022. The document recog-nizes as causes of poverty “theenvironmental degradation leadingto climate change, drought and natu-ral disasters, the limited access topotable water, food insecurity andhigh level of household poverty, highilliteracy especially among girls andwomen…” and in order to addressthese issues some strategic objectiveshave been recomended such as to“empower the communities throughpromotion of human rights, educa-tion, good health and sustainabledevelopment.” Here is opened up ahuge field of action for all Christiansand people of good will.

Our Comboni Presence and Service The idea of mission is evolving at alltimes but for our Comboni commu-nities our specific tasks are: a senseof belonging to the mission; makingcommon cause with the people weserve; and dialogue with localOrdinaries before assuming any pas-

We are well acquainted withPope Francis’ catchphrasesfor the church: not being ‘a

museum’ but instead called to be as a‘field hospital’ welcoming the brokenhearted and wounded, in the spirit ofJesus Christ. To be a people who goout in search of the lost sheep and tohave the ‘smell of the sheep’. PopeFrancis’ call is for us to be amissionary Church/missionarydisciples. With this truly consistent attitude he

set off for South America, his ownnative homeland, to speak with thepeoples of Chile and Peru. This was tobe his 22nd Apostolic visit abroad.A truly missionary Pope!During his trip the Holy Father met

with Presidents, youth groups,university students, workers,indigenous groups, women prisoners,a children’s care home, Christiancommunities and 60,00 youngChileans at the National shrine of

Maipu. He acknowledged the beautyand different cultures of the people ofChile and Peru and encouraged all towork for unity and peace. PopeFrancis was forthright in hiscondemnation of corruption at

political levels and gave particularattention to the long sufferingindigenous people in their struggle todefend their land. Preservation andcare for the earth was often pointedout as the Holy Father condemned


Our missionaryPope Francis visits

the flock in Chile and PeruJan 15 - Jan 22

Pope Francis with President of Chile Michelle Bachelet

Students greet pope Francis in Chile.

By Fr John Downey mccj


the invasion of large businesses exploitingthe natural resources to the detriment ofnature and the people. He also broughtcare and compassion to a women’sprison.“Yours is a great and exciting challenge:

to continue working to make thisdemocracy, as your forbearers dreamed,beyond its formal aspects, a true place ofencounter for all.”“Pope Francis explained to us a new

concept of maturity. And he asked us tohave voice in the Church; this why weyoung people must make ourselves beheard”. A young student.“The presence and the voice of the Pope

are a consolation for all of us, and we fullyagree when he says that the cry of thepoor is the cry of Pachamama, MotherEarth. We Andeans believe that the earth isa living being, that takes care of us,welcomes us until death.”“They enter into our territories without

asking us and we suffer a lot and we willdie when they drill our land to retrievethe black metal water.” Yesica Patiachi, aPeruvian indigenous representative, toldthe Pope.“I want to thank Fr Xavier, the religious

brothers and sisters, the lay missionarieswho are doing such wonderful work, andall the benefactors who are part of thisfamily. I also thank the volunteers whosegift of time is like a balm soothing everywound. Likewise, I thank all those whoconfirm these young people in theirAmazonian identity and help them toforge a better future for their communitiesand for our entire world.” Pope Francis.

Deforestation in the Amazon

Visit to children’s care home.

Young indigenous people listen to the Pope.

12 Comboni Mission•www.comboni.org.uk12 Comboni Mission • www.comboni.org.uk

The DonkeyBy G. K. Chesterton (A reading for Palm Sunday)

When fishes flew and forests walkedAnd figs grew upon thorn,

Some moment when the moon was bloodThen surely I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening cryAnd ears like errant wings,The devil’s walking parodyOn all four-footed things.

The tattered outlaw of the earth,Of ancient crooked will;

Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;One far fierce hour and sweet:

There was a shout about my ears,And palms before my feet.


Fr.John Clark,mccj

Born ina grave

The Easter Resurrection is one of the greatest myster-ies of our faith.

There is an interesting but rather unusual story whichmay help us to understand a bit better such a profoundand miraculous event. We are told that in the famous Nuremberg War Crime

Trials, one witness, a gifted poet, described how he out-manoeuvred the German Gestapo to escape dying in thegas chambers by hiding in a Jewish cemetery in Vilius,Poland. He also describes the birth of a baby in thecemetery in one of his poems. A grave digger succouredthe baby boy by wrapping a shroud around him. As thechild gave forth his first-born cry, the old grave diggerexclaimed: “Great Almighty God, have you finally givenus the Messiah?” For who else except the Messiah can beborn in a grave? Very sadly, after a few days the newlyborn infant died as his poor mother could not feed himto keep him alive.Imagine: to be born in a grave is so far removed from

being natural or normal. We usually associate a gravewhere the frail human cadaver returns to the clay of the

earth. I believe to be born in a grave is only an act whichthe Messiah can bring about. I say this knowing fromScripture that Our Lord, was to suffer death and beburied in a grave. Our poor infinite human minds cannever comprehend the mystery of Good Friday and HolySaturday when the Son of God passed through death inthe grave to life. The life of the Resurrection in the gravehas overcome death.On Easter Sunday we celebrate a Messiah who was lit-

erally ‘born in a grave’, a borrowed grave at that! Theempty tomb is not a gigantic lie that has lasted for twentycenturies. Our Lord will never be found in the world ofthe dead. The disciples and the never-ending army ofsaints-martyrs down the centuries have given their livesto preach Christ is risen. On Easter Sunday from the darkgraveside the light of Christ shines forth on the world.He has risen. He lives forever.Easter us, Lord of the Resurrection. Grant us an aware-

ness which claims and proclaims happiness, a smile anda laugh among all whom we will meet on this comingEaster morning 2018.


The plan was realized by the Valegiant mining company, which was atthat time a state-owned companyand which was later privatized. “Weare aware, by now, that the dust willcontinue to fall in the comingdecades, until the exhaustion of theresources of the Serra dos Carajásfield. We hope to be able to move farfrom the red cloud soon”, saysJoselma Alves de Olivera, an inhabi-tant of Piquiá de Baixo, a district inthe municipality of Açailândia,

Maranhao State. In 2015, slightlymore than a thousand people, menand women, joined to challengeVale, and the local and national government, by organizing demon-strations and sit-ins until theyobtained the promise that the entireneighborhood would be transferredto a safe area far from pollution.These courageous people were

supported by the Comboni mis-sionaries of the Santa Luzia parish inthe Açailândia municipality and bythe human rights Centre CarmenBascarán. Finally, the inhabitants ofPiquiá de Baixo obtained a 38hectares area where new houses andinfrastructures will be built. The con-struction will be two thirds financedby the national executive, while Valeis being asked to pay the remainingsum of money. “Building has notstarted yet, so people won’t be ableto move to the new area before twoyears. Besides, we hope that the re-moval of former President DilmaRousseff from the presidency, fol-lowing an impeachment procedure,will not delay the transfer of thesepeople to the new area.”“Former President Rousseff was

the one who signed the transfer act”,says Joselma. “Vice President MichelTemer, who in the meanwhile hasshifted to the opposition, succeededto the presidency. The first declara-tions on the environmental situationby the new administration were notencouraging, in fact they were infavour of landowners and powerfulagribusiness executives”, continuesJoselma. “We are afraid that thetransfer will be delayed once again… and waiting is hard for those wholive in the cloud of red dust”.Father Dario Bossi is a Comboni

missionary who is in charge of theIglesia y Minería group of the Pan-Amazon Ecclesial Network (Repam).

A red powder coming from thesmokestacks of the four steel com-panies – Gustavo Nordeste, Vale doPindaré, Simasa, Viena – covers thegreen area of the Amazon trees, theroofs of the houses, the streets andeven the skin of the inhabitants.It has been so since the end of the

‘eighties, when Brazil’s Grande Cara-jás regional development plan,transformed the region into the siteof the world’s largest high-grade ironore deposits.

BRAZILPaths of freedom

Correspondent in Brazil

The Comboni Missionaries took over this large parish in the early90’s based in the Trans-Amazon basin North Brazil. The pioneer was

Fr John Downey, our present editor, and it comprised many basicChristian communities. He writes: “The parish communities havenow been reduced and the focus is now principally working to

obtain the rights of this small community against the massive ironore corporation. I remember the first few months in the area when I

never saw the sun because of the pollution caused by the fumesfrom the large smelter chimneys”.

The Comboni Missionaries, with the people, continue their strugglefor respect and the transfer of their housing to a new area,

Mobilization against pollution and injustice. Years of struggle toobtain the multinationals’ commitment to transferring the entire

district of Piquiá de Baixo to a safe area far from pollution.


lem that affects the 312 families ofPiquiá de Baixo, the ‘iron snake’ isanother big threat to their health”,adds Father Dario. The ‘iron snake’,that is how locals have renamed the

train whose 330 wagons are loadedwith the iron which is extracted fromthe Serra dos Carajás field and thatcrosses the area of this community24 times a day to transport the min-

eral (about 100 million tons peryear) to the port of São Luis fromwhich it is exported all over theworld. The iron train travels along a900 kilometres railway line system,which has been constructed byVALE, and which crosses twenty-seven municipalities and a hundredcommunities scattered throughoutthe region, including Piquiá deBaixo.“The impact is devastating. The

passage of each train, which is 4 kmlong, lasts at least four minutes. Thismeans, since iron trains cross themunicipality 24 times a day, that forover an hour and a half, life in Piquiáde Baixo stops. The clanking noiseof the trains is deafening, it is im-possible to speak. The groundshakes, the walls of the housescrack”, says the missionary. “When

the locomotive crosses the neigh-bourhood, residents have to wait toreach the other side of the area,some of them, especially the chil-dren, are impatient, and since thereis no protection, they try to chal-lenge the train and cross the railwayline, and this behaviour causes atleast one victim every month and ahalf ”.Ore-train traffic is expected to in-

crease, up to 36 trains per day. “Wemust leave the area before that dayarrives”, says Josefa. “We will fightuntil the transfer will become real-ity”. The people of Piquiá de Baixoare determined. Because, as they liketo repeat, “In the persistent struggle,in the tenacity of those who do notgive up, there is already a fragmentof victory”.

The missionary has been supportingthe battle for the justice and healthof this community for over ten yearsnow. “The inhabitants of Piquiá deBaixo are humble workers earningminimal wages or unemployed peo-ple that live less than fifty metersaway from pig iron plants”, says Fa-ther Dario Bossi. Though themunicipality of Açailândia, thanks tothe iron deposits, produces a thirdof the GDP of the Maranhão State,one in four of its inhabitants is poor.Piquiá de Baixo, which is a work-

ing-class area, has been terriblyaffected by pollution. According to arecent study, 28 percent of the resi-dents in the area have been shownto have lung function abnormalities.A rate up to six times higher thanthat which is observed in a similarpopulation by age, sex, and nation-ality. The consequences ofpulmonary function abnormalitiesare: cough, bronchial hypersecre-tion, bronchopulmonary respiratoryinfections and risk of tumor.“The red dust is not the only prob-


Ana Maria Muhai (1962 – 2013)

She was born in a country area of Mozambique. Mar-ried, with eight children, when her husband discoveredthat she had contracted HIV, she was abandoned and in2003 given up as dead. Thanks to medical aid and as-sistance received in the capital Maputo she began torecover. A few months after, she decided to dedicateherself completely to the cause of AIDS and declaredpublicly of being herself HIV positive. She dedicatedherself fully and in person to help overcome the stigmaattached to the disease, visiting and giving help to theafflicted and making people aware of prevention andtesting and of effectiveness of cures. She journeyedthroughout various states giving witness and cam-paigning for the right to free medical aid in poorcountries. In 2012 she was awarded the prize ‘Womanof Courage’ for her battle against the scourge of AIDS.

“When I was tired and without strength becauseof the illness, nobody approached my market

stall for fear of contracting the disease. Today,after all the work that we have done, my neigh-

bours come and ask for advice.”

Mahmoud Mohamed Taha (1909 – 1985)

He was a Sudanese and an engineer. He entered intopolitics in 1945 and was among the founders of theRepublican Party – which he then led for forty years-opposing the British colonial power and for this hewas imprisoned. On his release he withdrew himselffor a period of prayer embracing an ascetical life styleand study. In this period, he developed what came tobe called “the second message of Islam”. It was amoderate interpretation of the Koran contrastingwith the Islamic Law (Sharia), recognising full rightsfor women and cooperation with other religions.Owing to his political influence he clashed with theprevalent power and was accused of apostasy andsentenced to death by the regime of Gaafar Nimeiry.Through his peaceful attitude he came to be knownas the ‘Gandhi of Sudan’.

“Islam generates a nonviolent social order, based on tolerance, also religious; nonviolence and

respect for women and strangers.”

Spanning our last 2 editions of Comboni Mission wehave presented colourful and inspiring African

personalities…. Nelson Mandela, Julius Nyerere,Clementina Anuarite Nengapeta amongst others.

We hope that they have inspired you too!

Here we give you the final 2 personalities in the hopethat through their example and love of their country

Africa will be ‘Saved by Africa’!

AFRICAN LEGENDSBy Limone ministry team (translation Fr John Downey mccj)


‘Keep Me Safe’ - an exhibitionof paintings by MargueriteHorner evoking memories of

the Calais Jungle Refugee Camp tookplace at Farm Street, Jesuit Church,London last year. Ms. Horner's starkmonochrome images, painted in oilon linen - of shelters improvised fromsheets of polythene and scrap wood,and figures against stark winter land-scapes - brought home the harshnessof conditions in the camp.

One particular painting entitled‘Church’ depicted in graphic fashionthe exterior of what was to becomelater a furnished chapel for the Er-itrean community. It received the MS

Amlin prize showing ‘Continuity in anuncertain world’. A parishioner at OurLady of Grace and St Edward churchin Chiswick, west London, Margueritevisited the camp several times in 2014,with members of the parish prayergroup.

Fellow parishioner Jeanette de-scribed the first time they visited thecamp, on a very cold windy day. Theywere shocked to see kids walking withno shoes. “We had brought food andclothes, but we were told not to openthe boot of the car because we wouldbe swamped. So instead we put onextra layers of clothes and went walk-ing and gave people clothes when wecould see they needed them.”

Several of the paintings show therefugees in their ill-fitting but warmnew clothes. Jeanette said they sat to-gether with some of the refugees whoshared food with them and talked andprayed together.

The theme of prayer ran throughthe evening. Fatima Alves, anothermember of the prayer group, lived inthe Grenfell Tower with her family. Fa-tima gave a harrowing description ofhow she and her husband and chil-dren had managed to escape fromtheir 13th floor flat, and watched withhorror as they saw their home goingup in flames. Then Fatima realized shehad a pregnant friend and her hus-band on the 21st floor. Shetelephoned them several times urgingthem to leave but eventually the linewent dead. As the situation grew morechaotic, the family who were stayingwith friends, just knelt down andprayed the Rosary. Two days later theylearned that their friends had sur-vived, although they had lost the baby.Fatima is certain that their prayer that

night saved their friends. The next day,her daughter went to school and tooka GCSE exam. (She’s passed withGrade As!) Fatima said: “Don’t say tosomeone you have a problem - sayyou have a friend in God.”

The final speaker was Comboni Sis-ter Natalia Gomez, who describedhow she had set up the prayer groupin Chiswick. In the past she said shehad experienced very poor conditionsworking as a missionary in SouthSudan, Uganda and the Congo, butprayer always helped her through herjourneys. “Prayer is not something iso-lated” she said. “It goes together withaction, which is why we got involvedwith the Calais refugees - as well asother justice and peace projects.”

Read more about Marguerite Horner and her work atwww.margueritehorner.moonfruit.com

By: Jo Siedlecka ICN

EXHIBITION:‘Keep Me Safe’ at

Farm Street, London -‘Calais refugee Camp’.

l-r: Fatima, Sr Natalia with artist Mar-guerite Horner

Grenfell Tower Fire

Church


From Yorkshireto Africa with a mission in

his heartKen Dransfield, 20.12.19 - 2.12.17

On 2nd December 2017 KenDransfield, soldier, teacher,preacher and missionary in

Africa left this world to join our Lordand Saviour just short of his 98thbirthday. Over the last 12 years, after our Mum

Jean passed away, I have spent qualitytime with Dad. Each week we Skypedand each Christmas I travelled fromNew Zealand and we would drive andadmire the North Yorkshirecountryside, and I would listen to hisrecollections. I also had theopportunity each year to travel withhim to share a meal with the Verona

childhood in Hoyland and Dodworth,South Yorkshire, his 6 years in theArmy during WWII, his life shared withMum and with Kathleen, Robert andme in Africa, and over the last 40 plusyears his experiences as a teacher andlocal preacher in Yorkshire.His early life in South Yorkshire was

against a background of extremehardship, particularly when ourGrandfather Colin, was laid off duringthe Miners’ strike in 1926. But despitethat the community supported eachother, with Colin taking the lead, andhad as its cornerstone the MethodistChapel. After a tentative start at school it is

obvious that Dad was a bright studentand ended up training as anaccountant. He also followed hisfather's footsteps as a local preacher,which was to play a significant rolethroughout his life.His passions were football and

harriers, and his best mates and teammates were “Jenny” Lee, HerbertHodgson and Arnold Turton. All threewere killed in the war at the age of 20.He never forgot them. Dad's path wasdifferent, at 20 he was promoted to Sgtand after his Mother had written to hisCO stating that he should be an officerhe was shipped off to Kenya, but not asan officer. There he and others trained12,000 African troops in MbgathiCamp.He fell in love with the country and

its people. This was reflected in hisbecoming fluent in Swahili and theobvious respect his men had for him,as he played football with them, led aChristian fellowship group for themand performed in shows that he

Fathers in Horsforth. The highlightbeing their recounting of sharedexperiences in serving God and thepeople of East Africa. There is a Chinese saying that you

should not only listen with your earsbut also your eyes, your heart andabove all you should listen to eachperson as if they were a King. Dad wasa King. His story had many chapters,and given this opportunity by FatherFranco Mastromauro to write an articleI want to share some excerpts. Eachchapter contains significant individualswho created and shaped his values.His fondest recollections were of his

Ken Dransfield


organised alongside them. During thisperiod, he developed a strongfriendship with the Reverend Busuliwafrom Uganda and the majority of theChristian Fellowship group, who metin the garrison church were from theBaganda tribe.As the war drew to a close he made

the decision to serve in Africa. Hismentor was from the Church ofScotland, in fact David Steel’s father.He told my Dad that to serve heneeded a skill that was of use to thepeople. Dad chose teaching as hispath, and hence ended up teachertraining in Harrogate. Each Sunday hewould attend Wesley Chapel and thatis where he met the love of his life, ourMum Jean, he described “a row ofremarkably pretty girls” in the Choir atWesley, but one beautiful blonde stoodout. Once married, they decided tobecome missionaries and went first toKenya and then Uganda. These were Dad’s favourite years and

he was surrounded by exceptionalpeople. When I listened to Daddescribe those years I marvel at whathe achieved. In the Lango district,Uganda, he was charged withdeveloping and executing a 5 year planto build and bring into schools 24,000pupils. He visited each community,spoke, got their support, personallymarked out the school rooms, 8 paces,then 6 paces at right angles, pegs were

years he had delivered the set goals,and more.There were men and women he

always spoke of: one of these was JoelWacha-Olwol who became Dad’s bestfriend and later the President ofUganda. Another was Janani Luwum, aparish priest who went on to be theBishop of Gulu and eventuallyArchbishop of Uganda before he wastragically killed during Idi Amin's reignof terror. However, there was one group of

people he developed an enduringworking and personal relationship.These people were the Verona Fathersand the Catholic mission stations,talented men and women, whodedicated themselves to God and tothe African people. Dad describedthem as ‘men and women who weresurely fashioned in pattern of the firstdisciples’. Dad saw how effective the Verona

Fathers Catholic mission schools wereoperating and, in his role as the districteducation officer, he forged a strongworking relationship with FatherTarantino. Father Tarantino was boththe supervisor of schools and in chargeof the mission station at Ngeta.

put in place and then the locals, at nocost, built the school. Next, he neededto solve malnutrition after a failedUNICEF program, so he again met thecommunity and they agreed toestablish successful school farms. In 5

Ken in Africa

Together with Fr Marcabruni


Together they built schools, heldteacher’s conferences and broughteducation and its associatedopportunities to many childrenthroughout Northern Uganda. A few years later Dad returned to

Northern Uganda and once againformed a strong working relationshipwith Father Tarantino, now the Bishopof West Nile, and also with SisterAnastasia, who was in charge of thenewly formed order of African sisters.In particular he developed a strongfriendship with Father BrunoMarcabruni whom he spoke of often inrecounting his experiences in Africa,and during the regular visits he paid tothe Verona Fathers Community inHorsforth. Together they formedteacher’s clubs to exchange ideasbetween old and new teachers, nextthey invited parents to get involved inactivities such as sports coaching, girlguides and cooking classes. Theirphilosophy was to include the wholecommunity in educating and preparingtheir children for their future.What shines through is that for Dad

anything was possible and everyonebecame part of his team. For example,he built a church, called Christ Church,in Gulu, and as part of this process hegot contributions from all religions andall places, from Celtic FC to the Sikhsand Muslim communities throughoutUganda. It was during this time thatDad developed a strong relationship

his life. One story he often recountedwas related to his role as a preacher. Apreacher arrived at a rural church tofind only 1 person in the congregation,a farmer. He asked if he shouldproceed, the reply "if I only had onechicken would I starve it?" The serviceproceeded. At the end he asked thefarmer for his opinion. The reply, "Iwouldn't have starved the chicken, butI wouldn't have given it a bucket fulleither."In closing my fondest memory was

travelling by steam train from Kampalato Mombasa in 1968, marvelling at thepink sheet of flamingos on LakeNaivasha as we descended to Nairobi.This was Dad's Africa and we marvelledat its splendour together. I can imagineDad standing there now.

Celtic football club contribute to the building of a church in Uganda

with Bishop Wani, who later replacedArchbishop Luwum as the Archbishopof Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Inthe background, however, all was notwell in Uganda, assassination attemptswere common and oppositionmembers disappeared. Yet we werealways safe, a reflection of the respectthe Africans had for Dad, and for ourMum who, in their words, “alwayslistened to them”.So, to his final chapter, teaching and

preaching in Yorkshire. It was toughinitially, after Africa he struggled to geta job. At one interview he was asked ifhe had already given his best years toAfrica, he replied that in fact Africa hadgiven him his best years. But he stillhad much to give and he eventuallybecame headmaster at Markingtonschool, a job and in a community, heloved. On retiring he continued toteach and preach, including a year withno pay teaching children in a makeshiftschool in Dewsbury during the 80’s,and right up until two weeks beforepassing away at Pannal Primary School,Yorkshire. Moreover, he was preachingeach month as part of the Methodistlocal circuit. Dad's mantra was, "apreacher has to do as well as preach"and possibly my favourite, "solutionsnot resolutions."Living with Dad was an adventure,

full of stories and possibilities. Dadalways had a twinkle in his eye andloved to share the funnier moments in

Footnote from FatherFranco Mastromauro:

As a sign of his appreciation for ourmissionary work, every time he senthis personal donation to me for ourmissionary work he would alsoenclose three other donations fromsome of his friends in Harrogateand Dublin, who through him hadcome to know our work. In his littleway he was promoting our workamong his friends, the Sundaycongregations to whom hepreached regularly and the schoolshe was visiting in North Yorkshire.Every time he paid us a visit here

in Horsforth, on his arrival to thehouse after greeting the Fathers hewould ask me if he could spend afew minutes in our house Chapel“to greet the Boss!”

Colonel Martin Dransfield,ONZMDirector, Joint ExercisePlanning Staff, New ZealandDefence Force

Verona Fathers, Horsforth, Leeds

The Brazilian Committee of theWorld Social Forum 2018launched an Open Letter to

convene the people, organizations,social movements, networks andplatforms of movements in Brazil,Latin America and the World to jointhe construction of the next worldedition of the forum, which will beheld in Salvador, Bahia (Brazil), fromMarch 13 to 17, 2018. The proposalof this forum, in the midst of somany setbacks, loss of rights, demo-cratic guarantees and freedomsthroughout the world, is to think ofcommon solutions for humanity, ina solidarity, democratic perspective,

respect for diversity, to face thecauses of various forms of violence,social and regional inequalities. Themotto of WSF 2018 is to Resist is toCreate, to Resist is to Transformpointing to the need for alternativesfor another possible world.The Open Letter emphasizes that

in Brazil and Bahia, in particular, re-sistance has increased in recentmonths, in an attempt to respond toconservative attacks. Democratic andpopular forces have been revaluat-ing their strategies in the latesthistorical period, reassessing mis-takes, achievements and necessarycorrections. Therefore, an edition of

the WSF in Salvador will be an im-portant opportunity to meet thevarious experiences of resistanceand proposals to face authoritarianthinking in Brazil and in the World.The motto of WSF 2018 is to Resist

is to Create, to Resist is to Transformpointing to the need for alternativesfor another possible world. The sys-tems that rule the world have notworked for the people nor theplanet. That is why the InternationalCouncil of the WSF and the Facilitat-ing Committee in Brazil CALL oneveryone to join the construction ofthe 2018 World Social Forum; March13-17, 2018. In Salvador, Bahia.

The World Social Forum2018 will be held in Brazil


Mailbag

Letters from readers are most welcome but we regret we cannot publish them all. Some may be shortened due to lack of space.

You can also email us at: [email protected] • leeds@[email protected]

[email protected] - Editor • [email protected]

You WriteComboni Mission8 Clontarf RoadDUBLIN 3IRELAND

Comboni MissionBrownberrie LaneHorsforthLEEDSLS18 5HEENGLAND

Comboni Mission138 Carmyle AvenueGLASGOWG32 8DLSCOTLAND

Dear EditorMy very special thanks for your impressivestory: “Sister Pauline, Marist Sister, celebratesher Diamond Jubilee” in the recent edition ofyour magazine. As the saying has it: “A picturesays a thousand words”. I should know as I amher brother – a priest of sixty-three years servingin the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.A.May God bless your community and all your

do.Gratefully

Msgr. James O’Reilly.Wyoming, U.S.A.


Dear Fr JohnYour magazine came today and I thank you forit.The quote from Julius Nyerere was God’s

helping hand to me as I hear again of how mygranddaughters have fallen again into alcoholabuse and drugs.: “Whatever be the drawbacksand disappointments, we must not give up!”Thank you for it gave me great hope.Please pray for my granddaughters.Respectively,

Gillian Barber,llindir, Burton Sister Pauline (c) with co-jubilarians.

Julius Nyerere


Fr Ezekiel Ramin

Dear Fr.I say the prayer in honour of the Servant ofGod, Fr Ezekiel Ramin.Please pray for me.In order to save money I don’t require a

reply.M. O’Brien,

Co. Donegal

Dear Fr.May the Lord continue to bless your Orderwith men and women engaged in challengingwork in so many missions.United in prayer.

Sr Margaret Mary Galvin,Cork

Dear Fr John,Thank you so much for your magazine receivedduring the year and also for your lovelycalendar 2018.How wonderful it is to see that the cause of Fr

Ezekiel for Beatification is going ahead. Icontinue to pray for that intention.Renewed thanks and God bless all your great

work.Sr Thomasina

Dear Fr John,I hope you are well. Thank you so much for thevery interesting Comboni Mission MagazineWinter edition – it was interesting to read aboutthe ‘Opening of the Nile Basin’ and I wonder ifthis book is available.Also, the article on Fr Daniel Moschetti

describes the terrible violence and it is sodifficult to comprehend such evil. Sr Valentinais doing such great work in Syria. Fr John youare doing such great work commuting betweenWales and Manchester each weekend. Keep upthis good work !Radio Pacis was and is a great inspiration of Fr

Pasolini in Uganda – there seems to be so muchhappening and may it continue.

With best wishes,Anne Marie Allen

NB. The book ‘Opening of the Nile Basin’ R. Hill. E.Toniolo is available from Amazon.co.uk price £30.00

1. Contribution towards the purchase of computer software for the Centre for Missionary Animation in Lima (Province of Peru-Chile). GBP 4,000 Pounds Sterling.

2. Contribution towards the running costs of the inter-faith ‘Tente d’Abramo’(Abraham’s Tent) in N’djamena (Delegation of Chad). GBP 5,000 Pounds Sterling.

3. Contribution towards the running costs of ‘Leadership’ Magazine in Kampala (Province of Uganda). GBP 5,000 Pounds Sterling.

4. Contribution towards the financial support of catechists in the Parish of Amakuriat in West Pokot (Province of Kenya). GBP 5,000 Pounds Sterling.

5. Contribution towards the cost of extending and re-equipping the kitchen facilities of St. John Bosco Technical School in Lira (Province of Uganda). GBP 5,000 Pounds Sterling.

6. Contribution towards the cost of completing two classrooms at St. Daniel Comboni Secondary School in Juba (Province of South Sudan). GBP 5,000 Pounds Sterling.

7. Contribution towards the running costs of the ‘Inua Mama Project’ which seeks to empower women through promoting self-reliance in the Kware, Gataka and Bangladesh Slums around Nairobi (Province of Kenya). GBP 10,000 Pounds Sterling.

Our Readers contributions towards Mission Projects 2017The cry of the poor comes to us in many forms. The need for basic education, funds tosupport catechists as they spread the Good News amongst their own people, helping

voiceless women to be heard and become leaders in their families and Christiancommunities, dialoguing to build bridges between different faith groups. These aresome of the desperate situations met and aided through the help and generosity of

readers and benefactors of the Comboni Missionaries. Our heartfelt thanks.

Visit our websites:www.comboni.org.uk

www.combonimissionaries.co.ukwww.comboniyouth.org

www.combonimissionaries.iewww.southworld.net

COMBONI MISSIONARIES

In 2017 a special contribution was made towards South Sudan to help in facing the challenges of war and ensuing refugee and famine consequences.

The London Province forwarded £20,000 towards this humanitarian crisis.

t he q m from t he c omboni issionaries...

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