Digital Magazine of the Comboni Missionaries
in America and Asia
Digital Magazine of the Comboni Missionaries
in America and Asia
Talking to God and talking about Him from our originality. How can we think and talk about God as people of African descent? How can we reflect, as Mexicans with African roots, from the Word of God and from our reality? Without a doubt, the pillars of our understanding of God are Africa and Mexico as places from which God has formed us and from which He has infused us with His Spirit.
Brother Joel CRUZ, mccj
BRAZIL
“I dream of a ministry of listening,
closeness, and accompaniment”
Father
Joaquim de Sousa Pereira, a Portuguese Comboni missionary, shares his pastoral
experience in the parish of Santo António in Marcos Moura, a neighbourhood in
the municipality of Santa Rita in the Brazilian state of Paraíba.
Fr. Joaquim
Pereira
In recent months, the anti-immigration policy initiated by the administration of US President Donald Trump against the most vulnerable members of society, migrants, has been in the news around the world. At the beginning of this new administration, our people thought there would be changes in favor of life and respect for the values of individuals in society. But that dream of hope has gradually faded away and turned into stories of fear and terror.
Fr. Jorge Elías OCHOA, Comboni missionary
I have worn
a veil or a scarf for much of my life. In my congregation, the Comboni Sisters,
the veil is not obligatory, yet I freely embraced it—first in Italy, the
homeland of many of our elderly sisters, for whom the veil carries deep
meaning. There, it became a sign of continuity, respect, and belonging.
Sister Cecilia
Sierra, Comboni missionary
When
I was 16, I met Father Alfredo Pulido, who gave me my first book on vocation.
However, I was just finishing high school and didn't have many things clear in
my life. Then, three years later, during a spiritual retreat in October, I had
the good fortune to meet Father Alfonso Álvarez, who, with his joy and
missionary witness, managed to catch my attention and make me curious about the
mission. I have now been on the African continent for just over a year,
specifically in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the heart of Africa, and I
feel very happy.
Raúl Prieto Gómez, colombian Comboni missionary
ECUADOR
Father João Mponda: Witnessing the Gospel among the Chachi people
Father João Mponda is a young Mozambican Comboni missionary. He has been in Ecuador for three years, sharing his life and faith with the indigenous Chachi people. Father João says: “Missionary work in these lands requires commitment and sacrifice, not only spiritual but also physical, because reaching the scattered communities requires travelling across rivers and mountains. Our missionary commitment in these communities aims to proclaim the Gospel and is not limited to the celebration of the Eucharist.”
ECUADOR
Meeting of Comboni Provincials and Delegates from America and Asia
From November 28 to December 1, 2025, a meeting of provincials and delegates from America and Asia (AA) took place at the provincial house of the Comboni Missionaries in Quito, Ecuador. The meeting was attended by the three provincials who are ending their service and the new ones who will take up this task on January 1, 2026. Unfortunately, the provincial of Mexico was unable to attend due to problems with his travel documents.
Provincials and Delegates of AA
PERU
Golden anniversary of the parish of San Martín de Pangoa
This year, the parish of San Martín de Pangoa celebrates its 50th anniversary. Located in the heart of Peru, on the edge of the Amazon, it is part of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Ramón. Its territory, covering more than 6,000 km², stretched from the eastern slopes of the Andes to the Ene River.
Initially, the area was entrusted to a Franciscan priest.
After her tragic death in the Tambo River, for 22 years she was served by the nearest parish, which ensured Sunday Masses and the main festivities.
After his tragic death on the Tambo River, for 22 years it was served by the nearest parish, which ensured Sunday Masses and the main festivities. Sixteen years ago, it was entrusted to the Comboni missionaries.
JUDEAN DESERT
Faces of Hope
For the first time, a group of Palestinian Bedouin women found themselves facing so many men who were not part of their family and did not share their language, faith, or land. Everything seemed to separate them... and yet something invisible and profound united them. In the humble tin and zinc hut —converted into a meeting room and the heart of the Bedouin village of Abu Nawar— they carefully prepared for the long-awaited moment.
Sister Cecilia Sierra, Comboni Missionary in the Judean Desert
GUATEMALA
Saint Daniel Comboni celebrated with the colors of the indigenous peoples
We are
accustomed to speaking of Saint Daniel Comboni as the prophet and missionary of
the African peoples. However, his reputation for holiness has also encompassed
the religiosity of the Q'eqchi' people, an ethnic group of Mayan origin who
live in the north-central region of Guatemala, between Belize and southern
Mexico.
Fr. Juan Diego Calderón Vargas, mccj
Witnesses
Saint José Gregorio Hernández, doctor of the poor
On February 25, 2025, Pope Francis authorized the canonization of Venezuelan doctor José Gregorio Hernández, which will take place on October 19 of this year. Known as the “doctor of the poor,” he is considered a saint in Venezuela and other Latin American countries for caring for the most disadvantaged. He is also recognized for his contributions to medicine in his country.
Saint Carmen Elena Rendiles
On October 19, Pope Leo XIV declared Dr. José Gregorio Hernández and Mother Carmen Elena Rendiles saints during a mass celebrated in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.
Mother Carmen Rendiles Martínez, founder of the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus in Venezuela and the country's third blessed, teaches us through her example how to overcome adversity and remain close to God's love.
BRASIL
Fr. Alex Geraldo Nunes: "The joy of serving God as a missionary priest"
PHILIPPINES
“Be all things to all people”
Father Randito Tina Recalde has been searching for his vocation since his teenage years. Raised in a devout family and influenced by his experiences in the parish, he decided to devote himself to missionary work around the world. Here he shares his vocation and pastoral experience.
CALI, COLOMBIA
A SUNSET AMONG DRUG ADDICTS
Getting involved in the world of drug addiction is not always easy, but last night I had an interesting experience with them.
Fr. Franco Nascimbene
PERU
Walking alongside my people
Father Alessio Geraci, a Comboni missionary, is living his second experience in Peru, a land so dear to Pope Leo XIV. As parish priest in Chorrillos, on the southern outskirts of Lima, he walks alongside his people because the path to hope is traveled together. A country in deep crisis, between poverty, corruption, and violence. But there are those who sow...
TAIWAN
Comboni Missionaries: A small but significant presence
For more than 27 years, the Comboni Missionaries have been sharing the joy of the Gospel with the Catholic communities of the Archdiocese of Taipei.
Fr. Eduardo Revolledo explains the reasons for this presence. "As the number of Christians is small and a minority in the country, Sunday Masses may have about 50 faithful. However, they are very active and enthusiastic and willing to share their faith with members of the community.”
Fr. Eduardo Antonio Revolledo
African American Pastoral Care: giving dignity
Comboni missionary Father Rafaello Savoia is one of the
leading pioneers of Afro-Latin American pastoral care. Starting from the Gospel, he made his commitment to the dignity, development, and evangelization of black people the focus of his entire missionary life.
Fr. Enrique Bayo
It is surprising to talk about Islam in Latin America, a reality that seems very distant from the Arab world in terms of culture and mentality, customs and habits. However, Muslims have been present on the continent for a long time; one need only recall the various migratory flows between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries from Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and the Middle East in general, not to mention the converts in the US who return to their homeland and become propagators.
Fr. Rafael Savoia
The Comboni Missionaries' Itinerant Mission in the Chinese Context
Twenty-five years have passed since a small group of Comboni missionaries arrived in Macao to begin their work in the Chinese context. The Fen Xiang project was the center of their pastoral activities. The opening of a community in Macao and, later, in Taiwan, aimed to lay the foundations for the presence of Comboni missionaries in the Chinese context. However, their goal was to establish a “Comboni presence” in mainland China.
The new evangelization in America
We need an ecclesiology of communion and communication, because evangelization requires the collaboration of all. The ecclesiology of proclamation reminds us that evangelizing action is communicating the
Gospel, and this communication is carried out through words, through works of witness, and through the values and strengths that drive spiritual life. Good evangelization cannot do without these three
elements.
Cardinal Norberto Rivera, Archbishop Emeritus of Mexico City