To the Provincials, Delegates, and Coordinators,
To the Comboni Missionaries and the Comboni Missionaries Sisters, and
To the Seculars Comboni Missionaries and to the Comboni Missionaries Lays
Dear all,
With this letter we begin to share with you, on a more regular basis, the communications about the Comboni Forum 2009. The coordinating Team for the CF 2009 has created a mailing list to which we shall be sending informs, newsletters, and articles concerning the World Social Forum and the Comboni Forum.
- Objectives of the Comboni Forum.
To convoke the missionaries that have taken on the challenges of working for Justice and Peace and the Integrity of Creation and to allow them a sharing of experiences enlightened by the various articulations offered by the social movements that will participate at the World Social Forum. Besides this, these missionaries are invited to take part at the theological reflection that is to be done by all of us under the guidance of a theologian. The first Comboni Forum at Nairobi (January 2007) was a moment of study and theological reflection, of Comboni spirituality and transforming praxis.
- This is the program for the Comboni Forum: two days before the World Social Forum begins there will be a meeting between us so that we can know each other and share some experiences and expectations. We’ll start on the 25th of January, in the evening. The following day (26/1) we will be coordinated by a theologian who will help us to better understand the meaning of the WSF and to organize our participation in the international seminars. After the WSF we shall have two more days (February the 2nd and 3rd) to debate and deepen what we heard and lived trying to contextualise and to translate those experiences into the challenges of the Comboni mission today. Another two days (February the 4th and 5th) will be dedicated for the meeting of the Comboni Missionaries responsible for the JPIC commissions at the continental level. The objective of this meeting is to have ours efforts coordinated, to orientate our programs, and to consolidate the means of communication between us.
- After many attempts and various consultations we finally got confirmed the name of a theologian who is going to lead the works of the Comboni Forum. The coordinating team had made a list with the names suggested by some Comboni Missionaries/Sisters. According to the order of suggestion we had Jon Sobrino, Jung Mo Sung and Marcelo Barros on the top of the list. Unfortunately the two first could not accept the invitation. However, Marcelo Barros has joyfully accepted it. So, he will be the invited theologian to guide us through the Comboni Forum. Barros has done it before at the Comboni Forum in Nairobi. This gives us a certain guarantee of continuity and should help us not to remain stuck as in 2007, but to take a significant step forward.
- We have been looking for a facilitating person who should be able to help us through the internal debate into the two days following the WSF. The articulating commission is going to meet in April to define who could be that person. We are open to suggestions.
- We have already found a good structure in the centre of Belem, the hosting city for the WSF, which can accommodate up to 60 people. This is a bed and breakfast service at the price of R$ 30,00 a day (that is around US$ 18.00). As for lunch and dinner we shall organize ourselves. We remind you – as it was said before – that there will be a group of young people from the local communities around the Northeast area of Brazil. They have been invited to share with us the same searching for the meaning of today’s missionary life.
- Please find attached the questionnaire that is sent to all delegates. It has been translated into four languages. Note that the deadline to send it back expires in May. It is very important that all the provinces and others persons interested answer all the questions so that we may organize the Comboni Forum the best way according to your expectations.
- We ask those Provincials to suggest other names and email addresses to be added to the mailing list so that we can keep all the interested persons up to date by sending them the next communications.
Coordinating Team for the Comboni Forum:
Fr. Gustavo Covarrubias, mccj
Fr. Raimundo Nonato Rocha, mccj
Br. Antônio Soffientini, mccj
Fr. Dário Bossi, mccj
Barbara Ludewig – Comboni Missionary Lay
Sr. Olga Estela Sanchez - Comboni Missionary Sister
Contact: fsmcomboniano@gmail.com
