On the Road. The Place of Silence
Many of us could use more silence in our lives. I say this cautiously because the place of silence in our lives isn’t easy to specify. Silence is complex; sometimes we fear it and try to avoid it, and sometimes when we are tired and over-stimulated, we positively long for it. Generally, though, we have […]
Herbs & Plants. Cleome Gynandra. Relevance To Human Life
Spider plant (Cleome gynandra) also known as African cabbage, spider wisp, and cat’s whiskers, is a wild green leafy vegetable that grows all over tropical Africa, Asia, and America. The origin of Cleome gynandra is not known. There are claims that it has a southern Asian origin, but others suggest that it originated from Africa […]
Life after death in African culture
For traditional Africans, a person continues to live as a spirit after death, in the company of the ancestors. This is why tombs always face the direction where the tribe came from; the direction of the ancestors. Many African languages have a word for the abode of the dead. In Uganda, for example, it is […]
Malawi. Beyond healthcare
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Community Hospital – founded over half a century ago in the Mchinji district of the country’s central region by the Carmelite Sisters of Kapiri parish – has become a key point of reference for the area. The importance of mobile clinics. The hospital, managed by religious sisters, is one of […]
Vocation Story. Deac. Dominic Dang. “This is Where I belong”
He said yes when his mum asked if he still dreamed of becoming a priest. He began a vocational discernment journey with the Comboni Missionaries and has now completed his formation. He will be ordained a priest next year. I am Dominic Dang Thanh Sang, a Vietnamese Comboni missionary. How did I come to know […]
Advocacy & People. Sarah Finch
Sarah and the Weald Action Group led a tireless campaign against oil drilling in southeastern England for over a decade, persevering through five years of escalating court battles against one oil development in Surrey until the coalition secured a Supreme Court ruling, in June 2024, that finally forced its shutdown. The resulting “Finch ruling” states […]
Oral Literature. Tortoise and how he saved Elephant’s lands
Once, long ago, the rains were very late and the countryside was parched and barren. Everyone’s cattle were starved and thin, having to make do with licking the damp mud of the nearby river bed, for it was the only moisture to sustain them. “The Spirit of the River is angry with us for some […]
Guatemala – Santiago Atitlán: in the land of Corn Flower
This town of about 50,000 people is located on the south shore of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala’s central highland region and sits approximately 160 km. to the west of the country’s capital, Guatemala City. Santiago Atitlán amazes its visitors with its cultural richness. This municipality, in the Department of Sololà, is home to the Tzutujil, […]
Mission Diary. Promoting initiatives for human dignity
Today, mission means not only proclaiming the Gospel but also safeguarding creation and promoting social justice. Father Juan Goicochea, a Comboni missionary, is working on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, to combine Gospel values with human development. The Comboni parish on the outskirts of Lima, where Father Juan serves, has a congregation of 100,000 faithful […]
Central African Republic: Paving New Paths
In the Central African Republic, girls face greater challenges than boys in completing their education. This situation prompted Sister Juliette Makolet, a Comboni missionary, to open the Saint Daniel Comboni Centre for the Advancement of Women in 2022. This facility supports adolescent mothers and vulnerable girls. We went to visit it. The Saint Daniel Comboni […]