India: Phulkari, Floral Work
The folk art of phulkari, that represents the tradition and culture of Punjab, is now regaining popularity globally. If it is colourful, geometrical and traditional, it is got to be phulkari, the magnificent hand embroidery from Punjab. Literally meaning floral work, phulkari has been synonymous with the people and the culture of Punjab for centuries. […]
Oral Literature: The Tortoise
Tortoise was hungry. He said to himself, “I must build a trap. Then I can catch an animal for food.” Tortoise caught Antelope in his trap. But he could not lift Antelope out of his trap. Tortoise called all the animals to come to a dance. Big Ox came to the dance. When Tortoise saw […]
Guatemala: Quetzal, the Mystic Bird
It is one of the most enigmatic and elusive birds in the world. It is a symbol, a nation. The first sight of a quetzal in the wild is unforgettable. The Guatemalan high forests are mysterious. Others say mystic. This forest, a green belt of dense jungle crowning the Maya Forest – a region shared […]
Mexico: The Monarch Butterfly
When we talk about the monarch butterfly, we touch on legend, mythology and the history of the species. The pre-Columbian cultures considered the monarch butterfly sacred. Her image can be found in figures, vessels, ornaments and jewels. Butterflies were also used as tribute and offerings, and bread and sweets were even baked in their form. […]
Mission Diary: Ethiopia, the Hope School
Our school time, especially infant and primary school, usually marks our lives in one way or another. Great memories pile up: friends who are a big part of who we were, teachers who touched our hearts and opened paths we had not even imagined until then. In general, a shared life that filled us with […]
Mission Diary – The Difference between Hearing and Listening
“Listening to their stories and accompanying them personally through their journeys and sharing their life has made me a better person and religious sister.” Sr Silvia Vargas, A Comboni missionary from Ecuador shares with us her experience. I was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and from an early age I felt the attraction to help people […]
Oral Literature – The Dance for Water
There had been a terrible drought, with intense heat that had dried up the rivers, streams, and springs, until there was no water anywhere. The animals wandered far and wide in search of water but could not find any. Nowhere was water freely flowing. The animals held a meeting, and all the large animals attended, […]
Ethiopia: The sacred waters of Lake Tana
This internal lake of Ethiopia is an Alpine circle of muddy waters, more than three thousand five hundred square km. This is where, forming a slow and calm stream, the Blue Nile rises. Lake Tana is a sacred boundary, a frontier of Christianity. Almost all of the thirty-seven islands conceal a monastery, a church, and […]
Vocation story – Many setbacks and a big dream
Father Donald Maripe Magoma, a Comboni Missionary from South Africa talks about his vocation and his mission. He has encountered many obstacles, with no end in sight, but he has never given up. Today he flies on eagle wings. I was born in 1979 in Masikwe, in the diocese of Witbank, South Africa. Going to […]
South Sudan: Being part of a universal Church
An extremely polarised country where belonging to a family or clan is much more important than one’s national identity. The new bishop of Rumbek, Mons Christian Carlassare invites the Christians to be part of a universal family rather than to a clan or ethnic group. The Gospel is indeed inspiring but that does not lessen […]
