Shea butter tree. The skin’s best friend
It is a multi-purpose tree and is highly valued not only for its economic and dietary value, but also for its medicinal uses. The Shea butter tree is considered sacred in many communities around Africa because of the bounty of goodness it can bring to the skin, hair, beauty and health of a person. The […]
Mission Diary. I am happy because God is with me
“My service consists of listening and supporting. Even if sometimes situations are complicated and I cannot resolve them, it is a way to tell people they are important.” Sr. Delphine Gakpe Amivi, tells us about her work as the head of the St. Joseph’s Hospital. I am Togolese, born in Adidogomé, a city on the […]
Fen Xiang. Sharing with the Church in China
The arrival of the Comboni Missionaries in Macao soon led to a question: What about mainland China? Thus, was born a project to support the Church in China: Fen Xiang. The aim is to promote the sharing of resources and means with the dioceses through the formation of clergy, religious and laity. The opening of […]
Carlo Acutis. “God’s influencer”
The life of Carlo Acutis, short and intense, has been an inspiration to many people around the world. He will be canonized on 27 April this year. “I am happy to die because I’ve lived my life without wasting even a minute of it doing things that wouldn’t have pleased God”. A few days later, […]
Herbs & Plants. Zanthoxylum chalybeum. The future pharmaceutical applications.
It is a tropical plant that thrives in the medium to low altitudes of dry woodlands or grasslands. Laboratory tests indicate that the plant is also effective against several diseases, including malaria, sickle cell anaemia, diabetes, and worms. Zanthoxylum chalybeum, also called ‘knob wood’ in English, is a deciduous spiny shrub. In Greek, Zanthoxylum means […]
African Culture. The Elders. They are a blessing.
Respect for elders is a core value in the African culture. It comes from the mentality which values the past more than the future. Some people call it a mythical mentality that looks towards the past more than towards the future. In this mentality, things that happened in the past are held in high esteem. […]
Mission Diary. Father Simon: “Sharing my vocation.”
Father Simon Agede has been a vocations promoter in Lusaka, Zambia, for a little over a year. He talks to us about the difficulties and joys of this work, meeting so many young people. I am Ghanaian by birth and have been working in the Comboni Province of Malawi-Zambia since 2022. Although our circumscription includes […]
The Council of Nicaea. The Creed of Hope
This year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea (325 AD). It was the first ecumenical gathering to seek a fuller understanding of the faith. Beyond its theological significance, it has also shown that common discernment is a way of hope for a pilgrim Church of the Jubilee. In 1300, Pope Boniface VIII […]
Witnesses of Jubilee. Sr. Dorothy Stang. A message of hope for the Amazon.
On February 12, 2005, Brazil was stunned by the news that Sister Dorothy Stang had been assassinated. That morning, the gunmen hired to kill her found her alone on a trail in the middle of the Amazon forest. When the armed youths blocked her way, and having already received death threats, she saw the immediate […]
Herbs & Plants. Annona Reticulata. A powerful fruit plant with medicinal benefits.
It is a fruit tree or shrub. The tree is commonly referred to as ‘custard apple’. The plant has enormous nutritional and medicinal benefits. It’s a low, erect tree, with a rounded or spreading crown and trunk of about 25-35cm thick and grows to a height that ranges from 5-10m. Its leaves are deciduous, alternate, […]
