Pier Giorgio Frassati. A man of the eight beatitudes.
He will be canonised with Carlo Acutis on 7 September. A joyful character and lover of nature, Pier Giorgio renounced his privileged position to dedicate his life to the poor. He inspired thousands of youths, relatable in his humble lifestyle yet blessed with an extraordinary personality. Born into a well-off family in April 1901. His […]
Ethiopia
Shiro. Cream of chickpeas Shirò is a cream of chickpeas, tomato and spices typical of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. Usually served with zighinì. We recommend enjoying shirò on injera bread. Time 1 hour Serves 4 Ingredients 500 ml water Half onion 1 clove of garlic 3 tablespoons of chickpea flour Ripe tomatoes or puree Salt […]
Kenya. Pokot – Dancing in a circle.
The Adango is a common dance or game organised by young men, which is played during the night, or at the end of some ceremonies and feasts like Sapana, the initiation of young men. The most frequent one is the one organised by young men, almost every night, though especially on full moon nights. Married […]
The Hippo. King of the Rivers.
Despite its apparent tranquillity and its soft and jovial appearance, it is an animal with an irascible, unpredictable and aggressive character. The most dangerous and deadly in Africa. But you have to know it to appreciate it. Legendary origins. The hippopotamus is one of the most dangerous, yet interesting, animals on the entire African continent. […]
Vocation Story. “Giving my life to the mission”
“It was the mission that made me a missionary. I came to understand the true nature of the mission and the charism of St Daniel Comboni.” Fr. Tesfaye Erbelo Anulo from Ethiopia, talks about his vocation journey and his missionary experience. I was born on 15 March 1978 in Borchosha, Kambata, southern Ethiopia. My parents […]
Mission today: a daily challenge
Father Valentin Garcia, a Spanish Comboni missionary, shares: “Some ideas in this mature time of my life.” Since I was a child, in the minor seminary of the Comboni Missionaries, we were visited by missionaries from Africa and Latin America who helped us breathe the missionary spirit. I arrived in Peru, in Tarma, a year […]
Mali. Rice in Fakoye sauce
A typical dish from northern Mali, fakoye is a stew with a very particular flavour. Time 2 ½ hours approx. Serves 6 Ingredients 500 gr rice 1 kg mutton or lamb 100 gr fakoye leaves (or zofonboulou; scientific name: Corchorus olitorius) powder songhai spice mix (cinnamon, nutmeg, fennel, cumin…) 2 onions 1 bitter aubergine 1 […]
Herbs & Plants. Vernonia amygdalina. The bitter leaf
Vernonia amygdalina, (family Astaraceae) is a medicinal herb commonly known as bitter leaf. This plant is indigenous to tropical Africa and has enormous medicinal uses and is regarded as a gold mine by many African communities. The plant is normally found along rivers and lakes, in forest margins, wood land and open grassland in the […]
Kenya. The Pokot traditional religious sensibility
Rather than talking about the religion of the Pokot, an ethnic group living in West Pokot and Baringo counties in Kenya, it is better to talk about the specifics of the Pokot’s ‘religious sensibility’ and how it manifests itself. The sensibility is one of the Pokot traditional religiosities, which has changed due to the influence […]
Mission Diary. God keeps watch over me
Fr. Abraham Kofi Amuzu, a Comboni missionary from Togo, shares his first experience in his parish, Our Lady of Joy of Grimari, in the Bambari Diocese in the Central African Republic. I arrived in the mission of Grimari on 21 April 2021. The mission of Grimari was established by the Spiritan missionaries. In 1975, it […]