Bishop António Manuel Bogaio Constantino of the Catholic Diocese of Caia has challenged the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ) in Mozambique to move beyond past achievements, leave their comfort zones and open new frontiers of evangelization in the southern African country where they are marking 80 years of missionary presence.
In his homily during a thanksgiving Mass marking the conclusion of the Jubilee of the 80th anniversary of members of the Comboni Missionaries’ presence in Mozambique, Bishop Bogaio described the anniversary as a celebration not merely of a historical milestone but of decades of sacrifice, missionary dedication and fidelity.
“Celebrating eighty years does not mean living on memories or only looking back,” the Mozambican Catholic Bishop said during the Eucharistic celebration that was held at Carapira Catholic Mission of the Diocese of Nacala.
He urged the Comboni family to instead ask, “Lord, what do you want from us now?” adding, “This question must guide the Comboni Mission in the present and the future.”
The Catholic Church leader continued, “We are not simply celebrating a date; we are celebrating a story of grace. We celebrate eighty years of missionary presence, self-giving, sacrifice, hope, and above all, fidelity to God.”
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He recalled the missionaries who left behind “their land, their language, their family, and their securities” to proclaim Jesus Christ in Mozambique, adding, “Some arrived young and departed elderly. Some arrived full of strength and departed frail. Some gave decades of their lives, and others gave their very lives. Here are their graves on this Carapira soil—a kind of silent gospel.”
Bishop Bogaio warned that a missionary congregation can have a rich history, schools, parishes, institutions and other achievements while losing sight of its essential purpose if it no longer continually asks who Jesus is.
The Local Ordinary of Caia pointed to St. Daniel Comboni, founder of the Comboni Missionaries, as a model of missionary commitment.
“Saint Daniel Comboni did not give his life for an institution, he did not give his life for a strategy, he did not give his life for a career; he gave his life for Christ and for the people Christ entrusted to him,” he said.
The Comboni missionary presence in Mozambique began with the arrival of the first missionary at the end of 1946 and became consolidated from 1947. The missionaries arrived in Carapira in 1948, establishing the Catholic Mission as one of their principal centers in the country.
According to Bishop Bogaio, “Preserving the fire does not mean preserving the ashes; it means keeping the flame alive.”
“As we celebrate 80 years, a question we must ask is: what should we carry into the next 80 years? Or what should we take when we complete 100 years? How do we remain faithful to the charism without turning it into something static?” he asked.
He noted that fidelity to St. Daniel Comboni does not mean simply reproducing the past.
“Fidelity to the founder does not mean simply repeating the past. Fidelity is not mechanically repeating the past, nor is it returning to the origin with nostalgia. Comboni was faithful to his time because he dared to dream, to take risks, to cross borders, and to seek new paths,” Bishop Bogaio said.
He added, “Therefore, being faithful to Comboni today also means having missionary boldness. We cannot stop. We cannot live only on memories of the great male and female missionaries who preceded us.”
He urged the Comboni family to honor the first missionaries by demonstrating the same courage that brought them to Mozambique.
“The best way to thank the missionaries who arrived 80 years ago is precisely this: to have the same courage they had and set out. Let us set out, dear brothers. Let us open ourselves to current challenges,” the Catholic Bishop said.
Source: ACI Africa
