Delegation Assembly and Thanksgiving Celebration of the Comboni presence in Asia

The annual Delegation Assembly this year was enriched by the Thanksgiving Mass that took place in our Comboni Mission Center in Sucat, to mark the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of the presence of the Comboni Missionaries in Asia and of World Mission magazine. The Silver Jubilee Year started with the Friends of the Missions Fiesta last December and will end on the same occasion next December.

The Assembly started on May 8 in Tagaytay, on the hills outside the metropolis of Manila. It is always a moment of communion and fraternity, made easier by the cool atmosphere of the hills and the very conducive setting of KARIS, the retreat House that was hosting us. After two-days dedicated to the Asian and Filipino spirituality and the study of the Code of Conduct, on Saturday May 11 we came down to Sucat for the Eucharist which had a special characteristic: it was the first time when all the 21 Combonis presently in the delegation of Asia were together.

The chapel was also packed with friends, relatives and benefactors from the area. After the Eucharist and the meal, joyfully shared by all, there was the signing of the souvenir book “World Mission: 25 Years”, a sleek coffee-table publication printed by Word Mission for the occasion, which contains a selection of articles published in the multi-awarded magazine from the beginning to the present day. In the evening we went back to Karis for other two days to complete the agenda of our Assembly.