Meeting of the Portuguese Comboni missionaries Over-Seventies in Viseu

While last year's meeting focused on the care (medical and otherwise) to be taken into account in the psychophysical ageing process (led by brother Jorge, of the Brothers of St. John of God), this year’s event, centred on the theme ‘Relationships between people in old age’, was led by sister Paula Carneiro, of the Idanha Sisters Hospitallers, and the day of reflection was accompanied by two Zoom sessions.

Sister Paula addressed the topic starting from the encyclical Dilexit Nos, presenting the love of Christ as a model for relationships within apostolic fraternity. She emphasised the importance of the heart as a place of encounter and communion among people, and as a space where fraternal relationships are built. The heart has to do with communicating with others in a twofold way: first, as a place of our self-awareness, that is, of our awareness of ourselves and our identity; second, as a place of awareness of otherness, of others and of our identity, of the Other and its presence.

This was followed by a time of reflection among the participants, centered on three questions proposed by Sister Paula:

– What gifts do I possess that foster fraternal communication?
– What hidden resistances within me hinder life in fraternity?
– At this stage of my life, what is the Lord asking of me?

The sharing proved fruitful in terms of rediscovering personal gifts in view of authentic communication within the community and overcoming personal resistances. This return to the heart in fraternal life becomes particularly important in a missionary and apostolic community such as the Comboni community, even when made up of elderly members. We may lose our physical senses in old age, but we must not lose the spiritual senses of the heart, which allow us to recognise the signs of God and to live in communion with Christ and with others.

The second day of the meeting was dedicated to an enjoyable excursion to the heights of the Serra da Estrela, specifically to São Romão, in Seia. There we visited the Natural Electricity Museum, celebrated the Eucharist, and then climbed up to the Lagoa Comprida after enjoying a good lunch. In the late afternoon, we returned to Viseu.

The participants’ thanks went to the community of Viseu (in particular to padre Xavier) and to the commission for ongoing formation, with the hope that at the next meeting we will be more numerous and... more rejuvenated.

Father Manuel Augusto L. Ferreira, mccj