Daniel Comboni
Comboni Missionaries
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Newsletter
Assembly of the Province of Central America
Thursday, January 15, 2026
Gathering for the Provincial Assembly was a source of great joy: we met again after some time – for some, after months, if not years –, we spoke and listened to one another, and we “valued” who we are and what we have. First of all, there was the meeting of the treasurers of our communities (on 4th January), who shared their work over the past year and discussed issues concerning their service.
From 6th to 8th January, the provincial assembly took place at the Casa Sacerdotal in Mixco, near Guatemala City, with the participation of members of our province from Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala. We took a look at our missionary life and rekindled the fire of our vocation. There were discussions on the role of authority among us, the importance of our formation, and topics relating to economics, guided and inspired by the various sectoral secretariats.
We honestly evaluated the path we travelled during 2025 and confronted the challenges awaiting us in the different contexts in which we operate. There were reflections on religious life and the journey undertaken by our Institute.
On the first day, Father Sergio Osorio, of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit, encouraged us to face the reality around us with courage, doing so as “religious” – that is, always walking in the light of the Word of God and the directives of our Chapter Documents, with eyes able to recognise challenges, hearts ready to struggle with all the perseverance we can muster, never losing our “passion” for the mission.
In the following days, we shared and reflected on the various points that our Institute presents for our attention as the main themes for reflection in 2026. Among these were the topic of merging circumscriptions, the updated Code of Conduct and the Guidelines for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults, the commitment to “specific pastoral works”, the theme of Mission (see the Letter on the Mission – “Going Beyond”), and ministeriality.
On the final day, Father David Domingues, member of the General Council responsible for the America-Asia macroregion, accompanied us via Zoom, instilling new spirit into our activities and the various responsibilities we carry out in the province.
The Assembly placed us in the perspective of becoming ever more ‘builders of community’ both at the provincial and Institute level, each of us carefully watching over our house, our Familia, and our mission.
Ready for new steps along our shared path, we celebrated the ‘passing’ to the new Provincial Father, Father Enrique Sánchez, and the new provincial councillors. It was like a true ‘rite of passage’, experienced in a climate of prayer, fraternity, and communion, celebrating the Eucharist as an ‘offering of thanks’ and supplication to the Lord, asking Him to accompany them.
At the conclusion of the Assembly, in the joy that comes from being together, we organised a pilgrimage to San Juan Obispo, the site of the house of Monsignor Francisco Marroquín, the first bishop of Guatemala, dating back to the colonial era. In the ancient episcopal chapel, we celebrated the Eucharist, presided over by Fathers Baltazar Zárate, who will celebrate 60 years of priesthood in March, and Luis Filiberto López, who will celebrate 20 years in October.
Father Juan Diego Calderón Vargas, MCCJ