In Brescia, you can breathe the Comboni spirit

The celebration had three main moments: a meeting with Fr. David Costa Domingues, Vicar General of the Comboni Missionaries; the celebration of Mass in the parish church of the Good Shepherd; and a convivial lunch, carefully prepared and served by the staff of the community.

After a warm moment of welcome, Fr. Girolamo Miante, the superior who is about to leave the community to begin his mission in Togo, introduced the participants to about ten confreres who were present and remembered those who had recently returned to the Father’s house.

He then conveyed the apologies—sent by email or communicated by phone—of the relatives who were unable to attend. Finally, he introduced Fr. David, who greeted the gathering—relatives, Comboni lay associates, and friends—saying: “Feel truly welcome, because you really are members of the Comboni family.”

Fr. David then presented the Comboni charism, which springs from the love of Christ and sends us out to share that same love. It is a love that calls for respect for every person we encounter, recognizing each person as capable of being the protagonist of their own life and history.

As an example of Comboni presence, he spoke about an experience in Kenya, where young people living on the streets are offered a journey that enables them to take their lives back into their own hands.

He said: “It is an initiative that is helping boys and young people undergo a profound transformation: from struggling to survive on the margins of legality to living with dignity through their own work.”

Fr. David also spoke about his twenty years of missionary service in the Philippines, highlighting what it means to “be present”, living among the “invisible”—those whom affluent society neither sees nor considers. It is a presence that accompanies, gives courage and hope, and becomes a sign of Christ’s love, as is characteristic of the Comboni missionary.

Finally, he also provided information about the situation of the personnel of the Comboni Institute as of 1 January 2026. Today, there are 1,449 Comboni Missionaries: 621 Africans, 577 Europeans, and 251 from the Americas and Asia; of these, 277 are completing their formation. The number of Comboni Brothers, however, is decreasing.

Fr. Girolamo then spoke, announcing his upcoming departure for the mission in Togo. He said he was grateful and happy for the nine years he had spent in Brescia and thanked everyone for the fraternal relationships that had developed during these years.

Finally, he introduced Fr. Gaetano Montresor as the new superior of the community. With simplicity, Fr. Gaetano also shared something of his life and missionary journey.

The group then moved to the nearby Good Shepherd Church for the celebration of Mass, presided over by Fr. David and concelebrated by the confreres of the community.

In his homily, the Vicar General spoke once again about mission, which has been entrusted to everyone as a gift and which it is the responsibility of each person to make fruitful. “Mission is never a personal affair; it must always be shared because, by its very nature, it is communal.”

The convivial lunch was also a beautiful moment, during which everyone’s joy and the beauty of being together were clearly visible. As they said goodbye, everyone made an appointment to meet again next year.

Fr. Gaetano Montresor, MCCJ