Comboni Missionaries Celebrate 100-years in Uganda
December 16, 2012 was a joyful day for the Catholic Church in Arua Diocese, north western Uganda, as they celebrated the centenary of the Catholic faith in this Church. The Comboni Missionaries arrived to share the faith with the people here in 1912 with a mission station at Palaro, near the town of Adjumani, on the eastern side of the river Nile.
As missionaries, we rejoice to see that the Church grows. The faith, as a seed, has grown into a big tree. The Catholic diocese of Arua has many faithful lay missionaries, priests, religious, and missionaries who are sons and daughters of the soil. The mission station of Palaro was later abandoned due to various health problems including sleeping sickness. This caused the missionaries to cross the river Nile and go to evangelize the western side of the river.
During the celebration in December, Fernando Cardinal Filone, the Prefect of the Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith, was main celebrant at the closing Mass at Indriani, an open place not far from where the mission of Palaro stood. The Comboni Missionaries, including Fr. David Baltz, originally from St. Louis, Mo., carried the cross. This was a reminder of the cross the missionaries planted in evangelizing the world.
"I cannot help but express my appreciation for the selfless service that you render to Christ and the Church through teaching of catechism, charitable outreach to the needy, education of young people, reconciliation among families or divided groups and assistance to the elderly," Cardinal Filone remarked.
Arua Diocese, which has 1.2 million Christians, runs a number of health facilities including Maracha Hospital and 12 health centers spread throughout the districts of Arua, Adjumani, Moyo, Yumbe, and Koboko. The diocese founded schools such as St. Charles Lwanga Secondary in Koboko, St. Joseph's College Ombaci, and St. Mary's Ediofe, which continue to dominate academic performance in the area. It also operates rehabilitation centers, notably the Moyo Baby's Home and Don Dino orphanage center at Ediofe in Arua.
The Church has made a great impact on Arua society. Most schools, hospitals, health centers, roads and other infrastructures in the region were constructed by the Church.
Q. How are the Comboni Missionaries organized as a group?
After praying for assistance to the Holy Spirit, Fr. Pime faced the toughest task of preaching to 82 youngsters and 12 staff members in the Confirmation Class at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Los Angeles. The message was delivered with great passion and the youth received it with great devotion. Each one wrote a letter to the Holy Spirit asking for the gift they thought most essential to their lives. The letters showed their profound trust in God who opens new ways in the midst of their challenging reality. They also were divided into seven groups to perform a short play or song representing each of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Their performances showed talent and dedication, as well as great grasp of their understanding regarding the action of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Fr. Xavier Colleoni was born near Bergamo, Italy in 1927. For more than 60 years he has been a faithful Comboni Missionary. He currently works at Holy Cross Parish in Los Angeles doing pastoral ministry among the Latino community. He first came to the United States in 1948 as a seminarian. During and shortly after World War II, many German and Italian Comboni Missionaries were not free to mission in Africa. So the superiors started sending students to other countries, including the United States. After his ordination in 1952, Fr. Colleoni taught Latin at Sacred Heart Seminary in Cincinnati. He has served in parishes throughout the United States, mainly in California. For more than 20 years Fr. Colleoni has served at Holy Cross Parish in Los Angeles. During his time there the parish has grown significantly, at times having up to 10 masses with 9 of them in Spanish. Besides his pastoral work, Fr. Colleoni also makes candles. This started out as a hobby. A local business man used wax for his business and donated the extra wax to the mission. Fr. Colleoni still makes candles on a regular basis for Holy Cross.