Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus

Catholic religious order

Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus

Missionarii Comboniani Cordis Iesu

Abbreviation| MCCJ
Nickname| Verona Fathers
Formation| 1 June 1867; 157 years ago (1867-06-01)
Founder| Daniele Comboni
Founded at| Verona, Italy
Type| Clerical Religious Congregation of Pontifical Right for Men
Headquarters| Via Luigi Lilio 80, Rome, Italy
Members| 1,576 members (includes 1,103 priests) as of 2020

Superior General

| Tesfaye Tadesse Gebresilasie

Parent organization

| Catholic Church
Website| comboni.org

Formerly called

| Sons of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
[1]

The Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (Latin: Missionarii Comboniani Cordis Iesu), also known as the Comboni Missionaries of the Sacred Heart,[2] or the Verona Fathers,[3][4] and originally called the Sons of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Congregatio Filiorum S. Cordis Iesu),[1] is a Catholic clerical male religious congregation of pontifical right.

## History

[edit]

Daniele Comboni, founder of the congregation Antonio Maria Roveggio [it; fr], 3rd Superior General of the congregation

The congregation was founded on 1 June 1867 by Daniele Comboni, who was born into a humble family of laborers. Comboni entered the institute opened in Verona by Nicola Mazza for the education of the poor. Mazza's institute was also involved in the work of evangelization of the territories of Central Africa.[5]

In 1854, Comboni was ordained a priest, and on 14 February 1858, he settled in the Vicariate Apostolic of Central Africa along with five missionary companions. The mission went poorly; the climate was harsh and the missionaries became ill. Some died within a few months, and in 1859 Comboni himself decided to leave Africa and return home.[6]

In Italy, Comboni devised a plan for the rebirth of Africa: convinced of the need to involve the local people in missionary activity, he thought of creating centres for welcoming, baptizing, and educating the natives so they could act as catechists among their own people. He organised conferences all over Europe to share his idea, as well as speaking with Arnold Janssen and Catholic congregations already engaged in missions in Africa.[6]

On the occasion of Vatican Council I, Comboni prepared a document to be presented to the fathers to try to involve as many ecclesial forces in the work of propagating faith in Africa, but because of the suspension of the council, the document could not be discussed.[5]

On 1 June 1867, Comboni decided to open a training center which conducted seminars for clerics in Verona to be used in African missions: as a reference model for the organization of the community, the Paris Foreign Missions Society was chosen as a company of priests and lay brothers, without religious vows, but with an oath of loyalty and belonging to the community. The direction and teaching in the institute were entrusted to the Jesuits.[7]

Father Giovanni Losi, successor of father Comboni in Sudan.

The missionary society, originally called the Sons of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was approved as a congregation of diocesan right on 8 December 1871. On 31 July 1877, Comboni was named Apostolic Vicar of Central Africa and travelled to Khartoum, where he died in 1881. With the founder's death, his congregation entered a precarious phase: the Mahdist War prevented missionaries from continuing their mission to Sudan. Francesco Sogaro, Comboni's first successor, transformed the society into a congregation of simple vows in 1885, but older members did not accept the decision because they believed that religious practices would distract the missionaries from the active apostolate. Only the decision of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, which approved Sogaro's choice, ended the internal conflicts of the institute.[7]

With the Anglo-Egyptian victory over the Mahdists, the Comboni Missionaries could resume their mission to Sudan. The congregation received the Papal Decree of Praise on 7 June 1895. Since the congregation was now mature and self-sufficient, Antonio Maria Roveggio, successor to Sogaro, in 1899 took on the responsibility of formation of new missionaries from the Jesuits. On 19 February 1910, the Holy See finally approved the institute and its constitutions.[7]

Within the congregation, two groups were soon set up: one formed by Italian religious and the other by the religious of the German-speaking countries. The conflicts between the two factions grew in the years of World War I. On 27 July 1923, the Holy See decided to separate the German branch of the institute from the parent congregation by instituting the Missionaries of the Sons of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which were approved on 18 March 1924.[8]

Vatican II, which had invited religious institutes to rediscover the charism of their founders, urged the two separate congregational groups to seek the way of unity. As a result, on 2 September 1975, together in the town of Ellwangen in southern Germany, the two groups celebrated the general chapters which decided and ratified the meeting of the two institutes. On 22 June 1979, the Holy See sanctioned the union of the two congregations.[8]

## Activity and dissemination

[edit]

Countries where the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus are active.

The Comboni Missionaries state that they dedicate themselves to the missionary apostolate to the populations that are not yet or not sufficiently evangelised, especially in Africa.[9]

They are present in Europe (Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Spain), Africa (Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, South Sudan,[10] Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Zambia), in the Americas (Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru), and Asia (Philippines, Macao, Taiwan).[11] The Mother House is in Via Luigi Lilio in Rome.[9]

At the end of 2020, the congregation had 272 houses with 1,576 religious, 1,103 of whom were priests.[1]

## Sexual abuse

[edit]

See also: Catholic Church sexual abuse cases

Eleven men have alleged that members of the order sexually abused them during the 1960s and 1970s when they were boys at a Comboni Missionaries minor seminary, St Peter Claver College, in Mirfield, England.[12] One of those abused, Mark Murray, set up a blog to encourage further testimonies;[13] eventually a group formed.[14] Four abusers were named in the men's statements. In 2014, the order paid a total of £120,000 to the men, while saying "All the claims were made on a purely commercial basis and with no admission of liability".[12] A Comboni Missionaries internal inquiry reported that one of the accused, Father Nardo, "had acted inappropriately".[15] In May 2015, the accusers sent a 157-page report including over 1,000 allegations of abuse over several decades to the archbishops of Britain and Ireland, calling on the Comboni Missionaries to acknowledge the alleged abuse and apologise.[16][17] Danny Sullivan, chairman of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission, said that the response of the Combonis reflected "a stark difference of attitude from that of Pope Francis", who had addressed victims of abuse and humbly asked forgiveness, implying that Comboni Fathers had taken a very different approach.[16]

The 2014–2020 Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales met with victims and complainants, and reported on the experience of the Comboni core participants (victims). The section of the Inquiry's Report on the Comboni Order in November 2020[18] stated that "The Inquiry has seen a number of instances where abuse was understated or described as 'inappropriate', 'a misdemeanour' or 'misbehaviour'. To describe the sexual abuse of children in such ways is to minimise the appalling acts and the effect on the victims".[18]

In summer 2019 the Comboni Order declined a request to meet with the Comboni core participants, responding: "The Provincial Superior has publicly stated that the Comboni Missionaries are deeply sorry for any suffering experienced by individuals who attended their junior seminary at St Peter Claver College in Mirfield" but that they believed it "best to allow the Inquiry to conclude before they consider any engagement". The Inquiry, quoting this response, clarified that they had "never asked that any institution delay meeting with victims and survivors nor did it do so in respect of the Comboni Order".[18]

In June 2021 Bishop of Leeds Marcus Stock, in a meeting with victims attended by Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (responsible for dealing with clerical sexual abuse cases), apologised for sexual abuse of boys at the Comboni Missionaries' St Peter Claver College in the 1960s and 1970s. A victim said that the apology was the first time that a senior figure in the church had acknowledged the events. Victims commented that the only time the church had previously engaged with them was through the courts, and that they hoped for a meeting with Pope Francis. The Bishop said that he had not been able to arrange a meeting between the victims and the Comboni Order, and that the Pope was aware the men had not had an "adequate pastoral response" from the leadership of the Comboni Order.[19]

On 21 and 22 March 2023 people who had been abused as teenagers in the 1960s and 1970s at Mirfield met in Rome with Pope Francis and leaders of the Comboni Missionary order. In 2014 the order had questioned victims' accounts and refused to meet them; in the 2023 meeting the survivors said that the Comboni leadership now listened to them and believed them, "a transformative experience". In a joint statement the Comboni Missionaries apologised for past abuses, said they were "truly sorry for the times we have not responded adequately", and asked "once again for forgiveness". Bede Mullen, spokesman for the Comboni Survivors Group, said the pope's intervention on their behalf was critical to their cause, saying "Without his intervention we would not have progressed".[20][21][22] A further meeting was held in London from 28 June to 3 July 2023 between the Survivors' Group, and the Comboni Superior General and Vicar General.[23]

## See also

[edit]

* Catholicism portal

* Comboni Missionary Sisters
* Apostles of Jesus
* Caravan of Peace
* The White Fathers Mission in Uganda

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus), M.C.C.J." GCatholic. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
2. ^ "Comboni, Daniele, Bl.". New Catholic Encyclopedia:Com-Dyn. New Catholic Encyclopedia. Thomson/Gale. 2003. ISBN 978-0-78764-008-8. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
3. ^ Pace, E.A. (1922). "Sacred Heart, Sons of the (Verona Fathers)". The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church. Encyclopedia Press. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
4. ^ Melton, J.G. (2014). Faiths Across Time: 5,000 Years of Religious History. ABC-CLIO. p. 1524\. ISBN 978-1-61069-026-3. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
5. ^ a b Bertolotti 1997, pp. 302–305.
6. ^ a b T. Agostoni, in M. Escobar (Ed.), op. cit., vol. II (1955), pp. 1501-1510.
7. ^ a b c Gilli 1976, coll. 1515-1520.
8. ^ a b Rocca 1978, coll. 1445-1446.
9. ^ a b Ann. Pont. 2010, p. 1451.
10. ^ "Home page". Comboni Missionaries South Sudan. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
11. ^ "Missionari Comboniani. Dove siamo: delegazioni e province" (in Italian). Retrieved 13 May 2010.
12. ^ a b Deveney, Catherine (19 October 2014). "Catholic missionary compensates 11 former trainee priests". The Observer. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
13. ^ "Childhood in their hands at Mirfield". veronafathersmirfield.com (blog). Retrieved 18 July 2024. Last updated April 2022
14. ^ Deveney, Catherine (19 October 2014). "Sins of the fathers: sexual abuse at a Catholic order". The Observer.
15. ^ Ansaldo, Marco (13 May 2015). "'Why did you do it?' Former seminarian and priest who abused him come face to face". La Repubblica. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021.
16. ^ a b Moorhead, Joanna; Dodd, Liz (29 May 2015). "Abuse victims at Comboni seminary demand apology". The Tablet. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
17. ^ Hennessy, Brian (31 July 2018). "Second witness statement of Brian Hennessy" (PDF). Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. Contains correspondence between Hennessy and church authorities.
18. ^ a b c "Section H.2, Meetings with victims and complainants, The experience of the Comboni core participants". Safeguarding in the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, Investigation Report (PDF). Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. November 2020. pp. 11, 72–75.72-75&rft.pub=Independent+Inquiry+into+Child+Sexual+Abuse&rft.date=2020-11&rft_id=https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/23357/view/catholic-church-investigation-report-10-november-2020.pdf&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Comboni+Missionaries+of+the+Heart+of+Jesus" class="Z3988">
19. ^ "Bishop's 'heartfelt' apology over Catholic college abuse". BBC News. 25 June 2021.
20. ^ Armellini, Alvise (23 March 2023). "Clergy sex abuse victims feel 'vindicated' after Vatican talks". Reuters.
21. ^ "Meeting in Rome of the Comboni Missionary Superiors with the Comboni Survivors' Group". Familia Comboniana (monthly newsletter). No. 817, April 2023. Comboni. 25 March 2023.
22. ^ "Meeting with the 'Comboni Survivors' group". Familia Comboniana (monthly newsletter). No. 818, May 2023. Comboni.
23. ^ "Journeys of Members of the General Council: Fr. Tesfaye Tadesse Gebresilasie, 28 June–3 July: London together with the Vicar General – Meeting with the Comboni Survivors' Group". Familia Comboniana (monthly newsletter). No. 819, July–August 2023. Comboni.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Annuario pontificio per l'anno 2010 [Pontifical directory for the year 2010] (in Italian). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 2010. ISBN 978-8-82098-355-0.
* Mario Escobar (Ed.), Ordini e congregazioni religiose (2 voll.), Società Editrice Internazionale, Torino 1951–1953.
* Gilli, A., ed. (1976). Dizionario degli Istituti di Perfezione (in Italian). Vol. III. Milano, Italy: Edizioni Paoline.
* Rocca, Giancarlo, ed. (1978). Dizionario degli Istituti di Perfezione (in Italian). Vol. V. Milano, Italy: Edizioni Paoline.
* Bertolotti, A. (1997). Schwaiger, Georg (ed.). La vita religiosa dalle origini ai nostri giorni [Religious Life from Origins to Today] (in Italian). Milano, Italy: San Paolo. ISBN 978-8-82153-345-7.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus.

* "Official website (English)".
* "Comboni Missionaries South Sudan".
* "Comboni Missionaries United Kingdom & Ireland".
* "Comboni Lay Missionary Program".

* v
* t
* e

Catholic religious institutes

Male
and
female|

* Alexians
* Assumptionists (AA)
* Augustinian Recollects (OAR)
* Basilian Aleppians (BA)
* Basilian Chouerites (BC)
* Benedictines (OSB)
* Bridgettines (OSsS)
* Canossians (FDCC)
* Carmelites (OCarm)
* Carthusians (OCart)
* Cistercians (OCist)
* Congregation of Our Lady of Sion (NDS)
* Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SSCC)
* Discalced Carmelites (OCD)
* Dominicans (OP)
* Franciscans (OFM)
* Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE)
* Mercedarians (O de M)
* Missionaries of Charity (MC)
* Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo (CS)
* Monastic Family of Bethlehem, of the Assumption of the Virgin and of Saint Bruno
* Premonstratensians (OPraem)
* Servants of Charity (SC)
* Servite Order (OSM)
* Society of the Atonement (SA)
* TOR Franciscans
* Trappists (OCSO)
* Trinitarian Order (OSST)

Coat of arms of Vatican City

Male|

* Adorno Fathers (CRM)
* Albertine Brothers
* Augustinians (OSA)
* Barnabites (B)
* Basilians (CSB)
* Brothers of Our Lady of Mercy (FDM)
* Camillians (MI)
* Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius
* Capuchins (OFM Cap)
* Christian Brothers (Irish) (CFC)
* Congregatio Discipulorum Domini (CDD)
* Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM)
* Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (SSS)
* Claretians (CMF)
* Congregation of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (CST)
* Conventual Franciscans (OFM Conv)
* Crosiers (OSC)
* De La Salle Brothers (FSC)
* Discalced Augustinians (OAD)
* Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFR)
* Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word (MFVA)
* Gabrielites
* Holy Cross (CSC)
* Holy Ghost Fathers (CSSp)
* Josephites (SSJ)
* Legionaries of Christ (LC)
* Little Brothers of Jesus
* Marians of the Immaculate Conception (MIC)
* Society of Jesus (Jesuits) (SJ)
* Society of Mary (Marianists) (SM)
* Society of Mary (Marists) (SM)
* Society of the Divine Word (SVD)
* Society of Saint Edmund (SSE)
* Marist Brothers (FMS)
* Mechitarists (CAM)
* Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCI)
* Missionaries of La Salette (MS)
* Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales (MSFS)
* Missionaries of the Poor (MOP)
* Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC)
* Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
* Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI)
* Oblates of the Virgin Mary (OMV)
* Oblates of St. Francis de Sales (OSFS)
* Order of Friars Minor (OFM)
* Passionists (CP)
* Pauline Fathers (OSPPE)
* Redemptorists (CSsR)
* Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus (RCJ)
* Sacred Heart Brothers
* Salesians (SDB)
* Servants of Jesus and Mary (SJM)
* Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer (FSSR)
* Stigmatines (CSS)
* Xaverian Brothers (CFX)

Female|

* Adorers of the Blood of Christ (ASC)
* Apostolic Carmel (AC)
* Basilian Aleppian Sisters
* Basilian Chouerite Sisters
* Brigidines
* Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (CSIC)
* Carmelite Sisters of Saint Teresa (CSST)
* Congregation of the Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (FHIC)
* Daughters of Divine Love
* Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception
* Daughters of the Holy Heart of Mary
* Faithful Companions of Jesus
* Felicians (CSSF)
* Filippini Sisters (MPF)
* Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus
* Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
* Hijas de Jesús
* Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters
* Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary
* Little Sisters Disciples of the Lamb
* Little Sisters of Jesus
* Little Sisters of the Poor
* Living the Gospel Community (LGC)
* Lovers of the Holy Cross
* Marianites of Holy Cross (MSC)
* Maryknoll Sisters (MM)
* Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God (SMIC)
* Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (ICM)
* Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart
* Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC)
* Oblate Sisters of Providence
* Oblates of Jesus the Priest
* Oblate Sisters of the Virgin Mary of Fatima (OMVF)
* Order of Our Lady of Charity (ODNC)
* Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
* Poor Clares (OSC)
* Poor Clare Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament (MC)
* Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (RSCJ)
* Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM)
* Servants of St. Joseph (SSJ)
* Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament
* Sisters of Charity
* Sisters of Charity of Saints Bartolomea Capitanio and Vincenza Gerosa (SCCG)
* Sisters of Christian Doctrine of Nancy (DC)
* Sisters of the Cross and Passion
* Sisters of the Destitute
* Sisters of the Good Shepherd (RGS)
* Sisters of Holy Cross
* Sisters of the Holy Cross
* Sisters of the Holy Family-Louisiana
* Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
* Sisters of the Immaculate Conception
* Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
* Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
* Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
* Sisters of Life (SV)
* Sisters of Mercy (RSM)
* Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
* Sisters of the Sacred Heart
* Sisters of Saint Francis
* Sisters of Saint Joseph
* The Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace
* Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (RSJ)
* Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres (SPC)
* Society of the Helpers of the Holy Souls
* Sisters of Social Service (sss)
* Servants of the Blessed Sacrament (SSS)
* Ursulines (OSU)
* White Sisters

* See also: Third orders of Catholic laity
* Catholicism portal

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Spain
* Portugal
* Norway
* Poland
* Vatican

Academics|

* CiNii

Other|

* IdRef

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template