The presence of the Comboni Missionaries in the continent of Asia, and particularly in the Philippines, relies on the fundamental call to the mission. We have responded with humility and generosity to the call of mission, as St. Daniel Comboni did, in working for Africa. Our mission compels us to transcend the boundaries of cultures and ethnic groups.
The first inspiration of the presence of the Comboni Missionaries on the continent of Asia was addressed to the whole Institute through a letter, “Opening to Asia,” by the General Council dated December 3, 1987. The letter clearly expressed that our presence in the Philippines was to make the realization of two objectives immediately possible: missionary animation and vocation promotion in the Philippines and Asia.
On January 4, 1988, the first group of Comboni Missionaries arrived in the Philippines and on April 30 of the same year, the Missionaries found a home at 282 Roosevelt Ave. (known today as Fernando Poe Jr. Ave.), San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City, which the late Jaime Cardinal Sin blessed on August 19, 1988.
In faithfulness to the objectives of the presence of our Institute in the Philippines, the first issue of World Mission magazine was published in March 1989, under the supervision of Fr. Manuel Augusto Lopes Ferreira, the first editor.
HOUSE OF FORMATION
The construction of the seminary, which later became known as St. Daniel Comboni Seminary (DCS), started on February 12, 1990. The community of St. Daniel Comboni Seminary was established on June 22, 1990, which was marked by the arrival of the first batch of postulants.
From that time, the community has been dedicated to Vocation Promotion and Formation of postulants. In 2004, the community welcomed the Novitiate on a temporary basis, until 2007, when a detached building began to function as both the Novitiate and the welcoming house of the Delegation.
Since the St. Daniel Comboni Seminary is a vocation and a formative community, each one of its members is either directly or indirectly involved in the work of Vocation Promotion and Formation, each one according to his role, and carries the responsibility for the common witness to the Comboni charism and its values before the seminarians.
Currently, our community is composed of four confreres (three priests and one scholastic) and 14 seminarians. Our community is a privileged place to live the demands of our fellowship and fidelity to Jesus. We come from different countries (the Philippines, Vietnam, Italy, Mexico, and Mozambique). The seminary has become a fertile ground for many vocations in the Comboni Family, not only from Asia (the Philippines and Vietnam) but also from Africa, America, and Europe.
This reality has challenged us to be open to internationality and interculturality, which are part of the demands of the mission. Besides the formative nature of our community, we consider Mission Promotion a fundamental aspect for young men who feel the desire to follow the example of our founder, St. Daniel Comboni, who sought the necessary means and collaborators to carry out the evangelization.
FRATERNAL LIFE
As a religious community, we strive to live the evangelical counsels through the concrete choices of our daily lives. Poverty, through the responsible use of personal and community goods; chastity, through healthy relationships with any brother and sister; and obedience, through communal discernment of God’s will according to His Word, the Rule of Life, and the needs of our Institute. We acknowledge that each one of us was called and brought here by the Lord through the inspiration of our founder, St. Daniel Comboni, with his uniqueness, potentials, and limitations.
He encouraged each one of us to live in community like a “Cenacle of Apostles.” As a formative community, we treasure the value of fraternal life lived in a community with its international and intercultural makeup. Such a trait, together with personal limitations, can become a hindrance to a harmonious community life. However, a sincere attitude of openness and a strong sense of belonging to the Church and to the Institute can lead us to a deeper understanding of consecrated life and brotherly love.
We motivate our seminarians, in the various stages of formation, to understand and practice ‘collaborative ministry’ (Synodality) through our various missionary activities. We have Mission and Vocation Promotion, as well as community collaboration and participation in various local Church activities, especially in our neighboring parishes. These include Missionary Youth Encounter, various Outreach initiatives, and the “Friends of the Mission” feast, which takes place every first Sunday of December.
Such apostolic activities provide the community with an opportunity to cultivate an attitude towards missionary work. The awakening of our seminarians’ consciousness towards the marginalized members of society leads them to be more grateful to God and to become “holy and capable” missionaries, as our founder, St. Daniel Comboni, intended for us to be.
