The Comboni missionaries have been present in Taiwan for over 27 years. Since then, many missionaries from different countries have spent time sharing the joy of the Gospel with the Christian communities of these beautiful Taiwanese lands. Our missionary work has always been carried out in the Comboni missionary style, which is to encourage local communities, train leaders and lay people, serve those most in need and motivate the local communities to become aware of the missionary dimension of the Church. We have always taken into account that the lay people themselves are the main protagonists of the evangelizing work, and we, as missionaries, accompany them spiritually, so our ecclesial communities are living, open, dialoguing and inclusive Churches. As Pope Francis would say: “Let the Church always be a place of hope where everyone feels welcomed, loved and forgiven.”
PARISH WORK
Currently, The Comboni missionaries are present in three parishes entrusted to us by the Archdiocese of Taipei. Our small cenacle is located in the parish of St. Anne, on the outskirts of Wugu District, and from there, we serve these three parishes: St. Anne in Wugu, St. Williams in Huilong District, and Christ the Redeemer in Yilan Town.
They are all small parishes but very fervent. Since the number of Christians is small and a minority in the country, Sunday masses can have approximately 50 faithful. However, they are very dynamic, active, and willing to share their faith with the community members. This reminds us a lot of the first Christian communities, where everyone gathered regularly to break bread and celebrate the faith.
In our parishes, we follow the pastoral plan of the Archdiocese of Taipei but adapt to the reality in which we live. This means that we lead the normal life of a parish community, with its daily Eucharistic and sacramental celebrations, as well as groups and moments of prayer such as the rosary and weekly adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
The parishes also have moments of formation, for which we have different groups for biblical reflection, Church topics, and the formation of parish leaders. This helps the community grow in its faith and to better understand what it professes. Visiting the sick is also an active part of our ministry, for which we dedicate time to visiting them and caring for them, especially those most in need.
We also have groups of children and young people who are accompanied and trained with various activities that help them mature in faith and are guided by the catechetical plan. We take advantage of liturgical and civil celebrations to carry out activities that can impact them, especially in the growth of their faith and spiritual accompaniment. In addition to this, there is the catechumenate, which has new members every year to celebrate the Sacraments.
ABORIGINAL PEOPLE
Our parishes are also very multicultural since they have the presence of Aboriginal people. To reach them more directly, our pastoral plan also has special attention to Aboriginal groups. We celebrate liturgies in their mother tongue and carry out activities that can encourage their spiritual growth. That is why we have home visits, rosaries in their neighborhoods, liturgies and ongoing formation. All of these activities are done so that they can feel the gospel rooted in their own culture and experience that God is already present in their customs, dances, folklore, and everything their beautiful cultures manifest. That is why the inculturation of the gospel and faith is vital for us.
Migrants from Southeast Asia are also present in the peripheries where we live. We serve Vietnamese and Filipino migrants to the greatest extent possible through various pastoral and social formation activities.
The Comboni missionaries have a small but significant presence here, in these beautiful Taiwanese lands. Although there are currently only two missionaries in the entire country, Fr. Adam and Fr. Edu, we feel much identified with our charism. We follow Jesus in the style of Comboni, trying to be visible and credible witnesses of the Gospel, always close to our parishioners and willing to walk together with our people. In our people, we see the face of God, who is hope, love, and liberation, and every time we are together, we feel that the God of life walks hand in hand with us.
