Daniel Comboni

Daniele Comboni ( born March 15, 1831 in Limone sul Garda, Italy, † October 10, 1881 in Khartoum, Sudan ) was a Catholic bishop, missionary and founder of the order. He was beatified in 1996, the canonization took place in October 2003.

Liturgical feast day is the anniversary of his death, October 10.

Life

Comboni grew up in a poor peasant family. He was the only one of eight children that survived childhood. He went to Verona, where he studied at an institute founded by Nicalo Mazza. He was ordained a priest in 1854 and traveled three years later with five other missionaries of the Mazza Institute to Africa.

After a five- month journey, they reached their destination Khartoum in Sudan. Most of his brothers were killed; this should have led him to dedicate his life to the African population. In 1864 he returned to Italy to develop a new strategy for missionary work. He tried below, raise support throughout Europe for his project.

He founded in 1867 in Verona, the missionary society of the Good Shepherd and opened the first office in Cairo in the same year. In 1870 he taught at the first Vatican Council, Pope Pius IX. of his plans for the conversion of Africa. In 1871 he wrote a monastic rule, in 1872 he founded a community of sisters and a magazine for missionary work in Africa, which still appears under the title Nigrizia. On him the revival of the missionary work goes back to Central Africa. In 1873 he went to Khartoum, 1877, he was appointed to the local bishop.

Today, around 3,500 religious and members work of the Secular Institute of the Comboni Missionaries ( MCCJ ) in 40 countries in Africa and Central America.