The Comboni Brother

According to St. Comboni's original inspiration, the Institute is made up of both priests and brothers. The Comboni Brother shares the same life, with equal rights and duties of the priest except those deriving from the sacrament of Orders. The Brother's vocation and the vocation of the priest complement each other ~ we are one family.

The work and  types of commitment of the Comboni Brother has changed much in the past years with a wider view of mission. The shift has been from work restricted to parish structures to various ministries within the wider local church and society: from task-orientation to relationship-orientation and we could say from Church-focused to Reign-focused. Where in the past the emphasis was on putting up an infrastructure for parishes and diocese (something that is still needed today) there is also emphasis put on the social apostolate which is a genuine and true lay ministry.

At the heart of the Comboni Brother is the identity of brotherhood ~ Fraternity ~ this is a thread that runs through all of our history. Fraternity is accompaniment, empathy, empowerment and love. It touches on people's hopes and anguish. It aims at transformation of the person and the society by awakening both conscience and community!