History and Spirituality (PMN)

In this first module, we will talk about the experience of Daniele Comboni, and then we will focus on the beginnings of the foundation of the “Pie Madri della Nigrizia”. (PMN)This name is indicative of the very charism that they are called to make concrete in their lives, as women of the Gospel, Mothers of humanity; therefore capable of welcoming in their hearts the joys and sorrows of the peoples with whom they are called to share their lives; guardians of the weakest constantly committed to respecting, preserving and allowing life to grow… Tender and strong women who know how to stand at the foot of the Cross beside Mary, the woman par excellence, who accompanied her Son to the extreme breath of life of his fulfilment…

In this special module, we will enter into a historical moment of the congregation, la Mahdia, while these events are taking place, we have to take into account the whole reality of the nascent Institute, how it continues its journey and the important events taking place at the same time in Verona and Egypt. It is important to situate the Mahdia within the whole historical journey of the Institute. We will follow the imprisonment and suffering of the missionaries in captivity, made prisoners of the Mahdi. We will look at what happened between 1882 and 1883, how the cities of Obeid and Denle were taken by the Mahdi and what was the fate of the Comboni Missionaries of these missions and how the arrest took place in different circumstances and processes.

This period in the history of the institute can be called a period of gestation, which leads us to see how after the death of the founder, who had left a difficult legacy to manage, the Pious Mothers of Negritude began to walk on their own, despite the difficulties encountered with the founder’s successors, towards the official birth of the congregation and the definitive approval by Fide propaganda of the Constitutions. The Spirit continued to write its history in spite of these crooked lines.

St. Daniel Comboni was convinced of the enormous evangelizing potential of women, so he wanted his missionaries to be open, courageous, generous, capable and women of God. Our first sisters understood that our Founder’s missionary passion for Africa was not only of a geographical nature. He was speaking of that mission that Jesus initiated and that we are called to continue. Although the new openings created controversy in the Congregation, were we founded only for Africa or also for other parts of the world? It is clear that the mission of Jesus and the concept of mission as understood by St. Daniel Comboni does not refer only to a geographical concept, a prophetic vision clearly understood. Africa is where there is a need to proclaim Jesus.

In the period from 1959 to 2001 the Congregation expanded but at the same time experienced very painful moments, such as the expulsion from Sudan (1964), the rebellion of the Simba in the former Zaire (1964-1965) now the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Mozambique (1964-1974).