A few months ago, he celebrated 15 years of priestly life, ten of which he spent in the Central African Republic. Father Fernado Cortes Barbosa, a Mexican, shares his missionary experience with us.
One afternoon, when I was just 21, I stood on the side of the road waiting for the bus that would take me to my home town. Not even half an hour had passed when I saw a car approaching, and I signalled for it to stop so I could get in and go to my destination. The driver must have hesitated whether or not to let me in, because, calmly slowing down, he stopped about 100 meters away from me.
I picked up my backpack from the ground, slung it over my shoulder, and ran toward the car. It was a rush that took me to the mission. The driver was a priest. I recognised him immediately because he had celebrated Mass in my home church one Sunday. His introduction, “I am a Comboni missionary,” remained etched in my memory.
I took the opportunity to ask him what Comboni missionaries were, and during the entire ride to my home town (a journey of almost two hours), we talked about nothing but the missionary vocation.
From that conversation, I was fascinated by the idea of travelling to other parts of the world, meeting people from other cultures, and being part of a brotherhood of people from different countries who proclaim the Gospel to the most needy. I felt the world was opening its doors to me. All that was left was to make a decision. The next day, my travelling companion went to the parish to speak with my parish priest, and as soon as I saw him, I told him my decision: “I want to become a Comboni missionary.” He welcomed my choice with joy and began giving me magazines and books about the missions and about Saint Daniel Comboni, the founder of the Comboni Missionaries, with whom I began to identify.
I contacted the Comboni vocational directors. After a pre-seminary course, in which we were introduced to the mission’s panorama along with moments of spirituality through Comboni’s writings, I was accepted to begin my preparatory training. It was 1998. I continued with the next stages of formation: postulancy, novitiate, and theological studies in Lima, Peru.
Once I completed my formation, I spent two years in Peru before taking perpetual vows and receiving diaconal ordination. Throughout this period of formation, I underwent a continuous process of discernment, which I perceived as God’s call to emerge from within myself. The worst thing that can happen to you is to become complacent and close yourself off to the new things and challenges life presents, perceiving them as a threat to your well-being.
God always disturbs us and changes our personal plans for better ones that force us out of our comfort zone. This presents us with the adventure of fulfilling His will, once we have given a trusting yes. Only with an attitude of service can we move from living for ourselves to living for others. This attitude requires a “yes” that expresses joy and transcends the logic of sacrifice. Moving from sacrifice to “self-giving” is a constant challenge that still accompanies me today.
From Peru, I returned to Mexico for my priestly ordination on January 8, 2011. Four years later, after completing my studies in Communication Sciences, I was sent to the Central African Republic. The UN has designated this country as the poorest in the world, due, among other factors, to the effects of several coups d’état that have caused harrowing episodes among the population.
The country, which has celebrated 130 years of evangelisation, is still working to build a mature Church in which all believers feel a part, overcoming attachment to groups or movements for which they feel greater affinity than to the Church as a whole. I carried out my missionary work in the Mongoumba mission, in the southwest of the country, which is unique in that it is home to the settlements of the Aka Pygmy people, to whom the mission offers health and education services.
Local women are very active, but men still lead the church groups. To make our Church more dynamic and inclusive, we rely on grassroots groups, spread across every sector of the population, so that everyone can interpret their reality in the light of God’s Word and seek solutions together.
My mission has taught me to live my priesthood not as a title to boast about, but as a gift, with the joy of one sought, called, and sent by the Lord Jesus to proclaim the Gospel beyond His borders. Jesus noticed me and chose me not for my merits, because none of them would have been sufficient, but by pure grace. This is where the gift lies. Convinced that it is God who makes our plans and causes vocations to bear fruit, I try to prevent my priestly gift from becoming sterile, despite my mistakes. I say this with complete conviction.
We human beings make mistakes, but the Lord never fails to keep His promise. With a smile on His face, the Lord always extends His hand to heal and encourage with His love and mercy those He has chosen. The experience of my priestly vocation has enabled me to understand human nature, as I have firsthand experienced the weaknesses inherent in our human condition.
In this way, I felt the need to put Jesus, not my own interests, at the centre of my life. I have also learned not to consider myself superior to anyone, morally, intellectually, or spiritually. Just as I was welcomed, I try to be a travelling companion who welcomes others with their strengths and weaknesses, so that we can advance together and support one another, and I do not doubt that others have much to offer me.