Throughout the 1990s, the Columban Fathers continued to develop vocations from their mission nations. Accordingly, on October 1, 1995, the first Peruvian Columban, Father Diego Cabrera Rojas was ordained at the Parish of Los Santos Arcangeles in Lima, Peru, by Cardinal Archbishop Augusto Vargas Alzamora.
Prior to his ordination, Father Cabrera went through a great deal of adversity. As a young boy, he grew up in an orphanage. He served in the Peruvian Navy, and held a variety of jobs, including graphic arts instructor, when in 1986 he became acquainted with the Columbans.
He started to take theology courses, eventually joining the Columban formation program. The March 1996 issue of Columban Mission magazine contained a profile of Father Cabrera. He has served in Fiji, Peru and the United States since ordination, and has recorded several albums of Christian music.
By 1995, the Columban Fathers had maintained their mission in Peru for more than 40 years, and Father Cabrera’s ordination punctuated the fruits of their labor in that nation.
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The Columbans are a society of missionaries, including priests and lay people, who minister to people of various cultures as a way of witnessing to the universal love of God.