July 23, 2018
O Mary, crowned with stars,
who has the moon for your footstool
and who sits enthroned above all the choirs of Angels,
turn your eyes toward this vale of tears,
and hear the voice of one
who puts all his hope and trust in you.
Now you rejoiced in the endless bliss of paradise;
but once you endured the miseries of this our exile
and you know how bitter are the days of him who eats the bread of sorrow.
Help me throw off the yoke of sin
Grant that I may run to your protection
and your loving arms of help and consolation.
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.