Endless Easter!
During the 1980s, great expectations abounded in the member states of what was then the European Community. We were told that just over the horizon a new European structure was emerging that would leave behind a Europe pock-marked with war. It was to be the European Union. There was feverish activity at conferences discussing new arrangements in regard to free movement of people, a social charter, free trade, customs unions, agricultural policies, security and a free market within the then member states.
By Fr. Bobby Gilmore
February 26, 2019
God Is With Me
Last April 18, I boarded a plane going to France. Starting in France, I was on my way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. It was not my intention to go as a Christian, nor even as a missionary. I just wanted to go there.
By Subin Lee
February 20, 2019
A Visit to Pakistan
Last year I decided to go to Pakistan to visit my uncle and get a sense of the work he was doing. Since as far back as I can remember I've been hearing of this uncle who was in Pakistan as a missionary priest and even though he comes home every couple of years, I still could not visualize his life there. I felt that it would be great to not only see what he was up to but also to immerse myself in a completely new culture and environment.
By Cathal King, nephew of Columban Fr. Tomás King
February 18, 2019
Do Whatever You Can
"The Columbans are still interested." With those words, Fr. Tom Shaughnessy concluded his letter to Andrei Paz. It was an invitation which put the young philosophy graduate back on track to becoming a Columban missionary.
By Fr. Andrei Paz
February 15, 2019
Three Little Maids
The faithful at Santa Rosa chapel in Lima might at times feel they are suffering from double vision. First, out comes 25-year-old Anelli Guerrero as today's Eucharistic Minister, ready to preside at the Sunday lay-led liturgy.
By Fr. John Boles
February 13, 2019
God Has a Purpose for Me
Sitting down with Patricia Rodriguez amidst a noisy comedor (community center) bustling with activity, boisterous children, cats and dogs, she agrees to tell me about her life and experience since arriving in Chile. I translate her words from Spanish to English.
By Oisin Kenny
February 11, 2019
Encountering Christ in Another Culture
For the five weeks leading up to Christmas 2017, two Adelaide, Australia, diocesan seminarians, Anthony Beltrame and Olek Stirrat, participated in a pastoral experience with Columban Fr. Dan Harding in the parish of San Columbano, in Santiago, Chile. Here is their story …
By Fr. Daniel Harding
February 8, 2019
Walking with the Lord
In his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), Pope Francis put his finger on one of the principal obstacles to spreading the Good News of the Gospel.
By Fr. Michael Hoban
February 6, 2019
Entrepreneurial Spirit
I met a very courageous and determined girl sometime in 2005 in Ozamiz City, Philippines. Maryjoy Tabuco is the eldest among the four siblings. She was born on September 8, 1992, in San Jose, Mahayag, Zamboanga del Sur.
By Virgenia O. Vidad and Columban Fr. Oliver McCrossan
February 4, 2019
Unique Gifts to Share
Fr. Peter LiChun Dong is a new face among Columban missionaries. Recently ordained, he is the first Columban priest from mainland China. This month he is celebrating the Chinese New Year in his home country, but soon he will head off to his new mission in Pakistan. Together with several experienced colleagues, he will shape a new century of Columban mission in that country, where ninety-five percent of the population are Muslim and less than two percent are Christian.
However, Fr. Dong already knows what it is like to live as a member of a religious minority. Christians account for less than five percent of the total population of China, and Fr. Dong was born in a remote village where Catholics were very few. However, his family had treasured their faith for several generations, and his parents were determined – despite indifference and misunderstanding by those around them – to pass
By Fr. John Burger
February 1, 2019
In So Many Words
For the gift of this New Year, we say "Thank You." God has already blessed us. He continues to bless us as we go forward, letting go of the past, trusting His Spirit with us, guiding us each new day.
By Sr. Redempta Twomey
February 1, 2019
Missionary Society of St. Columban Appoints New General Council
As we prepare for a new century of mission to the world, we recall what inspired the early Columban pioneers and what they achieved, reflect on how their successors responded to the monumental changes in church and society since then and thank, or tried to thank, the hundreds of thousands of peop
February 1, 2019
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.