As we near the end of this Year,
when you, O Mother, have offered us Jesus anew,
the blessed fruit of your womb most pure,
the Word made flesh, the world's Redeemer,
we hear more clearly the sweet echo of his words
entrusting us to you, making you our Mother:
When he entrusted to you the Apostle John,
and with him the children of the Church and all people,
Christ did not diminish but affirmed anew
the role which is his alone as the Savior of the world.
You are the splendor which in no way dims the light of Christ,
for you exist in him and through him.
You are the Immaculate One,
through you there shines the fullness of grace.
Here, then, are your children, gathered before you.
We seek refuge in your motherly protection
and trustingly beg your intercession
as we face the challenges which lie hidden in the future.
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.