God's Message at Christmas
Christmas always brings joy in my life. As a child, I always looked forward to the coming of that day. However, as time progressed, I realized that Christmas does not only bring joy but also an attached message with it. It is God, conveying and reminding me of my journey as a missionary.
Christmas in Paradise
People often boast about having celebrated Mass in churches that are, “centuries old,” such as the great cathedrals of Europe. But, what about celebrating in a place of worship over FOUR THOUSAND years old?
Christmas in the Summer
Last year, at the beginning of Advent, I received a letter. The letter was inviting myself and the youth of the parish to “A Christmas feast to commemorate Christmas.” Fijian people are always ready and willing to attend a feast, and I also read the invitation letter with delight.
Bring Hope
Fr. Peter O’Neill, the Columban Leader in Australia and the Columban Peace, Ecology and Justice Coordinator, visited Timorese workers at the Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in East Warrnambool for Christmas. The workers have been warmly welcomed by the parish priest Fr. Lawrence O’Toole and the local parishioners.
Coco and Rosa
The missionary journey of Jorge Juaregui, called Coco for short, and his wife Rosa Ramirez, began when the Columban Fathers assumed responsibility for the rapidly expanding housing estates being built on land that was once part of a large rural hacienda called Santa Rosa near Jorge Chavez Interna
The Shimmering Promise of Bethlehem
In 2013, after twelve years in administrative assignments with the Columban Fathers, I was given the chance to take a sabbatical. I seized the opportunity and chose to do a six-week course at the Tantur Institute south of Jerusalem.
Near Tantur there was a main bus route and along that road were the ruins of an ancient church. I stopped to look closely at the ruin that I had spotted from the bus window. I was curious about it because it was the same shape (octagonal) as the last church where I had been pastor, Sts. Simon and Jude in Fujisawa, Japan.
I discovered that the site held the remains of a Church built in the byzantine period of history (about 1500 years ago). One very interesting thing was the location. If you were traveling from Nazareth, via Jerusalem to Bethlehem as Mary and Joseph did, this would be the spot where you would walk uphill and catch your first glimpse of Bethlehem.
In the Hands of the Master Baker
I’ve been working in the parish of Christ the King in Ba, which is located in the western part of Fiji, for more than a year now. Near where I live is St. Theresa’s Primary school which has a statue of St. Therese of the Child Jesus.
New Language
Living with a host family was a blessing for me. I lived with the family of Maria Rene Covarrubias Arze in Cochabamba, Bolivia. She is a widow who lives with her two daughters and three grandsons.
My "STABLE" Experience in the Sacred Heart Community
My name is Iowane Naio, and I am from Fiji. I joined the Columban Formation Program in 2014, and I studied for two and a half years in the Pacific Regional Seminary in Fiji before moving to the Philippines in 2016 to continue my theological studies.
Inspiring People
Getting to know the people in this community of Rancho Anapra Corpus Christi Parish, Juarez City, México, was my number one priority when I arrived here after learning Spanish. I visited families and got involved in parish activities such as catechism class and prayer groups.
Hope for a Brighter Future
Casa del Migrante (Migrant House) is one of the shelters in ciudad Juárez, Mexico, under the management of the diocese.
A Home for the Sacred Heart of Jesus
During a recent visit to Peru, Maritza Upiachiwa and her husband Jorge Sanchez invited me to celebrate Sunday Mass for the community of the chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Chuquitanta in Huandoy parish on the north side of Lima.
Fire!
The phone woke me from a deep sleep. I turned on the light. The clock read 2:35 a.m., and the caller was Saiyun, a church leader in DaGuan village. Her mother is elderly and in poor health. I thought something had happened to her mother, and I answered the call.
The Dream of the Amazon
Even before the Pope convoked the Synod on the Amazon in 2019, and issued his dramatic exhortation, Columban missionaries in South America have been eagerly engaged in campaigns to support the local Church, and to protect the ecology and peoples of the Amazon against injustice and exploitation.
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.