Old Story, New Ways
Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left that night for Egypt, where they stayed until the death of Herod.
Fr. Bobby Gilmore
January 15, 2018
Love Is a Place
I used to really find it difficult to understand that my father and my mother loved me for who I am. I struggled growing up because I always feel I have to prove myself that I am the best son they could ever have. And the irony is that I am the only son.
Fr. Kurt Zion Pala
January 8, 2018
The Stable of Inner Self
I have mixed feelings reflecting on my experience of learning the Chinese Mandarin language. This includes happiness, sadness and confusion. By the end of this semester, I will be finishing up with full-time language studies.
Jihyun Kim
January 2, 2018
Christmas Gift
I am Taemoon Kwon, a Korean Columban who was ordained a priest in 2010. Currently I am working in China. My main ministry is to share with Chinese Sisters and priests about spiritual direction and retreats and to look for Columban vocations.
Fr. Taemoon Kwon
December 22, 2017
The Meaning of Christmas
When I was asked to write about the meaning of Christmas for a newsletter for Columban lay missionaries, I wished to share with other missionaries about something special or unique which others never imagined.
Minah Seo
December 20, 2017
Christmas in Myanmar
As I prepare for Christmas this year, my thoughts are with the people of Myanmar with whom I have celebrated Christmas since 2007. I lived in a community in Mandalay.
Sr. Margaret Murphy
December 18, 2017
Christmas in the Andes
Where will the Christmas Festival for the communities be held this year?" asked Carolina, the Coordinator of the active Christian community of Chosicani, one of 20 Christian communities that make up the rural parish of Combapata.
Fr. Donald Hornsey
December 15, 2017
The Holy Family of Today
On behalf of all the patients that we minister to daily I want to say a very sincere "thank you." Your support and prayers have reached out to many, many poor and struggling people. These are the people who have very little of this world's trappings but who awaken each day knowing that survival is overshadowing every movement and choice they make.
Sr. Mary Dillon
December 13, 2017
The Work of Christmas
Howard Thurman (1899 – 1981) was an American writer who has left us with powerful thoughts and insights about Christmas. In his book, "The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations," he wrote these stirring words:
Fr. Gary Walker
December 11, 2017
The Baby Got a Home
When I joined the Columban Lay Missionary orientation program in 2002, I knew that my decision entailed a lot of letting go. I knew that there will be special occasions at home that I would miss.
Ben Sabado
December 8, 2017
Filipino Christmas
For millions of Filipinos, Christmas is a celebration of the family. They come together from around the world; they delight in the togetherness and sharing of respect. They honor the aged, bless the children, and feed the hungry.
Fr. Don Kill
December 6, 2017
Christmas Day Is for Children
I am standing in the center of the spacious main hall, the atrium, of the new Preda children's home for girls. The light from the transparent roof throws its soft and gentle light on the children playing nosily, shouting in glee.
Fr. Shay Cullen
December 4, 2017
In So Many Words
I was reading a Biblical reflection when word came that my niece's baby had just been born. The author of the reflection pointed out that the first sound we hear in the Bible is God breathing in the darkness. My thoughts wandered to my niece's baby breathing in the darkness for nine months.
Mission Memories
They come at evening, scenes from far away, The bitter-sweet of absence and of love, When memory opens her halls of yesterday, And draws her shuttered curtains from above.
Taken from the poem Mission Memories by Columban Fr. John McFadden (1894 – 1978), these lines capture his bittersweet mood as he prepares to celebrate Christmas back home in the U.S. after many years in foreign mission lands. During the long December evenings, memories of Christmas celebrations in those far away places flood his heart, bringing joy and sadness, tears and smiles.
As Christmas approaches, many people have similar experiences. At unexpected moments, memories of a childhood Christmas gift
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.