Challenging and Enriching
My only contact with the Columbans before going to the seminary in Suva, Fiji, was when Columban Fr. Frank Hoare visited my home in Tonga to interview me about becoming a Columban missionary priest.
By Fr. Felicano Fatu
June 1, 2017
To Visit the Imprisoned
Pope Francis continually reminds us that the Church is missionary and is called to reach out to the poor, to sinners, to unbelievers and to those who live on the margins of modern society.
Fr. Michael J. Hoban
June 1, 2017
Human Rights and Mission
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948, was the result of the experience of the Second World War with all of it inhumanity.
By Fr. Donald Kill
May 2, 2017
Hearing the Cry of the Poor
One of the many gifts and blessings I experience in the United States as I travel during the summer for the church appeals is the universality of the Church and meeting people from the different ethnic groups from Eastern Europe, Latin and Central America and Asia.
By Sr. Virgie Mozo
May 1, 2017
Being on Mission in Chile
Chile is very far from my native land, with different people, language, culture, climate and food. It is a Catholic country which is very abundant in resources. During my Mission Sending Mass last year, our parish priest asked me why I was going to Chile for mission then.
By Michael Javier
May 1, 2017The Mysterious Journey
As a teenager I browsed whatever reading materials were left around my home: Sunday newspapers that my father enjoyed; novels that my older brother and sisters considered worthwhile; and religious magazines that my mother read at the end of her busy days. These materials expanded the horizons of my world and beckoned me to explore the strange but fascinating world that adults inhabited.
Stories about missionaries in far-off lands that I occasionally read in the religious magazines were uniquely fascinating. They awakened in me a sense of awe and adventure. Whatever the circumstances, missionaries everywhere …
By Fr. Tim Mulroy
May 1, 2017
The Loving Father and Two Sons
Fifty years ago I was pastor of an "old Christian" community on Amakusa Island in the far south of Japan. By "old Christian" I mean that a Jesuit missionary, Fr. Luis Almeida, founded the parish in 1566. Then the Tokugawa daimyo government expelled or executed all missionaries.
By Fr. Barry Cairns
May 1, 2017
A Pioneer Returns
It was a great joy for me to be invited, two years ago, to return to Santiago, Chile, to celebrate 40 years of the Columban Sisters' mission in that beautiful country.
By Sr. Mary Ita McElwain
May 1, 2017
Redefining Communication
As part of the on-going formation and education of Columban lay missionaries, I was privileged to take a six-month course on facilitating retreats for young people. The course has given me an in-depth understanding on the psyche and culture of young people in this modern time.
By Lorelei Ocaya
May 1, 2017
A Different Summer
I usually spend my summer break walking the sands and enjoying the beach but this time around I decided to walk the hills of Don Victoriano Chiongbian, a town of Misamis Occidental, the Philippines, and enjoy the cool river waters of Salug.
By Fr. Kurt Zion Pala
May 1, 2017
Adventures on Tide Island
The Ocean's (Atlantic) Influence Island life is shaped by the ocean. The weather determines whether you can cross to the island from the mainland, a jetty at São Tomé de Paripe, and the tides determine when people can cross from the community of Praia Grande to the community of Santana, and from Santana to the community of Nossa Senhora das Neves.
By Fr. Colin McLean
May 1, 2017The Center of the Party
I once knew a priest who was the life of the party but prone to take over any party he attended. Most people enjoyed his company, but he was also said by many to "have a great welcome for himself."
A Visit to Fiji
The following is an account of a visit by Columban Fr. Seung Won Joseph and some Korean youth – including Columban candidates and seminarians – to a number of Columban parishes in Fiji during July 2016.
By Andrew Kwangbae Lee and Columban Fr. Seung Won Joseph
May 1, 2017
The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Inc.
The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians is a Sisterhood of Irish and Irish-American, Catholic Women.
By Dee Ramp
April 20, 2017
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.