A Joyful Heart
Observing the Sacraments, particularly the Holy Eucharist, is something I look forward to celebrating. The joy comes in sharing the same space and time with people who like me desire nothing but encountering Christ.
By Fr. Kurt Pala
October 1, 2016
Crayons for Kids
My name is Louis Ybanez, and I am a Columban seminarian from the Philippines. As a part of my formation to be a missionary priest, I have been assigned for a two year hands-on experience to the Columban parish at the town of Matli, in the arid Sindh province in the south of Pakistan.
By Louis Ybanez
October 1, 2016
Kindness and Generosity
It is difficult for us in Myanmar (Burma) to get visas so we have to leave and go to Bangkok, Thailand, frequently to renew our visas. Bangkok is very highly developed with its high rise buildings, cars and buses crawling at a snail’s pace and sidewalks crowded with people. I find the easiest way to get around is on a motorbike taxi. They weave in and out between cars and buses, and when they get a clear view they put the boot down and speed off.
By Fr. Neil Magill
October 1, 2016
The “Hyun-jang” Eucharist
Each Monday at 7:00 p.m. in Seoul, Korea, believers come to celebrate the Eucharist in Kwang Hwa Mun Plaza in the center of Seoul. They come to the site where members of the families bereaved in Korea’s worst maritime accident continue their protest demanding justice.
By Fr. Donal O'Keefe
October 1, 2016
One in His Image
My pilgrimage in – indeed conversion to – interreligious dialogue started even before I learned the phrase interreligious dialogue.
By Beth Sabado
October 1, 2016Signs of Hope
Each one of us will have our own memories of the events that touched and made an impression on us this year. We have experienced the mass movement of refugees fleeing war, poverty and violence seeking a more secure environment which they would hope to call home.
By Fr. Pat Raleigh
October 1, 2016
Doctor Takashi Nagai
On my first visit to Nagasaki’s Atomic Bomb Museum, the obscenity of the atomic bomb left me angry and disturbed. Amidst a 3,900°C heat carried by a blast equal to 21,000 tons of TNT, 80,000 human beings were obliterated in a millisecond – yes, 80,000 lives.
By Fr. Barry Cairns
August 2, 2016
Different Kinds of Service
From our earliest days, almost a century ago, Columban missionaries have employed people to assist us in a variety of roles to support our mission. A few did housekeeping; some maintained buildings and grounds, while others assisted with office work.
By Fr. Tim Mulroy
August 2, 2016
Participating in God’s Mission
Lumen Gentium emphasizes the “universal call to holiness” which applies to all the “people of God”– clergy, religious and lay people, stating that “all Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of love and by this holiness
By Columban Lay Mission Team
August 1, 2016
Summer in the City
Growing up in New York City, summers for me were times for relaxing, recreation and fun. There were family picnics, trips to the beach, baseball games, and books to be read and time to relax with my friends.
By Fr. Michael Hoban
August 1, 2016
The Welcome Sound of Good News
“I couldn’t manage without them.” That is a phrase one often hears in a discussion between the parish priests in Fiji, whether indigenous or foreign born. They are speaking of the male catechists who serve in both rural and urban areas.
By Fr. Charles Duster
August 1, 2016
Rich and Varied Gifts of the Laity
Earlier this year, two Columban Fathers—an Irish farmer by way of decades of mission in Pakistan and an Iowa farmer by way of decades of mission in Korea—and I visited three Columban benefactors on their farm.
By Kim Balkovec
August 1, 2016
Learning Burmese Can Be Fun!
Since I joined the Columban lay mission program in 2000, I have learned three different languages: English, Filipino (Tagalog) and Spanish. Since my assignment to Myanmar (formerly Burma) I am learning yet another language – Burmese!
By Catherina Son
August 1, 2016
Voices of Columban Lay Missionaries
I loved what I was doing while on mission in two different countries. For fifteen years I shared my life in Peru, and I know that I have learned and grown a lot. I believe that my presence and my journey with the people as a person and a lay missionary made a difference. It was and is an affirmation that every lay person is a missionary to their own family, neighbors, their own parish and the society. And, it can be an inspiration for others to become involved in lay mission. Some people need others to encourage them, to trust them, and allow them to commit mistakes and the chance to improve themselves. I could say that the Catholic church is alive until now because of the active lay participation.
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.