The Pain of Prisoners
Sr. Tammy Saberon is a Filipina Columban missionary who ministered for many years in Hong Kong, and later in Myanmar. Her main apostolate in both places was the Biblical Pastoral Apostolate. At the request of the Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar, she headed up the Biblical Pastoral Ministry Commission. When all the materials for the ministry had been made available in Burmese and the other ethnic languages of the region, it was time to turn the ministry over to the local Church, which she did.
Prison Ministry in Fiji
One of the highlights of our week here in the Spiritual Year House is our visit to either the Prison Remand Facility in Suva or the Juvenile Rehabilitation Center also in the capital city.
Becoming a Member of the Catholic Church
Seventy years ago, if a person wanted to become a Catholic they attended “convert classes.” A priest usually gave weekly talks on the important Catholic dogmas and the Sacraments of the Church. Then the “converts” would be baptized, perhaps on a Sunday or perhaps not. The baptism would usually be celebrated separately from Mass.
My Treasure
I am Mary Ann T. Guial, the youngest and only girl in our family. I have five brothers and the eldest died when he was in grade three. I was not yet born when he died. My mother has many stories about him. And my mother said that my nickname was his own name. My mother is Lanie Turla. She is a single parent, and she raised all of us ...
The First Priest of the New Region of Oceania
Fr. Teakare Betero was ordained a Columban priest on Saturday November 30, 2019, the Feast of St. Andrew. He was ordained on his island home of Rabi by Fiji’s Archbishop, the most Rev. Peter Loy Chong.
Ayala Family Project Update
I’ve recently returned to Peru after my sabbatical year, and have been able to see first-hand progress made during 2019.
Finding God in All Things
Sometimes a line of poetry or the words of a hymn can stay in our mind for many years. Something in the turn of phrase resonates in our heart. For some reason, these lines have stuck with me over the years.
A Right to the Bounty
“They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, Jesus began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”
The Beauty of Intercultural Living
In 2019, I had the privilege of visiting our mission in Fiji where Columbans have ministered since 1952. Prior to visiting Fiji, I had read Fr. Frank Hoare’s account of the history of the Columban presence in his book, The Turning Wheel.
A River Crossing
“We need to be on our way now” were the words of Columban Fr. Pat Colgan even though the rain continued to heavily pour in Korovou village, Fiji. The Prophet Mohammed’s birth (Peace Upon Him) is publicly celebrated throughout the country of Fiji, where the government has made it a public holiday, November 11.
The Journey Continues
One of the many joys of being a Columban lay missionary is the joy of entering into a new culture and sharing my faith and experience with the people, while at the same time learning so much more from them in return.
A Letter from God
“Why did you choose to join the Columban missionaries and not some other missionary organization?” is a question that I’m often asked. My simple response is, “A letter from God!,” which generally leads to the other person becoming even more inquisitive.
Mike and The Mechanics
I grew up on a farm in Co. Clare, Ireland, with four brothers and five sisters. We all did our share on the farm, helping out during the holidays. My brother John, who was five years older than me, joined the Columbans after school. When a Columban priest came to my school to give a talk on the Maynooth Mission to China, I understood John’s decision. I too decided to join. At the time I had never been outside Co. Clare. I was ordained in 1952 and set off for the Philippines on June 24, 1953, where I was assigned to the mountains of Candoni, one of the towns in the south of Negros Island. The only available transport at the time was by horseback.
Unconditional Love
The city of Wuhan where I live is always changing. We can see new public slogans almost every day. Jobs and government policies change very frequently, and buildings are been constantly knocked down and replaced by new ones. Even the weather in Wuhan is always changing fast.
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.