Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
For the past seven years, I have traveled on Fridays to the Carmelite monastery located in a mountain canyon known as the Cajon del Maipo. I go there to celebrate Mass for the cloistered Discalced Carmelite Sisters.
A Meeting of Cultures
On August 1, 2017, I travelled from the height of the Korean summer to an equally hot Philippines to study English.
Three Important Hallmarks
Although all Columbans may not agree with me, I think our life as Columbans has three important hallmarks.
The first of these is our community life; despite living quite separately, we are a brotherhood. Many of us have lived alone in isolated places for years; the simple fact is that mission sometimes demands it. On the other hand, we Columbans are sometimes referred to as a “family.” Although a few of us are in fact related to each other in the normal way as brothers or cousins, and some have had sisters who are Columban Sisters, most of us are not held together by a family connection. Many of our relatives have been generous benefactors over the years, supporting Columban mission, not only by giving a son or a brother, but also by backing us financially and in numerous other ways. I think to say we are a family does say something about the way we live our lives, about the quality of our community life. I myself have been interacting with Columbans since the early 1960s.
Loneliness for God
“Loneliness has become a silent epidemic; it is, as one doctor wrote, ‘the most unrecognized health crisis of this generation.’ ”
Giving a Daughter to Mission
Last year, in December, I had the opportunity to attend the mission-sending Mass for Hazel Jean Angwani at Santa Rita de Cascia Mission Station in Bontoc, Montain Province, Philippines.
I Would Like to Remain
Time flies! As I write this, it is October again, but I did not notice since the time passed by so quickly. By now, I am already almost one-and-a-half years in my country of origin, the Philippines. Actually, it was not part of the original plan of the Columbans that I would be here.
Seeds of Hope
August is the month of solidarity in the Archdiocese of Santiago. Each year, there is a pilgrimage of young people to the Shrine of St. Alberto Hurtado S.J., the great social apostle of Chile. This year, 20,000 young people walked through the streets of Santiago to pay homage to St.
I'm Still Henry
In March this year I was one of a group from the Region of Peru to attend a Columban meeting in Santiago, Chile. It was a joint meeting between the Columban regions of Peru and Chile.
Losing Weight
Fiji has the highest incidence of diabetes in the world. More than one third of the population suffers from it. It is a lifestyle disease. Fijian men were able to eat big meals of local root crops and vegetables in the past, because they walked a lot and worked hard in their gardens. But nowadays most get transported around and live sedentary lives while eating processed foods as heartily as before.
What a Surprise!
Returning home for a seminary break is interesting. I usually see it as a great time for relaxation and enjoyment. But I have discovered that it is more than that.
My Journey
Being a stranger in a foreign land wasn’t always easy, in terms of learning and adopting their respective culture and of course the same goes with the dialect that they speak. That was what came to my mind even before I landed in Fiji.
Faith in the City
Over recent decades Irish society has been transformed by the number of people who have come from all over the world to make their lives here. They have brought with them a rich diversity of cultures and a diversity of faith communities.
Freely You Have Received
“What are you doing in Taiwan?,” my friends would ask. “Oh, I work at the HIV/AIDS Center.” “What? What did you say?” My friends were confused by my answer and couldn’t understand what I said. After answering several times, they finally managed to understand.
A Pig's Head and a Tale
I visited Korea in February earlier this year after an absence of nineteen years.
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.