Jesus told His disciples, "You must be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." How can we be perfect, we ask, as we are so painfully conscious of our own…
newsletter
Some months ago, a migrant friend here in Hong Kong texted me with the request that the Columbans hold her husband’s cremains in our chapel until she could bring them back…
I woke up scared. I didn’t want to get out of the bed. I was due to begin a 3-day workshop on intercultural living with the Columban priests working in Korea. Most of…
Baptized and confirmed, in your word formed, disciple and missionary it is the gift of your calling. You make me go through every town that you have…
I remember many years ago, around 1979, I was up in the village of Navala, in the parish of Ba, Fiji. In those days, the village had a population of around 600, almost all…
Today I remember my mother. As a woman of tolerance, she could put up with a lot of things she did not agree with. But there was one thing she could not tolerate and that…
I had been studying the Fijian language for almost three months. It was great to have a chance to learn the Fijian language and culture after spending three years working…
My name is Alvaro Martinez, and I am a Columban priest who has always been fascinated by photography. Through my experiences with photography, I find a connection with…
For the first 18 months of Covid-19 both South Korea and Hong Kong did such a good job in managing the spread of the virus that they were looked upon as success stories.…
A characteristic of a classic is that it is able to say far more than the original author intended. This is evident in Paul's letter to the Romans (8:18-25). I see that…
A sick and aged man was looked after for many years by his son and daughter-in-law. However, as the years passed their patience waned. One night the son put his father on…
Sometime in the late 1970s, I was invited to stay overnight with a family in a village in the parish of Ba, Fiji. A member of the family had died 10 days previously. Early…
Traditionally we Irish have dealt with death in a positive and hands-on manner. The Irish wake is known for its celebration of the deceased person's life. In the midst of…
The village catechist came to me recently and told me that Iowane had been living with Maria Rosa for about 18 years. They had five grown up children and now they wanted…
Amparo, you have passed over to the other side of life. I know I will see you again but in the meantime, I know you will continue to look after me as you always did. It…
The prophet Habakkuk wrote his book not long before the siege and capture of Jerusalem in 586 BC, at a time when the Babylonian army was on the march towards Jerusalem.
I attended Sunday Mass on mission Sunday morning at the parish near Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, when I was on sabbatical.
I have been working in the Community Living Services of the St. Joseph Social Service Welfare Foundation Center in Hsinchu (Taiwan) diocese for four years. The Center…
Recently we had a Mass at the Home of Compassion for the Fiji community of the greater Wellington area. It was a wonderful occasion during which members of our community…
Today I escaped from my Hindi studies to visit two veteran French missionaries, Frs. Cocereau and Debois at Naililili mission station. I was impressed by the fine old…
I think the Gospel of Luke 12:35-40 is mistakenly interpreted as a call to be prepared to meet the Son of Man at the time of death. This passage reminds us of the words of…
How are you? My name is Gertrude, and I live close to the sea in Samcheok, Korea, listening to Songs of Praise from the seagulls and the waves. I was baptized by the late…
I have been in Nacemaki village now for almost two months. It is a great place for practicing Fijian after my six-month course in Suva.
My name is Maopa Dulunaqio, a former lay missionary who worked in Peru for three years from 2001-2004. I was in the CLM Fiji group 7, which included Serafina Vuda (…
Luke 10: 25-37 is the deeply touching story of the Good Samaritan. He was considered as an outsider and yet he was moved with compassion for the person left for dead on…
A couple approached me in the parish hall after Mass. “Are you Fr. Frank Hoare?” the lady asked. Something about the timber of her voice stirred a memory. “You used…
1 Kings 17:7-16 tells the story of the hospitality of the widow of Zarephath who provided for the prophet Elijah even though she barely had enough for herself and her son…
The pandemic brought many changes in our lives, economically, socially and personally as well as in our communities and in our line of work. We were not able to travel to…
I have been renting a room from a Fijian family in Kinoya for the last few months while I continue to teach at the Pacific Regional Seminary. My landlady is a widow with…
It was only recently that I first heard of “everyday mysticism.” It is such a perfect way to describe how many live. So often we think of mystics as people who have…
“I really only understood the Our Father when I became a father myself,” said the Anglican vicar to me. I believe he was just sharing something of his spiritual experience…
There is an old saying, which some attribute to St. Teresa of Avila, which says that God writes straight with crooked lines. It means that though our human life often…
After 13 years of being assigned to the Philippines, I am now back in my own country doing mission in one of the areas where the Columbans are located at San Martin de…
Diary cover While studying Hindi at the Columban Center House during my first year in Fiji, I was saying Mass at the Home of Compassion nearby. The Sisters, elderly…
This year the celebration of Palm Sunday here in Aotearoa-New Zealand will be more somber because of the COVID 19 restrictions. I will be the celebrant at St. Peter and…
The explosions of grace that took place in St. John the Apostle Church in Latifabad, Hyderabad, throughout Holy Week and the Easter season of 2022 should not go unnoticed…
I have returned to Fiji from holidays and met with Fr. Theo I was anxious to get the news of a marriage case I had been involved in investigating and writing up for the…
The Gospel of Mark 10:28-31 is connected to the original question of the rich man who desperately wanted to follow Jesus - “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal…
Mark’s Gospel 9:41-50 is about taking responsibility for one’s own actions. When we have done wrong, Jesus urges us to undergo radical change - using the strong images of…
Miriam was married to Raju and they had six children – all girls. I liked Miriam because she was kind and gentle. She always had a cup of tea for a priest visiting…
Modern day Korea has undergone massive cultural and technological changes. At first glance, it seems that Koreans, in their rush to embrace modernity and all things…
Luke 9:7-9 is the story about Herod the tetrarch, the Roman-installed ruler of Galilee and Perea. He was the son of Herod the Great who was responsible for the slaughter…
Palmer Avenido worked in a machine-assemble factory in Taoyuan County, Taiwan, for six years before returning to his home in the Philippines. While in Taiwan he…
In seeking the language to talk about God and those places where God’s presence is mostly keenly felt, in other words “the kingdom of God,” Jesus relied on two sources:…
December 6, 2022, is the feast day of St. Nicholas, whose gifts to the poor made him the model for our modern-day Santa Claus.
Massage is a common traditional healing practice in Fiji and the Pacific. Young people massage the feet, legs or bodies of their elders.
During this pandemic, the deaf people are more isolated in their own world; they only know what is going on in the world through things visual, like watching TV news and…
It was a big occasion for me. But I wasn’t happy. The young man’s father had told me that the wedding was fixed for the school holidays in May.
“But I will be in…
I once visited Papua New Guinea and accompanied my friend, a patrol officer on his 1ten days of administrative rounds. He hired men from the village to carry his equipment…
I live in an apartment building in Quezon City (Philippines). On my floor are four apartments separated in two wings. The other apartment in my wing has been empty since…
We conducted an intercultural workshop here in Ba (Fiji) parish this past weekend. About 50 people attended, mainly indigenous Fijians and ethnic Indians. Scripture input…
As Columban missionaries, we have lived in other countries where we have worked closely with people from Asia, South America and Oceania. We have learned not only to value…
The story about paying tax occurs only in Matthew (17:22-27), not surprisingly, as he was a former tax-collector. At the time of the writing of his Gospel, the question of…
Our committee president in Naleba was very interested in Tirikuttu. It is a South Indian dance drama – a form of ritual and social entertainment and a medium of social…
On the 4th Sunday of Easter – Good Shepherd Sunday – the universal church celebrates Vocations Sunday.
The word vocation means “to call.” Every baptized Christian is…
We have allowed dualism to color the way we have traditionally interpreted the saying of Jesus that is found in Matthew 19:23-30. To see the world in terms of competing or…
I met the fishermen last night as I crossed the Nacamaki village green on my way to a dance practice. The dau ni vucu (composer) was teaching me a vakamalolo meke (sitting…
“Man man” is a Chinese word meaning slowly. I often come across this word when I’m out and about in Taiwan. Oftentimes, I would see this word written on the road.…
Yesterday, I sat on the floor of a young man's house. I don't think he was rich, but somehow he had acquired the use of a house in disrepair. Before he repaired and…
Here in Nacamaki village on Koro Island, where I am practicing the Fijian language by living in the village, there are many blessings. But there is one frustration.
Being a part of the Filipino Catholic Community here in Taiwan is life-giving for me as a missionary. I feel so blessed to have built a close relationship with the…
The sweet and minty smell of the mountain air. The sound of glacier water flowing from the melting ice. The thunderous sound of an avalanche
Election fever is at a high pitch. Just a couple of weeks to go. Ordinary people are usually fearful in the run-up to any election in Fiji.
In Genesis 44-45, we hear the story of Joseph’s emotional reconnection with his brothers. This familiar Old Testament story reminds me of the time an aging Fijian Catholic…
A week ago, I heard on the coconut wireless that two men here in Nacamaki village had noticed a small shark in shallow water off the coast. They quickly took shovels from…
A youth march to highlight the climate crisis was suggested by Atelemo Cakaudrove, a student from the Fiji National University, Nasinu Campus, at a zoom meeting with other…
“Go home.” These can be tough words for foreign missionaries and sometimes people can bluntly tell us to go back to where we came from. Such words can be said when what we…
When I was back for the first time in Ireland after four years in Fiji, it was great to be home. My mother had knitted me a warm sweater now that my blood had been thinned…
I recall the story of a missionary who went to Africa with the stated intention of bringing God to a people whom he thought had never heard of God before.
There is so much to tell about missionary life, but one thing to never miss to mention is that missionaries go where God sends them. It is often said that the family is…
Some journalists were fascinated by the fact that Pope Benedict XVI freely surrendered his infallibility in giving up the Papacy. However wonderful Papal infallibility may…
I vividly recall the first coup in Fiji. It took place on May 14, 1987. Shortly after the takeover of Parliament and the imprisonment of government members, soldiers…
The Catholics of Naleba settlement held their annual Church AGM while I happened to be there on a return visit. Some young teachers who had just completed three-week…
Early in September 2021, a small group of us Columbans visited the Buddhist Tsz Shan Monastery in Tai Po, Hong Kong. In this era of restrictions on our mobility it was…
In Matthew 12: 38-42, the scribes and Pharisees tell Jesus that they want to see a sign from Him. He rebukes them and says that the only sign they will receive will be…
It's not every day a member of your parish brings home a gold Olympic medal! I was very happy therefore to finally meet Waisea Nacuqu, from Votua, after his 2 weeks'…
After four years as an air traffic controller in the U.S. Navy, I began my journey with the Columban Fathers in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1975 and was ordained in my…
Deep in the industrial heartland of northern England, Columban Fr. John Boles encounters a parish with a remarkable tale to tell.
"Every picture tells a story," goes…
I was shocked when a daughter of close Indo-Fijian friends eloped 45 years ago. I sought her out at that time begging her, in vain, to return to her family. Her mother was…
Today, I finally set foot in Navala village. For a number of times, previous plans of going to Navala have been postponed because of one reason, the weather. But today was…
Being a stranger in a foreign land isn’t always easy, in terms of learning and adapting to the culture, as well as the language.
People sometimes ask “Why did you become a missionary?” What made about 12 of my 45 classmates in secondary school decide that they wanted to be missionary priests?
In the past few weeks, I’ve started to post a challenge to us priests, religious and lay people who consecrate our lives to the service of God’s people.
Before I was assigned to a regional mission unit as a Columban lay missionary, I was attending the orientation program, and in the seminar held on “the Day of Overseas…
After the stoning of Stephen, a severe persecution began against the community in Jerusalem, led by Saul, who entered houses and dragged off men and women to prison.…
The claim of a number of political leaders in the recent past to be protecting the Judeo/Christian civilization has not gone unnoticed. However, when this claim is…
I began to search for my vocation in high school. I belonged to a “Young Vinnies” group made up of students from the Catholic high schools in Suva, Fiji.
The words of the poem by Grace Nichols depict a situation existing not just in Jamaica and the Caribbean but around the world where women have to leave home and children…
During my years in Fiji, I sometimes wondered how and why I got caught up in certain things or got involved with particular groups.
The blessings I’ve had being a Columban Lay Missionary are when I journeyed with the Filipinos in my ministry in the Malate Parish, Philippines, for three years, and with…
When I see the newly arrived children – all victims of human right violations and sexual abuse – healing and recovering in our Preda Foundation home and striving to be “…
In 2017, due to pastoral circumstances, I lived in the parish's most impoverished area, the "Santos Arcángeles" in the district of San Martin de Porres; the "Jazmines de…
I am living with an Irish priest and seven Columban seminarians in Manila. These students are from Myanmar, Fiji and Korea, and during the spiritual year they are…
When I was experiencing major difficulties in my life I was greatly consoled and encouraged to keep going by numerous Columban priests. As I recall my meetings with those…
When I arrived here ten years ago, the people started talking about the need for a resting place, a shelter, for migrant workers. For political and economic reasons people…
I am working in the diocese of Thaibay at the Chinese Martyrs parish church. Here I am fulfilling my practical training on my first mission assignment having completed my…
The Church causes distress when it “manifests itself as proud, arrogant, damaging, hierarchical, hypocritical and irrelevant,” and it points out the obvious - that this is…
The parish of Kogin is the northernmost parish on the east coast of Korea. It is above the 38th parallel and next to the Demilitarized Zone (the DMZ). I am a native of…
Before I arrived in my mission assignment in Britain, I spent my last few weeks in New Zealand busily saying goodbye to my dear friends, and all the while preparing myself…
It is nice to hear someone say to you, “Make sure you stay in touch." You might be leaving to move to another place or to go on mission somewhere overseas.
Columban Father Chris Saenz returned to Omaha after many years as a missionary priest in Chile where he worked among the Mapuche people in the south of Chile and in the…
I first considered becoming a priest when I was seven years old. Mysteriously enough I still remember that strong feeling of being called by God.
The empowerment of women and girls is a most urgent need in today’s world where discrimination, violence and exploitation of women and girls, especially in the developing…
Learning a new language is only part of the challenge for missionaries. Local people have their own cultural values and see things differently from outsiders.
Savenaca Momo from Nadelei in Ba Province, Fiji, is the epitome of a gentle giant. He joined the first team of Columban lay missionaries to leave Fiji.
The Columban Missionary Society which was originally founded for mission in China finally ordained its first Chinese Columban at the beginning of 2020.
This video production by Preda Foundation shows the life and recovery of the teenagers who were rescued from human traffickers and the horrors of abuse and …
God takes us beyond what our minds can imagine beyond the limits we put on our hearts knowing that the cosmos and all earth creatures are brother and sister as St. Francis…
The latest letter of Pope Francis, his Encyclical, Fratelli Tuttii “Brothers and Sisters All,” is one that should touch every heart, stimulate our minds, awaken our…
When we look at the scene of the baptism of Jesus as depicted by Christian artists the important figures seem to be Jesus, John the Baptist and the Holy Spirit descending…
The dawn has broken through
The fears and snares of darkness
Are shattered, scattered, put to rout
Hold your head up high, oh man,
The providence of God gives earth its seasons.
The equinox sun sets glory over the equator
radiates tempering flowers south and colors north
My heart was filled with gratitude and awe when I finished my first term mission in South Korea meaningfully and gracefully. Praise be to God and Mama Mary.
Thanksgiving Day is called Zhong-Qiu-Jie in Taiwan, which means mid-autumn festival which is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar…
Columban lay missionary Sunhee Kim writes about her ministry to children trapped in deplorable conditions at a dump in the Philippines.
Pulsating through our world, oceans and land
the tropics and artic, our home
flows the presence of God
loving a myriad of creation faces.
I’ve been living here in Ciudad Juarez in the Parish of Corpus Christi in the Northern part of Mexico, Rancho Anapra, for almost eighteen months now.
I was ordained in 1969. Those were confident and energetic times. Neil Armstrong walked on the moon a few days later.
A case of gang rape of a 19-year old young British woman in Ayia Napa in southeastern Cyprus by 12 youth 15 to 18 years old in July 2019 received international attention…
In 1981, Columban Fr. Frank Hoare was at the Namata Ashram running a Hindi-speaking lay leaders course. He shared with us the following story from that time.
Where there is heart there is love; where there is Love there is Joy; where there is Joy there is God, and all things begin with God.
As a promise, God created a Chosen People
guiding them in deserts, freeing them from slavery
giving them a promised land as their home.
One of my passions is in the area of ecological justice, so I decided to initiate a recycling program in the parish in Raiwaqa, Fiji, where I am assigned and launch it…
I work as a shelter supervisor at the Hope Workers’ Center in Taiwan, and I can say that I enjoy the work. Every day I facilitate activities for the residents in the…
It took a long time for me to discern my full-time ministry until I finally found myself working with mentally and developmentally challenged individuals at Ai Jia (House…
How many times has someone climbed a mountain only to find that they are still not at the summit? And, in fact, a cliff lies between them and the higher peaks.
My name is Teresa, but most people here call me Ling. I was born in Malaysia and before coming to Fiji, I lived in New Zealand for eleven years.
Everything went…
I started serving at the Hope Workers’ Center (HWC) last year as a fulltime pastoral coordinator among the Filipino Community of volunteers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus…
Talking about gratefulness, many people say that it is all about being appreciative of the good things in our lives. We appreciate the person who shows kindness or…
Opportunity comes once in a lifetime, and not all of us have the chance to be able to share with others the gifts that God has given to each of us: gifts such as life, our…
A few years ago the Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year was “post-truth.” Every day people are subjected to many false words, “fake news,” “alternative truths,” and…
In January 2019 I returned to Taiwan with my husband Jung-Woong Bosco as a Columban lay missionary couple. At the moment, I’m completing month seven of a full year,…
God the creator keeps faith with the universe forever
in the evolving journey of planets, plants and animals
loving humanity and guiding our journey
I feel as much on Columban mission here in Sydney as I ever did in Lahore, Pakistan, if not more so, and it is usually in the ordinary encounters of every day.
In the dangerous southern island of Mindanao in the Philippine archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, martial law reigns.
I am a butterfly,
Know that I like Flying among colorful flowers But now, I won’t do like this I offer to you…My lord.
At last, I am back in Korea, my home country. I returned in March 2019 and threw myself into the surging waves of work awaiting me as the new Columban Lay Missionary (CLM…
One of the striking aspects of spending four months in San Antonio, Texas, is the very Hispanic/Mexican feel of the city as well as the way it manages its social…
What greater duty does any person of integrity have than to speak the truth about that which is morally wrong, unjust and despicable?
"Quit being a lemon and make some lemonade in these straitened times," a journalist urged in a recent article.
A couple of years ago, before starting the Christmas Mass, in a chapel in the southern area of the archdiocese of Santiago, Chile, a family arrived with their children.
Noisily he made his haggard way
down the corridor to the departure gate
a gimp exuding anger.
Taking a seat he announced under his breath
My missionary journey in Ireland was the highlight of my entire career and my greatest accomplishment in life.
I have been attending a training of trainers at the Methodist Conference Center. I was unhappy with the sleeping arrangements.
The river came out of the ground underneath the rocks
We watched and wondered where it came from
Drank it, used it for cooking
Washed ourselves
The parish church of Jimenez is considered a national heritage building one of only two from Mindanao, the Philippines, the other is in Jasaan (next stop). It is said to…
My journey in Korea as a Columban Lay Missionary can be compared with my first experience of the FOUR SEASONS – Spring, Summer, fall, and winter.
After spending over a year in India from February 1979 to March 1980 I began to understand the reverence that Hindus gave to the cow and the importance for them of not…
The presence of immigrant spouses in Korea, together with the even larger population of immigrant laborers, has challenged the long-held homogeneous Korean society. With…
I have been studying the Fijian language for almost 3 months now. It is great to have a chance now to learn the Fijian language and culture.
We entered the so-called Bahay Pagasa, ??House of Hope.? It turned out to be a children's jail. We brought snacks and drinks to share with the young people in the cells…
As a Columban lay missionary, I have been working and living in a community in Puente Alto near Santiago, Chile. I worked in a parish named after St.
I have been renting a room from a Fijian family in Kinoya for the last few months while I continue to teach at the Pacific Regional Seminary.
In Pakistan, terminally-ill patients are treated as sources of income by the medical profession and the hospital culture.
Once upon a time a young prince has an extensive and beautiful garden. Above all he loved “Bamboo’’ in his grove and used to visit him frequently. Bamboo reveled in his…
I suppose what really attracted me to become an associate with the Society of St. Columban as a lay volunteer was conviction and commitment to the same message that…
From the seclusion of his monastery in Kentucky, the Cistercian monk, Thomas Merton, reached out to the men and women of his time with a wise and compassionate heart.
Today I escaped from my Hindi studies to visit two veteran French missionaries, Frs. Cocereau and Debois at Naililili mission station. I was impressed by the fine old…
My childhood dream was always to be a religious sister. The seed of this dream must have been sown by the Columban missionaries, Sisters and priests, who were my educators…
As he lies in his sick bed, Columban Fr. Frank recalls some of his mission outreach: The first time I went to the leper colony, I traveled with (the late)…
I’m at the Namata Ashram running a Hindi-speaking lay leaders course. I’ve just had a meeting with a Fijian seminarian. I was supervising him on his cross-cultural…
It all started as a simple idea. I remember Columban Fr. Dom Nolan and Lourdes de Guzman both of Mission Awareness asking us if we would accept some donations for a garage…
Four of our Columban seminarians are studying philosophy at the Pacific Regional Seminary (PRS). During our community night one Sunday evening someone asked one of them…
The personal experience of loss and grief over the death of a loved family member is universal. People tend to remember the lives of those who have recently died.…
The Philippines is a country with some of the greatest inequality. There are 16 million Filipinos who suffer serious poverty out of population of 107 million. Six million…
The vast majority of Filipinos love their children, they care for them, pamper and spoil them at times.
Travelling to strange places and leaving familiar things behind entails a mixed feeling of excitement, joy as well as fear.
The closing of the Columban centennial in Myanmar was held in Myitkyina where Columbans worked for decades until 1979 before being expelled by the military government.
Personally, the world looked different after the sorrow of my parents' death. All the small disappointments disappeared. Instead, I came to more deeply appreciate and…
"Where do you find comfort", you asked,
and I found myself at a loss for an answer.
I am accustomed to comforting others
and now, when I need comforting,
…
Recently, we at the PREDA Foundation have opened a new home for troubled boys which was possible with the help of our supporters.
When Columbans began working in the parish of Greentown, Lahore, Pakistan, in 2007, I tried to build up Christian-Muslim relations, for example hosting Iftar dinners…
Columban Fr. Ed Quinn began the major work of building a new parish center in the bush at Vudibasoga. He has gone on holidays leaving Fr. Theo and myself holding the fort…
We are united with you in heart and prayer during this very special time of year. This has truly begun as a very graced Advent for us in Myanmar. The coming of the Pope…
My friend Prabhu Dass arrived at the Naleba church just as I finished my meager breakfast.
Ramadan is the Holy Month for Muslims. This takes place during the ninth lunar month of Ramadan. Muslims are required to abstain from food and drink from dawn till sunset…
They are remembered every day. They are prayed for at Mass, at the Divine Office, during community prayers. Many have died but they are never forgotten. Every day, without…
I am half way through my two months stay in Nacemaki Village after my course in the Fijian language. The villagers are very welcoming and friendly.
In January 2015 I began a new ministry in Payatas, the Philippines, known as the second Smokey mountain.
About 18 months ago, after leaving the parish of St. Catherine’s, I felt called to go and explore opportunities of volunteering with groups which are responding to the…
I am flying like a bird across the ocean
Sometimes I feel debilitated and depressed
I am trying and flying with my wings
Fighting the worst weather
Last night Fr. Theo and I decided to visit separate Indo-Fijian families in the same settlement about five miles from town. We borrowed the parish van.
A fund-raising bazaar took place at Raviravi church today. A large multi-ethnic crowd attended, and there were different cultural items presented.
We read and see reports about the terrible number of child sexual assaults and how few perpetrators ever get convicted.
Catholic Church leaders have spoken out to condemn the brutal killing of a young priest, Father Mark Anthony Ventura, 37, from Gattaran town in the province of Cagayan on…
Before I become a lay missionary, I was a full-time volunteer at Jesuit Volunteer of the Philippines (JVP).
Apart from my General Council work, I have found myself unofficial chaplain to foreign inmates in five Hong Kong prisons.
It all started about three months ago when catechist Timoci Matakiviwa turned up on our doorstep offering to compose a Centennial Meke for us.
The Portuguese have become a part of Rhode Island society, but not at the price of entirely losing their religious heritage.
When I was growing up in Ireland we used to hear about the bogey man – who would snatch naughty children and spirit them away.
A week-end retreat with the women
from the desolate city slum ??
delight in grass, and flowers and shrubs;
joy, to be free for two whole days
I have discovered
that a buttercup has five petals,
that several colors enliven a patch of moss
that grass comes in near-infinite variety
My main interfaith experiences in the Philippines were with Muslims; things in Myanmar are very different given the very large majority Buddhist population.
Church and police authorities and non-government organizations (NGOs) came together recently in the Vatican under the Santa Martha Group headed by Cardinal Vincent…
For Father Donal
Eyes clenched,
I conjure your grave,
White above Boyne grasses,
Stone processing
Like acolytes.
All questions buried,
Archbishop Petero Mataca confirmed about 50 young people at Nabala (Fiji) today. As part of the preparation we priests had invited Beniamino, a blind dau ni vucu…
Journalists, writers, reporters, commentators will just have to curb their passion for speaking and exposing the truth if they want to continue to live.
You snubbed me and the others laughed.
You were right in what you said
But were wrong in the sneering way you said it
In the middle of the night, with the wedding guests gathered around, the groom is led to a specially-prepared canopy. There, he is seated, facing north.
There was a frantic voice at the end of the phone. “Fr. Peter our Filipino friend Genalyn is sick in hospital and our Taiwan broker is going to send her back to the…
It is with much joy and heartfelt gratitude that I, on behalf of Columban missionaries and co-workers invite you, our benefactors, your families and friends, and the…
Last year, I was visiting Monasterboice, an Irish monastic settlement that dates back to the fifth century, with a group of Australian pilgrims who were on pilgrimage in…
Reflecting on his visit to small-town America, one writer listed some of the very appealing traits of that society – the warmth of the people, their politeness, their way…
Leprosy - that dreadful word
causing terror in the heart
bad enough to live with rotting flesh
but even worse to be among the living dead
I have many aspirations in life. Some of them I have already achieved. I am happy every time I achieve a goal.
Who is she? We asked our grandmother pointing to my mother. “My sister. You are the teacher.” My grandmother mumbled and whispered in her already weak voice.
Milly Hampson is eleven years old. She lives with her parents Darren and Beatriz in a tower block of flats overlooking the River Mersey in a rather unfashionable part of…
This spring a pair of great horned owls took over a large nest in a tree not too far from the Narragansett Bay shoreline. As one would expect before too long little…
For more than a year I spent most of my time visiting the elderly. I would say that meeting the different types of elderly is interesting and enjoyable, but needs a lot of…
When was the last time I said "I love you" to my dad? Have I thanked him lately? How long has it been since I prayed for him?
The summer mission appeals starts in June and finish by the end of August.
St. Anthony is a favorite saint of South Indian Catholics. Today I celebrated his feast with the mainly Indo-Fijian congregation at Raviravi, a rural settlement on Fiji’s…
Rosi, in the photograph, was a six-year old child detained in the police detention cell of Police Station B on Magsaysay Drive in Olongapo City, the Philippines, some…
Life is for living. It is to experience freedom to love and help others, to be free to grow and have family. To be human is to be free from fear and punishment and ill…
In the 1980s before the onset of cheap air fares and the free movement of people introduced by the European Union Irish immigrants in London were always on the look-out…
To be human means to live from day to day,
Searching the way forward,
Inching towards a clearer sense of identity and purpose.
Bennie had a thin, hollow face, the picture of malnutrition at 22 years of age, and had never been to school for more than a few months, could not read or write and he was…
One day when I was working in Montego Bay, I got a call from the bishop requesting that I go out and bless the foundation of a new hotel, the Ritz Carlton. He was invited…
After spending a year in Yangon to learn the Burmese language, Columban lay missionaries Catharina, Columba and Lenette moved to Banmaw (Myanmar) to start their ministry…
It was a rainy Sunday morning in San Marcelino, Zambales, Philippines. I was to celebrate the San Isidro fiesta Mass in barrio Pili. Pili was a Village far from town.
I am back in Naleba – the rural settlement on the second Island of Fiji where I began, in 1975, my missionary journey. After seven years away I feel the need to refresh my…
Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.
Today I went to take photos of the fire-walking at the Hindu temple at Nadera, a few miles from Suva. In the early 20th century, the British colonial government brought…
The war on drugs initiated by President Rodrigo Duterte on July 1, 2016, has made headlines around the world.
The drive from Ba, where I am stationed as assistant priest, to Suva takes well over four hours. Load-carrying trucks are one of the obstacles on the way, as I found out…
I have never known life without him. My great-uncle, Bishop Henry Ambrose Pinger, O.F.M., returned to the United States the year I was born, having served as a missionary…
Jesus said to His disciples, “Peace I leave you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”
In April 2016, I joined Archbishop George Lucas of the Omaha archdiocese on a trip of a lifetime – spending 17 days in China!
The rise of women into to high public office has given a new dimension to the global political scene.
It is truly an age of disbelief. Respect for the values of human life has plunged.
I am Mercy Gawason, and I am a Subanen woman. I am 26 years old, and I work in the Subanen Craft Center in Ozamis City, the Philippines. I met Columban Fr.
A long time ago in Japan there lived a travelling man who went from place to place with his monkey who could dance.
At the end of May 2016, during the General Audience of Pope Francis with representatives of the permanent diaconate, Rev.
In March 2013, Columban Fr. Bobby Gilmore wrote this letter to his niece Sarah and her husband Rob when he found out that Annabel Grace was born with Cystic Fibrosis.
On Saturday, May 14, 2016, Columban Fr.
Once upon a time many years ago, a man and his wife lived in the countryside in Japan.
Recently, we received a note of thanks from the diocese of Mytikyina for the donation we gave towards the completion of St.
The farmers have just cultivated their crops, such as corns and potatoes. They hope for a good harvest so that they will be able to share it with one another.
Fr. Kevin O’Neill, Superior General of the Columban Fathers and Fr. Patrick Colgan, member of the General Council, attended a meeting of leaders of Society of Apostolic…
Graduations have started for some of the kids. There was a Recognition Day on March 31 for Ariel Bulangis who has completed Grade 10. After that he still has two years of…
Jessica Mary, along with thirty other recovering child survivors of sexual abuse and human trafficking, marched down the streets of Olongapo City on International Women’s…
A few weeks ago Maria Johnson, Director of Hispanic Ministry, sent a note to Columban Father Maurice Foley asking him to write some articles about his missionary…
Parola is one of the largest shanty-towns in the Philippines. It is in the capital, Manila, on a long stretch of low-lying land between the Pasig River and the busy North…
There was a lonely Mission
Where Jesus was adored
They knew His ten commandments
And read His holy word.
Peru opened its arms to me in the first days of September 1978. That meant learning the language, and the language school was in Cochabamba, Bolivia.