Skip to main content

Stories from Columban Missions

Parishioners at St. Columbans in Fiji
When Our Lady Changed Her Mantle

It was Easter 2012 and I was acting Parish Priest of the Columban Parish of Ba in Fiji. The Ba River had burst its banks once more on the Saturday…

Students at the Learning Resources Center
A Burst of Light

Before a huge crowd of young people in Portugal Pope Francis said, “Dear young friends, today we too need something of this burst of light, so…

Pride Parade
What Have I Learned?

Back in September 1990 I came home from Korea for a sabbatical after two terms as pastor of two parishes. It was a blessing for me to be able to…

Winding path through a forest
Small Steps

Every first Sunday of the month, the diocese weekly newsletter advertised the Come & See gathering for prospective participants in the…

Diary - In So Many Words
All My Trust

If I could stand before the crucifixion of Jesus on Calvary what would I feel or think? What would I do or say? What would you do or say? The…

Bird icon on earthy background
My Pentecost in Birmingham

The Sunday Feast of the Pentecost in 2023 fell on May 28. What is the Feast of Pentecost some people might ask? As described in that Sunday Gospel…

Empty school desk chair in an empty room
Survival of Those Displaced

It was in June 2021 that I got back to Peru, my own country, and once again had the opportunity to be with people who were displaced and in…

Youth sitting in a line facing the sea looking at the sunset
Youth for Change

“Youth for Change” was the theme that the Youth in Raiwaqa Parish (Fiji) chose for their revival program after the Covid-19 pandemic. Being with…

Windows overlooking a bay.
Hope to Life Anew

A shimmer of light I saw
Beckoning me to go…. Ah! HOPE
To freedom I go
Out of this dark, cold, filthy tunnel