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Mission News

Columban Fr. Salustino Villalobos, a member of the International Leadership Team

Connecting with Young People

Fr. Salustino Villalobos, a member of the Columban International Leadership Team, visits St. Hillary Parish in Peru and shares

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Tsukiji Church is the oldest catholic church in Tokyo, Japan.

Columban Parish Celebrates 150th Jubilee

Tsukiji Catholic Church in Tokyo, Japan is celebrating its 150th jubilee in 2024. Established in 1874 and dedicated to St. Joseph, the church has…

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Fr. Eamon Sheridan in flood waters

Flooding in Myanmar

At 2 am on Monday morning July 1, 2024, in the Columban Rebirth Rehabilitation Center in Myitkyina in North Eastern Myanmar (formerly Burma), I…

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Mindful Moment

Perhaps the most profound realization of all is the significance of love—love for oneself, for others, and for the world around us. It is love that illuminates even the darkest of days, igniting hope within our hearts and inspiring acts of kindness that ripple far beyond our own lives.

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Spring Flowers

All Souls intentions

All Saints and All Souls

Reflecting on All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day offers a profound opportunity to contemplate both mortality and the lives of exemplary individuals who have lived before us.

All Saints' Day, celebrated on November 1, honors all the saints, known and unknown, recognized by the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations. It celebrates those individuals who have lived exceptionally holy lives, serving as inspirations and role models for the faithful. All Saints' Day reminds us of the diversity of saintly lives and the varied paths to sanctity, encouraging us to emulate their virtues and seek spiritual growth.

All Souls' Day, celebrated on November 2, is a day dedicated to remembering and …

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Stories from Columban Missions

A man kneeling by a lake hands cupped with lake water.

The Simple Joys of a Priest

Like any other vocation or calling, priestly life is also filled with challenges, difficulties and struggles. Yet, amidst the toils and rough…

Sisters ministering to those affected by the floods

Go Ye Afar

In response to the words of an old song, “Go Ye Afar,” on November 15, 1926, a group of five Columban Sisters arrived in Hanyang, China, and were…

Three violins in a row

Many Strings to His Bow

Our newest Columban missionary priest has already lived many different lives. He speaks five languages and has lived in five different cultures…

Diary - In So Many Words

We Are Challenged

We are challenged to forgive those who hurt us and to forgive them seventy times seven. I used to take this challenge in my stride. Then some…

Goldfish

Help to Beat Summer Heat

Atsui ne, “Isn’t it hot” has become a summer greeting here in Japan. Announcements on our televisions tell us to use air conditioning and drink…

Columban seminarian Jerry Lohera and friends in Pakistan

A Bare Start

Elated by the completion of my Urdu language refresher course, I felt ready to jumpstart into the ministry. It is true that the more knowledge one…

From the Director

Fr. Chris Saenz, U.S. Director

Mind, Body, Spirit

Bodily issues are an interesting culture shock in Latin America because people are more upfront about bodily issues than the United States. For instance, in the United States, we wouldn’t comment on the person’s weight gain to the person directly. If we do, it is done in a very sensitive way. In Chile, it’s upfront. I could visit a person who I hadn’t seen for some time and that person could look at me and say directly, “Wow! You really gained weight! Look at how big you are!” Furthermore, people will call one el gordito/la gordita meaning fatty. In the U.S. culture this would be interpreted as taunts. In Chile, it often was an expression of cariño or endearment. A man sitting on the edge of a cliff staring at the nearby mountainsLike many people, I struggle with my weight. At one point in my life, I …

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