Father Cathal P. Coulter, a native of Northern Ireland, was one of the Columbans who continued the great filmmaking tradition of Columban Father Richard Ranaghan. The energetic Father Coulter produced more than 20 Columban mission films between the early 1970s through 1993.
In 1992, he initiated the Columban Life Story Project, in which he conducted oral history interviews with about a dozen Columban Fathers at the Columban headquarters in Bellevue, Nebraska.
The Columbans had a history of holding interviews ever since about the mid-1970s, in an attempt to further capture Columban history. In the early 1990s Father Coulter used his audio-visual production experience to make the interviews much more professional and formal.
The Columbans he interviewed for the Life Story Project spoke about their work in countries such as Pakistan, the Philippines, Burma, and the United States.
They recounted priceless treasures of Columban history, everything from comical anecdotes to serious events. And Father Coulter was there the entire time, directing and polishing the interview process.
Although Father Coulter is now deceased, the Columban Life Story Project continues to serve as an invaluable source for Columban history.
