As we celebrate the Columban Mission Society's centennial, Columban lay missionary Haiti Muller refl ects on her journey in the prison ministry where she gets inspiration from the work of Columban Fr. Francis Chapman.
Where there is heart there is love; where there is love there is joy; where there is joy there is God.
Dear Scholar and Martyr,
it was not the King of England
but you who were the true Defender of the Faith.
Like Christ unjustly condemned,
neither promises nor threats could make you accept a civil ruler
as head of the Christian Church.
Perfect in your honesty and love of truth,
grant that lawyers and judges may imitate you
Jesus, we know You are calling us to follow
You just as You called Your first disciples.
You need us. You want us to be Your hands,
Your feet and Your welcoming smile.
We tell You that we are too young,
too inexperienced. That won’t work.
You want us to imitate Your Mother
who, while young and inexperienced,
said “Your will be done.”
May you walk with God this summer
In whatever you do,
Wherever you go.
Walking with honesty and with courage,
Walking with love and respect
And concern for the feelings of others.
May you talk to God this summer
And every day
And in every situation.
Let me love You, my Lord and my God,
and see myself as I really am:
a pilgrim in this world,
a Christian called to respect and love
all whose lives I touch,
those in authority over me
or those under my authority,
my friends and my enemies.
Lord Jesus Christ,
I consecrate myself today anew
and without reserve to Your Divine Heart.
I consecrate to You my body with all its senses,
my soul with all its faculties,
my entire being.
I consecrate to You all my thoughts,
words and deeds,
all my sufferings and labors,
all my hopes, consolations and joys.
God our Father,
in Your wisdom and love You made all things.
Bless these men,
that they may be strengthened as Christian fathers.
Let the example of their faith and love shine forth.
Grant that we, their sons and daughters,
may honor them always
with a spirit of profound respect.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
I place my trust in You without reserve
and I hope for the remission of my sins
through Your infinite mercy.
I place within Your hands all my cares and anxieties.
I promise to love You and to honor You
until the last moment of my life,
and to spread, as much as I can,
devotion to Your most Sacred Heart.
My soul,
my Jesus loves you ardently.
Hope for great favors from the Lord,
Who, through an impulse of love,
comes to you all love.
Yes, my Jesus, my hope,
I trust in Your goodness,
that in giving Yourself to me this morning,
You will kindle in my poor soul
the flames of Your pure love,
and of an ardent desire to please You,
Lord of patience and kindness –
You share in my ups and downs of recovery.
I believe in Your healing mercy,
and in the restoring energies of nature
You have put in my body and spirit.
I see the signs of Your healing love in me,
and joy surges in my heart.
I tell You aloud my thanksgiving
and smile my trust in You.
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.
We go in the name of the Church to announce, by deed and word, the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Missionary Society of St. Columban
P.O. Box 10
St, Columbans, NE 68056
Phone: 877-299-1920
Fax: 402-291-4984
email: mission@columban.org
