God our Father,
you will never allow the powers of hell
to prevail against Your Church,
founded on the rock of the apostle Peter.
Let the prayers of Pope Leo the Great
keep us faithful to Your truth
and secure in Your peace.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
My Queen! my Mother!
I give you all myself, and,
to show my devotion to you,
I consecrate to you my eyes,
my ears, my mouth, my heart,
my entire self.
Wherefore, O loving Mother,
as I am your own,
keep me, defend me,
as your property and possession.
The phone woke me from a deep sleep. I turned on the light. The clock read 2:35 a.m., and the caller was Saiyun, a church leader in DaGuan village. Her mother is elderly and in poor health. I thought something had happened to her mother, and I answered the call. “Father, the church has burned down,” Saiyun said through sobs and tears. I thought I had misheard and asked her to repeat the message. Sure enough it was true. The chapel in DaGuan village was no more.
I believe that You, O Jesus,
are in the most holy Sacrament.
I love You and desire You.
Come into my heart I embrace You.
Come Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.
Send forth Your Spirit
Thank You, Lord, for Your great power
and love for all people.
Help us, to constantly praise You
and glorify Your Holy Name.
Even during times of trial, like this COVID-19 pandemic,
help us to see that we are all one world community;
that our actions affect those around us.
Remind us that the health and safety of our families
rests in everyone working together
with love and compassion for each other.
May You be our guide, O Lord,
and may we always praise and glorify You.
Amen.
Even before the Pope convoked the Synod on the Amazon in 2019, and issued his dramatic exhortation, Columban missionaries in South America have
Guardian Angel, watch over those
whose names you can read in my heart.
Guard over them with every care
and make their way easy and their labors fruitful.
Dry their tears if they weep;
sanctify their joys;
raise their courage if they weaken;
restore their hope if they lose heart,
their health if they be ill,
truth if they err,
repentance if they fail.
O Saintly reformer, animator of spiritual
renewal of priests and religious,
you organized true seminaries
and wrote a standard catechism.
Inspire all religious teachers
and authors of catechetical books.
Move them to love and transmit only
that which can form true followers
of the Teacher who was divine.
Amen.
In February 2020 some eighteen priests and Sisters participated in the Mission Education Program for Korean missionaries going overseas at our Center House in Seoul. It was directed by Columban Fr. Thomas Nam Seungwon and the staff at our Mission Center in Seoul. The program was initiated in 1989 as a response to the feedback of Korean Missionaries returning home for vacation. They had a simple message – while they were enthusiastic, and Gospel-motivated for mission, they were not prepared for the struggle of learning a new language, of adjusting to a new Church and a new culture.
Missionary Society of St. Columban US