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Past Magazine Stories

Below are stories from past issues of Columban Mission magazine. The Columban Fathers publish Columban Mission magazine eight times a year. Subscriptions are available for just $15 per year. Sign up to receive our next issue. Read more about Columban Mission magazine.

 

October 2024

Einsein village can hardly be called a village. It is a large depressed slum area on the outskirts of the city of Yangon in Myanmar (formerly Burma). People live in abject…

October 2024

A phone call from Seoul. It was Pak Hyun Sen wishing me a happy birthday. In the post there was a birthday card from Il Cheong. That same evening Mi Suk dropped by our…

October 2024

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

October 2024

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 soon busy with language…

October 2024

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 years ago I was seriously…

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…

October 2024

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

August/September 2024

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 lots of liquid to avoid…

August/September 2024

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 gained on something the…

August/September 2024

Sr. Bríd Kenny from Coolmeen in Co. Clare, Ireland, joined the Missionary Sisters of St. Columban on April 9, 1942. She got to know the Sisters because her cousin Laura…

August/September 2024

As I sat in my office at the Columban Mission Center in El Paso, Texas, I felt that something was missing. It had been a busy morning so far, on that hot day. We still had…

August/September 2024

Chileans are hardworking people. Mothers and fathers instill their work ethic in their children from an early age, in many families that I have come to know, by…