The Magazine of the Missionary Society of St. Columban
February 2015
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o n t e n t s
Issue Theme – A Day in the Life
Volume 98 - Number 1- February 2015
Columban Mission Published By The Columban Fathers
Columban Mission (Issn 0095-4438) is published eight times a year. A minimum donation of $10 a year is required to receive a subscription. Send address and other contact information changes by calling our toll-free number, by sending the information to our mailing address or by e-mailing us at MISSIONOFFICE@COLUMBAN.ORG. Mailing Address: Columban Mission PO Box 10 St. Columbans, NE 68056-0010 Toll-Free Phone: 877/299-1920 Website: WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG Copyright © 2015, The Columban Fathers (Legal Title)
Forest Fires
8 St. Columban 1400th 12 Anniversary 615-2015
4 In Wuhan, Old Is New
Church Renewal in China
5 The Beauty of this World
And the Next!
7 Cerro Candela
The New Chapel of Our Lady of the Pillar
11 Where Is Home?
A Space Deep Within
14 The Ireland that Produced St. Columban
Contemplation in Action
18 50 Years of Holy Disquiet
On Being a Missionary Priest at 80+
19 The Lonely Mission 20 Violence Affects Childhood
Education Prevents Abuse
22 Too Big to Cry
Language School Tribuations
Departments 3 In So Many Words 23 From the Director CM FEB15 final.indd 2
PUBLISHER REV. TIMOTHY MULROY, SSC DIRECTORUSA@COLUMBAN.ORG EDITOR KATE KENNY KKENNY@COLUMBAN.ORG EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS CONNIE WACHA CWACHA@COLUMBAN.ORG MARCI ANDERSON MANDERSON@COLUMBAN.ORG GRAPHIC DESIGNER KRISTIN ASHLEY EDITORIAL BOARD DAN EMINGER CHRIS HOCHSTETLER KATE KENNY REV. TIMOTHY MULROY, SSC JEFF NORTON GREG SIMON FR. RICHARD STEINHILBER, SSC CONNIE WACHA SCOTT WRIGHT
The Missionary Society of St. Columban was founded in 1918 to proclaim and witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Society seeks to establish the Catholic Church where the Gospel has not been preached, help local churches evangelize their laity, promote dialogue with other faiths, and foster among all baptized people an awareness of their missionary responsibility.
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Where Do You Come From? As I walked the venerable cobblestone streets of old Jerusalem where Jesus once walked, the shopkeepers called out to me, “Where do you come from?” When I answered, “Australia,” they urged me to buy their wares. I quickly learned to deflect their commercial enticements by asking in turn, “Where do you come from?” Most had answered, “From here,” “From Jerusalem?” “Yes!” or “Mabruk!” (You are blessed!”). In the Muslim quarter the answer was often, “From Palestine.” This proud national sentiment was also a political statement, leading to interesting conversations about land, identity and occupation. One day when I asked, “Where do you come from?” a shopkeeper replied, “From my mother!” I laughed. This unexpected reply was so startling that I started using it too, to the puzzlement and amusement of others also, leading to very different conversations about identity, nationality and politics. As I reflected more on this seemingly humorous answer, I realized that it is actually very profound. Each one of us is born of our mother. There is no exception, not even Jesus! If we recognized our common humanity first, rather than our national, ethnic or religious identity, then we would know that the other is our brother and sister and mother; then we would truly realize that we are all children of the one Father in heaven and would celebrate our national, ethnic and religious differences, not as dividing us from one another, but In So Many Words Fr. Patrick McInerney as enriching our shared humanity.
This proud national sentiment was also a political statement, leading to interesting conversations about land, identity and occupation.
Among all the wonderful goods and souvenirs for sale in the markets of Jerusalem, thronged by Jews, Christians and Muslims and tourists and pilgrims of every nation, this realization of our common humanity was the most precious gift of all, and it costs nothing other than letting go of the narrow stereotypes that limit our appreciation and opening of ourselves to the riches which we are to each other. Perhaps the new question then becomes, “Where are you going?”
Columban Fr. Patrick McInerney is the Director of the Columban Mission Institute, Coordinator of its Center for Mission Studies and Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations, and the Coordinator of Missiology at the Catholic Institute of Sydney, Australia.
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In Wuhan, Old Is New Church Renewal in China By Fr. Joe Houston
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uhan is a large city by any standard, with around ten million inhabitants. It has been formed by combining three cities which lie close to each other where the Han flows into the great Yangtze river in the center of China. One of the three cities, Hanyang, was the first mission of the Missionary Society of St. Columban. The first group of Columban missionaries to China arrived here in 1920 under the leadership of Fr. Edward Galvin who had founded the Columban Society a few years previously with Fr. John Blowick. Fr. Galvin would eventually become the first bishop of Hanyang.
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However, this story is about another of the three cities, namely, Wuchang. One of the oldest areas of Wuchang, the district of Tan Hua Lin, has recently acquired a new lease on life, because it has been developed as a tourist area based on the theme of heritage, with small cafes, and quaintly decorated shops selling memorabilia. Hundreds of mostly young people flock there at weekends to view its old buildings, many of which were put up by foreign missionaries, both Catholic and Protestant. One is an impressive hospital built in stone at various stages between 1885 and 1950 by the London Missionary Society. A university campus nearby
was originally developed as the South China Normal University by American Episcopalian missionaries. It still contains a chapel of classical design which is now used as a billiard hall. There is also a chapel on a hillside, which previously belonged to the Canossian Sisters, who also had an orphanage on the site. Close by is a large building of grey stone and with a mansard roof of red tiles which was the Swedish Consulate. This is occupied now by local families. One of the small buildings in the courtyard has been transformed into a café. A distinctive feature of the café is a large painting of Jesus on one wall, with the words “Jesus, I believe in you” alongside it. There is also a lovely old crucifix on a mantelpiece. On the edge of this new tourist area is the Catholic Church of the Holy Family which dates back to the end of the nineteenth century. It was closed by the Communist government during the Cultural Revolution towards the end of the twentieth century. Now, however, it is the center of two active Catholic communities, one Chinese and the other international. The participants in the latter community are from many parts of the world, but principally from Africa and India, and are French and English speaking. Some are business people, but most are students doing degrees in local universities. The church also receives a steady stream of visitors who have come to view the neighboring area. The development of the Church in Wuchang is linked to two American Franciscans of the Cincinnati province who became bishops there. One was Sylvester Espelage who arrived in China in 1905 and worked in Wuchang where in 1914 he founded a Catholic college of which he served as principal until 1922. He was also the rector of the local minor seminary, St. Anthony’s, established in 1923. Catholic life developed quickly under WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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the direction of the Franciscans, so that Wuchang was raised to the status of a Vicariate Apostolic, and at the same time Espelage was appointed bishop. Bishop Espelage invited several American religious congregations of Sisters to work in schools, hospitals and dispensaries in the Vicariate, and he himself established a congregation of Chinese Sisters who were put in charge of an orphanage. Bishop Espelage died in 1940 and was succeeded by Bishop Rembert Kowalski who had worked in New Mexico before coming to work in Wuchang in 1926. During the Second World War Bishop Kowalski was interned with many of his priests in Shanghai. He returned to Wuchang
in 1945. Within a week of the Communist occupation of Wuchang in 1949, he was arrested and put in jail and was eventually expelled in 1953. The persecution which thus began wasn’t the first in the history of the Church in Wuchang. On a wall in the fine seminary building erected by Bishop Espelage, and which is once again in use for the formation of seminarians, there are two plaques which were originally headstones on the graves of two French Vincentian missionaries who had entered China secretly. One was St. Francis Regis Clet from Grenoble, France, who was slowly strangled to death with a rope while tied to a cross near Wuchang in 1820. St. Gabriel Perboyre was
strangled to death in the center of Wuchang, not far from Holy Family Church, in 1840. They were both buried on Hong Shan Mountain in Wuchang, but their remains were later disinterred and now rest in France. Each year at Easter new Christians continue to be received into the Church in Wuchang. Their conversion is an ongoing reminder of the comment of Tertullian that the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians and is another instance of how in Wuchang the old, in this case the Church, continues to renew itself. CM Columban Fr. Joe Houston lives and works in China.
The Beauty of This World And the Next! By Fr. Joe Houston
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n Wuhan in central China, as mid-March approaches one can sense a vivid expectation that winter will soon be over and with it the biting cold weather which is a feature of the city. And as spring sets in there is an even more palpable sense of expectation among the people, namely that the cherry blossoms will soon be on the trees in Wuhan University. The first inkling I had this year that the cherry blossoms were on the way was when a bus I was traveling in was diverted. Crowds had already started flocking to the university. When the cherry blossoms were in full bloom there was a constant flow of sightseers streaming into and out of the university. There was a festival atmosphere in the campus with family groups sitting around having lunch and young girls going around with WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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garlands of flowers on their heads. The cherry trees are concentrated in a few areas and all around them people were milling, chatting, laughing, and taking photos. The sight was a miracle of beauty, trees covered with blossoms clumped thickly together, giving the impression of a thick cloud hovering low in the sky. In other locations the basically white blossoms were slightly tinted green or red. As I observed the immense crowds going to see the flowers day after day, I was struck by the need for beauty deep within our hearts as we search for a fulfilment which only beauty can seal and which perfects our
humanity. St. Augustine spoke of a passion for the beauty of God, but our hearts also search passionately for beauty within the created world. Plato described the way we proceed from the contemplation of many beautiful objects in our everyday world to the contemplation of beauty itself. More recently, a Native American, belonging to the Navajo people expressed the wish: “In beauty may I walk all the day long.” Indeed, one of the ways God graces us is by allowing us to experience the beauty of the world. The Bible reminds us of the innumerable beautiful things which surround us. The Jews were captivated February 2015
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by the beauty of the natural world. Ben Sirach, the author of the Book of Ecclesiasticus, was enthralled by the beauty of snow, “The eye marvels at the beauty of its whiteness and the mind is amazed at its falling.” (Eccles. 43, 18) At the same time he was moved by the beauty of the stars, “the glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven, a gleaming array in the heights of the Lord.” (Ibid.v.9) In the Bible we also find descriptions of human beauty as when we read about the future King David that “he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome.” (1Sam.16, 12) In the Song of Songs we have the description of the face of a young girl, “Your eyes are doves behind your veil…….your lips are like a crimson thread, and your mouth is lovely. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil.” (4,1ff.) For many Jews, the city of Jerusalem was the climax of their experience of beauty. A late Jewish 6
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writing stated that “of the ten measures of beauty that came down to the world, nine were taken by Jerusalem, one by the rest of the world.” Within Jerusalem was “our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised Thee….” (Is. 64, 11) God Himself would be “a diadem of beauty to the remnant of his people [in Jerusalem].” (Is. 28, 5) However, the Jews realized through bitter experience how short lived beauty can be, and were forced to lament in tears as they saw Jerusalem destroyed, “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?” (Lamentations 2, 15ff.) The transience of beauty seems to be a law of life and was lamented by the Irish poet, Patrick Pearse, as he observed, “The beauty of this world has made me sad, this beauty which will pass.” Nevertheless, not all beauty passes. St. Ephraim of Syria (d.373 A.D.) exclaimed of Jesus and Mary:
Thou alone, O Jesus, with thy mother Are beautiful in every way. For there is no blemish in Thee, my Lord, And no stain in Thy mother. Their beauty helps us to prepare for the everlasting beauty of Heaven. That was the beauty St. Paul describes when he says, “Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it entered into the mind of man to imagine what God has stored up for those who love Him.” (1Cor. 2, 9) St. Patrick reminds us of the beauty into which we will enter, “We will undoubtedly rise in the brightness of the sun, that is, in the glory of Christ Jesus, our Redeemer, as sons of the living God.” Then we will want to exclaim with St. Augustine, “Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient and ever new, late have I loved You.” CM Columban Fr. Joe Houston lives and works in China.
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The Red Lacquered Gate The early days of the Columban Fathers and the courage and faith of its founder, Fr. Edward Galvin
Fr. Edward “Ned� Galvin was born in Ireland in 1882, the oldest in a family of seven children. After he was ordained to the Catholic priesthood, he realized that there were more priests in his native land then parishes. So Ned Galvin immigrated to the United States and turned a struggling church in Brooklyn into a thriving parish. But Father Galvin had a secret desire to do missionary work. He was especially attracted to China and had read all the books on the subject his local library could provide. Finally, his wish was granted, and he set out with a group of dedicated helpers on a mission to the Far East.
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William E. Barrett created this colorful, dramatic portrait of an unusual man whose strong Catholic faith helped him survive the horrors and heartbreak of his demanding mission to China.
Order your copy today! Call 888-795-4274, visit your local bookstore or order online at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Xlibris.com in paperback, hardback and eBook formats.
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Forest Fires A Man-made Disaster By Fr. Mike Hoban
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hile is a country prone to natural disasters: earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, floods and more. In May 2008, the Chaiten volcano erupted and destroyed the town of Chaiten obliging the 4,200 residents to evacuate their town. In February 2010, the sixth largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph struck the central valley of Chile and caused a huge tsunami to flood the coastline in six regions of the country. More than 500 people lost their lives in the earthquake and tsunami. Twenty percent of the homes in the region of Maule south of Santiago were either destroyed or badly damaged. It is estimated that the cost of repairing the damage of this earthquake cost the country more than 15 billion dollars. On April 1, 2014, the northern city of Iquique was hit by an earthquake which measured 8.2 on the moment magnitude scale. Chileans have learned to cope with these natural disasters in the knowledge that they cannot do anything to prevent them, but they can do many things to
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limit and repair the damage caused. After the 2010 earthquake, the Jesuit organized charity Un Techo Para Chile (a roof for Chile) together with other charitable organizations built 23,886 prefabricated transitional homes. Coastal towns affected by the tsunami have developed a warning system with evacuation procedures which will save lives in the future. In recent years, Chile has been affected by another form of disaster, forest fires. On April 12, 2014, a fire broke out on the edges of the city of Valparaiso located on the coast of Chile. The unseasonably high temperature and strong winds spread the fire rapidly and destroyed 2,900 homes. Most of these homes belonged to the poor and had been built on the hillsides of the city with no planning permissions and without the basic infrastructure of proper sanitary conditions. 12,500 people had to flee to safety while firemen and forest brigades fought the blaze. In the end, fifteen people lost their lives. It was the worst fire in the history of the city and is known today as the “Great
Fire of Valparaiso.” The investigation conducted after the fire stated that the fire was not intentional. CONAF (National Cooperation of Forestry) has stated: “As to the origin of forest fires, there is no doubt that in Chile and in the rest of the world direct human action is the cause of the majority of fires: carelessness, negligence in the use of fire in wooded areas, outdated agricultural practices, lack of respect for the environment as well as the intentional use of fire to cause damage.” The reality of the intentional use of fire to cause damage became very clear to me this year. The Maipo Vicariate is one of seven territorial vicariates which form the Archdiocese of Santiago. Our Vicariate includes two municipalities: Puente Alto and San José del Maipo. Puente Alto is the most populated municipality in Chile. San José del Maipo is a totally different reality, because it is located in a scenic mountain canyon known as the Cajon del Maipo which stretches and winds along the various rivers for more than 90 miles to the Argentine WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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border. The canyon was formed by the confluence of various rivers: El Volcán, Yeso, Colorado and Maipo. The Cajon del Maipo is vitally important to the city of Santiago because of the two water reservoirs which provide 60% of the city’s water. For the residents of an overcrowded city, the Cajon is also the place where they can recreate and enjoy the beauty of the Andes Mountains. The more adventurous visit the El Morado National Park and climb to the El Morado glacier. In the background, the San José volcano can be seen. During the last few years, the Cajon del Maipo has been suffering from an unwelcome visitor, forest fires. Every Friday, I celebrate Mass for the Discalced Carmelite Sisters whose monastery is located in an isolated part of the canyon. Seventeen contemplative Sisters live, work and pray in this humble monastery known as el Monasterio del Amor Misericordioso y la Virgen del Carmen (Merciful Love and Our Lady of Mount Carmel). My weekly visits to the monastery help me to realize that I, too, am called to be a contemplative, even if I am only a contemplative in action. On March 29, 2014, some neighbors called the Sisters to warn them that a forest fire was advancing
rapidly toward the monastery and told the Sisters to evacuate their property immediately. The Sisters quickly discovered that warning was real. Sisters Paula and Cecilia put the older nuns into the monastery’s vehicle and headed down the dirt road which leads to the main road. On both sides of the road, the fire was spreading. The electric gate which some neighbors had installed would not open so Sister Paula and Sister Cecilia opened it manually and drove their older companions to safety. They headed back to the monastery hoping to bring out the other Sisters. Once they were inside the monastery grounds, they realized that the fire had spread so quickly that there was no hope of driving out again. The flames of the fire had blocked any escape. They heard the screams of elderly neighbors whose electric gate would not open. The Sisters ran to their assistance and opened a hole in the fence and lead their neighbors to the monastery. Within minutes, forty of their neighbors made their way to the monastery for safety. The nuns decided that they would have to chance escaping down a steep ravine on the other side of their property. As they made their way down the ravine,
they sang hymns and encouraged their neighbors to help one another down the ravine. The neighbors would later comment that the hymns of the Sisters were like the songs of the angels leading them to safety. All the Sisters and their forty neighbors managed to get out of harms way. Another of their neighbors, Rigoberto Catalan, an elderly farm worker was not so lucky. He died from smoke inhalation when he tried to escape from his small prefab home on the side of the mountain. Miraculously, the wind changed the direction of the fire just before it would have entered the property of the monastery. However, the homes of three of their neighbors were completely destroyed. Unfortunately, this forest fire was not an isolated incident. Since 2012, there have been fifteen forest fires in the area. Four of these fires have seriously endangered the monastery. As a result of a forest fire which occurred in November 2012, a criminal investigation was undertaken. That investigation revealed that the fire had been intentionally set but it was impossible to determine who was to blame. When another forest fire in December 2013 threatened the monastery, the Sisters presented a querella (a request for a criminal
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The neighbors would later comment that the hymns of the Sisters were like the songs of the angels leading them to safety. All the Sisters and their forty neighbors managed to get out of harms way. investigation) which is still in process. The local neighbors have also presented a querella demanding that the recent forest fire be investigated. That investigation is also under way. At present, the area is under police protection. The Carmelite Sisters established their monastery in the Cajon Del Maipo in 1995, and there were never any fires until 2012. This fact has raised suspicions about the origin of the fires. Are they the result of the recent drought which the Central Valley of Chile is still suffering? Some neighbors believe that the fires are related to the various development projects in the Cajon which include the building of a hydro-electric dam and the expansion of the tourist industry. According to this theory, unscrupulous developers want to force the Sisters and their neighbors to leave the area. Others suspect that there is an arsonist who travels from Santiago to set the fires. There are 10
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a number of theories but no actual proofs. In such an isolated area, it is very difficult to discover who is responsible for the fires. But the fact that they have become more frequent and concentrated in the area where the monastery is located is sufficient reason to be concerned and to try and determine who is responsible. The Sisters are determined to remain in their monastery. In the weeks after the recent fires, two Sisters kept watch during the night to ensure that there was no danger of another fire. The winter rainfall has dampened the ground and made it more difficult to start forest fires. The Sisters have become experts in combating fires. Together with their neighbors they are taking measures to protect the monastery and themselves. A number of improvements need to be made. Already some benefactors have donated a fuel operated water pump. A path with stairs is being built down the steep ravine to the
road. The hermitage which is used by visitors needs to be made more fire resistant. The constant prayer of the Sisters is that the fires will cease and that they can continue their lives of contemplative prayer. The Cajon del Maipo is often called los pulmones de Santiago (the lungs of Santiago) because of the winds from the canyon which bring fresh air to our contaminated city. The prayers of the Carmelite Sisters are lungs for our Vicariate bringing the Spirit (the breath of God) into our lives. We hope and pray that the Sisters can stay with us and continue to pray for God’s mercy for all of us. CM Columban Fr. Mike Hoban lives and works in Chile.
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Where Is Home? A Space Deep Within By Beth Sabado
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had the chance to watch a stage play in Birmingham Repertory Theater entitled “Refugee Boy.” It was the story of a 14-year-old boy born of an Ethiopian father and Eritrean mother whose father made a heartbreaking decision to leave him in London because of a violent civil war back home. The boy woke up one morning and his father has gone. As described, “Refugee Boy” is a story about arriving, belonging and finding a home. A home is a place where I can unpack my luggage down to the very bottom. This is how one of the refugees at the play defined a home. Her definition stayed with me. When my dad passed away in March 2008, I remember consoling myself with the thought that my mum is still around. However in one gloomy afternoon of February 2013, I received that dreaded phone call from my brother telling me, “Beth, mum is hooked up on ECG but the traces are flat line.” After only a few minutes, with the convenience of modern technology, I was connected with my two siblings (my sister in the U.S., my brother in the Philippines beside mom) praying the prayer of commendation online! Virtual and posh I thought, but mum passed into eternal life with God in whom she believed passionately and wholeheartedly. I was on a flight the following day and while the pilot had announced that we were on our final approach, WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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all of a sudden it dawned on me this question, where is home for me now? I felt a vacuum of loneliness deep within me. It was so daunting. The thought of going home to an empty house the next time I travel home is mentally debilitating. For more than a year I kept asking myself the same question. Where is home now? Losing both parents is the same as losing the center of your home. This loss will somehow redefine that space. That space that used to give comfort; that space where you feel loved; that home where no amount of concealment can ever bring back its original form. I had the chance to return to my parents’ house a year after mum passed away, and the emptiness and deafening silence confirmed that big change. Opening the refrigerator gave me a sense that it no longer belonged to the same family; it is no longer the family refrigerator! I lived out of a suitcase in the beginning of 2014. I was in six countries within three months and the demands of traveling had taken a toll on my health. While on the last leg of my travel, I felt my energy level draining. I managed to return to base in one piece and standing, then I was in bed for almost two weeks. I realized that as I grow in age my body demands a longer time to recover from the travels. When I was younger, taking a long haul flight and reporting back to work on the same day was a common
thing. I believe the time has come for me to gently “surrender the things of the youth” (a line from Desiderata). With those days I spent in bed, I had the time to ponder my own new definition of home. Just like in the play, home is a place where I can unpack my luggage down to the very bottom; however, there is more to that. Meeting people for the first time and feeling the connection and trust, catching up with friends, family and relatives, visiting colleagues, exploring new places, sharing a meal, a moment of laughter, a time to rest, receiving a phone call from a long lost friend, receiving a smile from a stranger, listening to the sounds of nature, sitting on a favorite chair while reading a book and sipping a cup of coffee, finishing a task, a time for prayer, these are spaces where I feel moments of grace. That space that gives joy, warmth and comfort, is a space of home right at that very moment. The presence of God becomes more tangible in every single act of “unpacking.” Indeed, this is my new perspective of home, a space where I live deep within. I am home. CM Columban lay missionary Beth Sabado lives and works in Hong Kong.
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St. Columban’s 1400th Anniversary 615-2015 On November 23, 2015, we will celebrate the 1,400th anniversary of the death of St. Columban which occurred in the year 615 in the town of Bobbio, in northern Italy. For all who take St. Columban as their patron, such as Columban Fathers, Sisters, lay missionaries, benefactors, supporters, friends and coworkers, this will be a significant occasion.
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n a General Audience on June 11, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI described St. Columban as a European saint. Printed below are some of the biographical details of St. Columban given by Pope Benedict XVI on this occasion. Columban was born around 543 in the province of Leinster, in southeast Ireland. Educated in his own home by outstanding teachers, who led him to the study of the liberal arts, he was later entrusted to the guidance 12
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of Abbot Sinell of the community of Cluain-Inis, in Northern Ireland, where he was able to further his study of sacred Scriptures. At the age of about 20, he entered the monastery of Bangor on the north-eastern part of the island, where Comgall was abbot, a monk well-known for his virtue and ascetic rigor. In full agreement with his abbot, Columban zealously practiced the severe discipline of the monastery, leading a life of prayer, asceticism and
study. There he was ordained a priest. Life at Bangor and the abbot’s example influenced the concept of monasticism that with time matured in Columban, which he later spread in the course of his life. At almost 50 years of age, following the typically Irish ascetic ideal of the peregrinatio pro Christo, namely, of making himself a pilgrim for Christ, Columban left the island with 12 companions to engage in missionary work on the European continent. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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We must, in fact, keep present that the migration of people of the North and East had made entire Christianized regions fall back into paganism. Around the year 590, this small band of missionaries landed on the Breton coast. Received with benevolence by the king of the Franks of Austrasia – present-day France – they asked only for a piece of uncultivated land. They obtained the ancient Roman fortress of Annegray, all demolished and abandoned, and now covered by forest. Used to a life of extreme renunciation, the monks succeeded in a few months in building the first hermitage on the ruins. Thus, their re-evangelization began to be carried out above all through the testimony of life. With the new cultivation of the land they also began a new cultivation of souls. The fame of those foreign religious, who, living on prayer and in great austerity, built houses and cultivated the earth, spread rapidly and attracted pilgrims and penitents. Above all, many young men asked to be received in the monastic community to live, like them, that exemplary life that renewed the cultivation of the earth and of souls. Very soon, the foundation of a second monastery was rendered necessary. It was built a few kilometers away, on the ruins of an ancient thermal city, Luxeuil. The monastery then became the center of monastic and missionary radiation of Irish tradition on the European continent. A third monastery was erected at Fontaine, a one-hour walk further north. Columban lived at Luxeuil for almost 20 years. Intransigent as he was on every moral question, Columban later entered into conflict with the Royal House, because he had severely WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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At almost 50 years of age, following the typically Irish ascetic ideal of the “peregrinatio pro Christo,” namely, of making himself a pilgrim for Christ, Columban left the island with 12 companions to engage in missionary work on the European continent.
reprimanded King Theodoric for his adulterous relations. A network of intrigues and maneuvers was born at the personal, religious and political level that, in the year 610, was translated into a decree of expulsion from Luxeuil of Columban and all the monks of Irish origin. They were condemned to a definitive exile. They were escorted to the sea and embarked, at the expense of the court, toward Ireland. However, the ship ran aground a short distance from the beach and the captain, seeing in this a sign from heaven, gave up the enterprise and, out of fear of being cursed by God, took the monks back to dry land. The monks, instead of returning to Luxeuil, wanted to start a new work of evangelization. They embarked on the Rhine and sailed up the river. After a first stop at Tuggen near Lake Zurich, they went around the region of Bregenz near Lake Costanza to evangelize the Germans. Shortly after, however, Columban – because of political affairs not favorable to his work – decided to cross the Alps with the majority of his disciples. Only a monk by the name of Gallus stayed behind and from his hermitage developed later the famous Abbey of St. Gall, in Switzerland. Arriving in Italy, Columban met with a benevolent reception at the Lombard royal court, but he soon was faced with noteworthy difficulties. When, in 612 or 613, the king of the Lombards assigned him some land in Bobbio, in the valley of Trebbia, Columban founded a new monastery which later became a center of culture comparable to the famous one of Montecassino. Here he reached the end of his days, dying on November 23, 615, and on this date he is commemorated in the Roman Rite until today. CM February 2015
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Geography Ireland is shaped like a saucer with mountains around the coast and lowlands in the center of the island. Rain which falls all the year around had in the sixth century Ireland favored extensive forests broken up by rivers, lakes and squelchy brown bogs. The forests were home to wild animals like deer, pigs, foxes and wolves. They were also a refuge for outlaws, robbers, the mentally disturbed and people who were excommunicated from the community. Travel within the country was very difficult.
Kinship and Religion
The Ireland that Produced St. Columban Contemplation in Action By Fr. Frank Hoare
Columban’s Vocation Columban was born into a wealthy farmer’s family in the southeast of Ireland around the year 540 A.D. When his mother was pregnant with him, according to his biographer Jonas, she had a vision of a glittering sun rising from her breast and lighting up the world. Columban had a tutor to teach him Latin (probably from the book 14
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of the psalms). The handsome young Columban was later advised by a woman hermit to flee from temptation. Columban’s mother pleaded with him not to leave home and threw herself across the threshold. In the first great mortification of his life Columban begged her not to grieve, stepped across her body and journeyed to the monastery of Cleenish in the North of Ireland. What was the social and cultural background to this dramatic incident?
A king ruled the households within a small territory. Society was hierarchical with warrior nobles at the top; craftsmen, learned men, metalworkers, medicine men, and musicians in the middle strata and manual workers, herdsmen, servants and bondswomen at the bottom level. The pagan Irish were animist in religion. They believed in the spirits of rivers, trees and water. They also had a fascination with the sun. Their main feasts were in May, August and November, and the pagan priests or druids were very influential.
Habitation, Food and Clothing There were no towns or villages. Extended families usually lived in isolated farmsteads beside rivers or lakes, in clearings or on hilltops. They were protected from enemies and wild animals by ditches and high circular embankments. Inside these forts were timber houses with walls of reeds daubed with clay and with thatched roofs. The clay floors had straw or animal skins for beds, and a fire with which to cook and warm people. In the dark nights people gathered around the fire to listen to stories, genealogies and songs. The people wore clothes made of sheep’s wool or animal skins. They ate a kind of porridge, bread, vegetables, fish, fowl and cooked or salted meat. A man who owned cattle was wealthy, WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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because cattle were the units of currency, the price of slaves, and fines for wrong-doing. Cattle were also the spoils of raids and battles.
Christianity People had few choices in life up to the fifth century A.D. But then Christianity was probably introduced to small communities around the coast by traders from Britain. In 431 A.D., Pope Celestine ordained a bishop named Paladius and sent him to pastor the Christians in Ireland. Columban reminded Pope Gregory of this in a letter, 80 years later, to show the direct connection between Irish Christians and the successors of St. Peter in Rome. Around 432 A.D., a bishop named Patrick, who had earlier spent six years in slavery in the north of Ireland, arrived to spread the Gospel among the pagan Irish. He worked mainly in the northern half of Ireland, making Armagh his base and center. Patrick tells us in his Confession that he baptized thousands, ordained clerics everywhere, gave presents to kings, was put in irons, journeyed everywhere in many dangers and rejoiced to see the flock of the Lord in Ireland grow splendidly and the children of kings becoming monks and virgins of Christ. The Irish had an oral culture and spoke the old Irish language. As they learned to read and write Latin, their inner world and imagination was broadened immensely by familiarity with the Bible, with pagan Roman authors and with writings of European monks, such as John Cassian.
Monasticism St. Patrick introduced monasticism to the Irish. It is amazing how quickly this way of living an intense Christian life became dominant in Ireland. The monasteries were built on the model of the family homesteads with a wall around the monastery separating the monks from the outside world they WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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had left. The monks constituted a spiritual family with their abbot as the king. Obedience and respect for the abbot was strictly enforced. Monastic life was marked by discipline, austerity and silence. The monks ate only one meal (normally vegetarian) a day, in the early afternoon. They woke to chant the psalms in the middle of the night. Monks, advanced in prayer, would spend days apart and alone in a cave or forest.
Three Pillars Prayer, (especially the psalms), manual work (like humble commoners) and study (of scriptures, theology, astronomy, computing/maths, Latin and rhetoric) were the pillars of the monk’s life. A few of the monks were ordained to celebrate Mass on Sundays
Columban sacrificed family belonging, his status among his kin, and worldly pleasures for the penitential life of the monastery. and big feast days and to provide the sacraments for the monks and for lay people from surrounding areas. The early prevalence of the monastic life in Ireland illustrates how fervently the leaders and people accepted Christianity. It seemed to clarify the struggle within them of good and evil. A devoted Christian strove to have God within and be preserved from the influence of evil spirits. The sacrifice of leaving home and living the austere life of the monastery was undertaken by many early Irish Christians because they valued it as a way of living for and with Christ.
Pastors of the People Monasteries in Ireland overshadowed the usual structures of Church life, i.e. parishes and dioceses. People flocked to the monasteries to hear sermons, to confess their sins privately, to pray for their needs, to be educated in the monastic schools and finally to bury their relatives close to that holy place. The abbot, who might not even be a priest, was seen as more holy and more powerful than the local bishop. So Columban, when he was later in conflict with bishops in France, considered himself independent of them. “We obey not your rules, but the commands of God. Help us to be pilgrims rather than hinder us,” he wrote.
Exile for Christ The Irish at this time had a communal way of living. Columban sacrificed family belonging, his status among his kin, and worldly pleasures for the penitential life of the monastery. This was known as green martyrdom. When later he left Ireland from the monastery of Bangor and set out in a boat to wherever the winds of God would take him he was imitating the faith of Abraham in accepting white martyrdom. The monks’ exile from normal society to focus on an intense love of God and struggle against evil within and without was a remarkable experiment of the early Irish Church. Columban held to these two polarities in his care for the inner spiritual life and in his zeal for evangelization of lukewarm Christians, pagans or schismatics. Faithfulness to contemplation in action is a legacy through which St. Columban continues to challenge us. CM Columban Fr. Frank Hoare lives and works in Fiji
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…And how shall we spend our days? If they listen and serve him, they spend their days in prosperity, their years in happiness. But if they do not listen, they pass to the grave, they perish for lack of knowledge. – JOB 36:11 As the day passes, it is always good to ask ourselves, “What did I do for God today?” Was I dedicated to prayer, did I think of and take action for those less fortunate than myself, was today the day that I lived out my baptismal calling to be missionary? Thank you for including the Columban Fathers in your day; for your prayers and your support, but most importantly, we offer our gratitude to you for your solidarity with those who need it the most. And the king will say to them in reply, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” – Matt 25:40 Thank you for spending your day with Christ. We remain grateful to you as you accompany us on this missionary journey and will always remember you in our Masses and prayers. For information regarding gift annuities, membership in our Legacy Society, obtaining our legal title or for a handy booklet on how to prepare a will, contact Chris Hochstetler at: Columban Fathers P.O. Box 10 St. Columbans, NE 68056 Phone:402/291-1920 Fax: 402/291-4984 Toll-free 877/299-1920 www.columban.org plannedgiving@columban.org
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Cerro Candela The New Chapel of Our Lady of the Pillar By Fr. George Hogarty
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n Saturday, June 7, 2014, we finished up nearly six months of work on the building of a new chapel called Virgen del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pillar) in a very poor part of our Columban parish of The Holy Archangels called Cerro Candela (Candle Hill). The name of the chapel derives its name from the presence of a Spanish missionary sister called Pilar (Pillar) who worked in this area 40 years ago when it was only farmland and part of a big hacienda which existed nearby. Sister Pilar apparently gave her name to the chapel. However, there is also a devotion to Our Lady in Zaragosa in Spain which originated from several appearances of the Virgin Mary to St. James the Apostle in the 1st century to strengthen him when he was facing severe opposition from the Spanish native population to the Christian message. This idea of the Virgin Mary appearing on a pillar may seem a bit strange but there have been several reported sightings of the Virgin appearing to different groups of people including Muslims on a pillar throughout history. We began work on the rebuilding of the new chapel on December 31, 2013, but first we had to demolish the old building which had been badly built and could have collapsed in an earthquake, killing people inside. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Since the original church building had never been registered as having been built (that is, in existence), we couldn’t get written permission to demolish the building, only a tacit verbal permission from the local municipality of San Martin de Porres. This sent shivers up my spine as the neighbor’s wall was badly built and was being held in place by the original foundations put in long ago that now needed to be uprooted. Despite my constant worry that the wall of the next-door neighbor might fall, our good luck held and we managed to erect the new walls of our chapel after putting in new and better foundations, much to my relief. Our next worry was that of having to deal with armed groups of extortionists who demanded we employ several of their men to just hang around and receive a wage without doing a tap of work. It was a danger we couldn’t avoid because “Cholo Jacinto,” a notorious gang leader and extortionist who lives only two blocks away from where we are building when he’s not in jail, ordered his gangsters to demand payment. If some form of payment of a bribe was not forthcoming the workers on the site have been injured. Again, luckily, our builder Julio Segura knew how to deal with the thugs and managed to convince them that we didn’t have
much money and these extra costs were held to a minimum while the work continued. We have now arrived at the stage when we will be pouring the cement to cover the beams and the brickwork placed on the roof for the bigger half of the roof. The people, who are poor, will have to do economic activities to finish off the other smaller half of the roof as best they can after the main roof section is complete. The wet roof remained perched on stilts for a month until it dried and then the faithful of Cerro Candela were be able to recommence using their yet-to-be completed church at the start of July. I personally am glad we have been able to get this far with the resources we had at our disposal and would personally like to thank all our benefactors who have made a contribution in the construction of this chapel and in promoting the faith in Cerro Candela in the parish of The Holy Archangels of Huandoy. CM Columban Fr. George G. Hogarty lives and works in Peru.
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50 Years of Holy Disquiet On Being a Missionary Priest at 80+
Among other escapes that I used was to flee to the wide open spaces
By Fr. Barry Cairns
of the Arizona desert with a Louis L’Amour western!
F
ifty years ago when I was a very young priest, I read a prayer composed by Romano Guardini that went like this, “O Lord give me the gift of holy disquiet…take my hand; help me to cross over to you.” This is a healthy disquiet because it leads not to discouragement, but to reliance on the Lord. I still value this prayer. I ask the reader of this article these questions: Do you somehow feel dissatisfied with life at the moment? Do you have an unfulfilled yearning in your heart? Do you feel there is something missing in your life? Do you want for something in life, more than what you have? At various times in my 50 years as a missionary priest, I have answered yes to all of these questions. There are various strategies to escape from facing the disquiet. It is so easy for a priest to get very busy. Among other escapes that I used was to flee to the wide open spaces of the Arizona desert with a Louis L’Amour western! When I was a young priest, full of first fervor, I prayed that I would “stay on the rails.” Then came the stark realization that I could leave the priesthood tomorrow, especially when faced with the loneliness of living in another culture. I realized that to be a faithful, celibate priest was absolutely impossible on my effort alone. It was
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a total gift from God; I was just called to cooperate. I became free! I was called to rely on Christ’s strength. In my 50s, as time wore on, I was doing the priestly thing every day – Mass, Sacraments, homily, instructions for Baptism, etc. It happened that I was hijacked into doing a Marriage Encounter with another priest. In an open sharing session a married man said, “It is seeing you priests living a celibate life that helps me remain faithful in my married life.” It is this prayerful solidarity with married couples which I believe is important for priests in their vocations. We share a journey. This holy disquiet seems to hit me every 10 years! And so it was in my 60s that I was asking myself, “Is my enthusiasm for overseas mission waning?” It is my personal experience that it is not the actual work of the missionary priest that leads to stress, burn out and early retirement. Rather it is the mistaken notion that the priest has to do everything himself. That kind of responsibility is draining. My turning point came at 70; I had just been appointed by my Bishop to an inner city parish in Yokohama, Japan. Our bishop in a pastoral letter had used the difficult word subsidiarity (even more difficult in Japanese!). I was asked to explain what it meant to a meeting of Japanese
priests in our inner city deanery. I said that subsidiarity means delegating authority and various jobs to others and trusting them to do the job given. The pastor gives encouragement from the sideline, and it is very much a team effort. The pastor is the symbol and source of unity for all the various jobs, especially in the liturgy. Having studied the theory, I decided to consciously put it into practice. Within two years, in a deeper way, our community became missionaries in their own milieu. They became more united, more welcoming to the stranger, more concerned for the poor. They became just plain happy, and our liturgy became vibrant. A lovely side effect of all this is that at 80 I feel freed from stress. I also feel that I am a far more effective missionary than the days of my do-it-yourself youthful vigor! My prayer is still, “O Lord, keep causing holy disquiet and keep giving me the courage to face it.” CM Columban Fr. Barry Cairns lives and works in Japan.
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The Lonely Mission By Fr. Maurice Foley
There was a lonely mission where Jesus was adored They knew His ten commandments And read His holy word.
We call upon the Eucharist To do what we can’t do And with the Sacrifice of Christ Express our faith anew.
They knew His love was tender They felt His simple call And every year would render A testimony in the name of all.
The Eucharist comes just once a year Or maybe two if necessary To keep in mind the holy faith For without it our life is misery
As happens with us humans In living out our faith We are deceived by hidden demons Our temptations they orchestrate.
The FIESTA is a clarion call To us who are all too human The mysteries that we celebrate Renew our damaged union
Original sin still haunts us And we see things out of kilter The best laid plans of men and mice Gives no relief whatever,
And so we look to God on high To forgive his wayward people Who live in a lonely mission Far from the Church’s steeple. Columban Fr. Maurice Foley lives in Ireland.
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Violence Affects Childhood Education Prevents Abuse By Violeta Roldan
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hose of us working in the area of child sexual abuse see the pain and suffering of the children affected on a daily basis, which calls us to move beyond our work within the walls of the Children’s Home in order to confront this reality in society through prevention, education and the detection of cases of abuse, especially those that are hidden. Sexual aggression against children effectively ends the dreams and happiness of many families in our country, and because of this, through the experience gained over the years, we are conscious of the need to intervene as quickly as possible in order to protect these children. Even though the scars they carry are tragic and evident, there still is a difficulty in understanding fully the problem. The government, with their National Programs for the Protection of Children, doesn’t succeed in confronting the problem in an integral and effective way, although on the positive side, the subject of child sexual abuse is growing in the public awareness and how it impacts on children, their families and society in general. St. Bernadette’s Children’s Projects, as part of civil society, looks to promote a response that transcends the limits of treatment and healing within our Center. We hope to promote a greater awareness of this problem in society and how to respond to such a reality, to promote reflection and discussion that has a multiplying effect within all the intervening social agencies, and thus
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contributing to the opening of eyes to this cruel reality. Then little by little the silence will be broken, the myths will collapse, leaving the discovery of the secret suffering and isolation of which many children are victims. Where we are situated in Lima, San Martin de Porres, there generally are present the most vulnerable conditions for children, with family violence, children living in poverty and on the streets, being alone for prolonged periods due to the absence of parents, or being looked after by others who very often don’t guarantee their protection, lack of access to social recourses, unemployment, family isolation and the lack of social networks for support whether formal or informal, are the conditions of risk that merit an opportune intervention. In this sense it is necessary to develop prevention programs within other organizations and educational institutions. Indeed it’s the educational environment which offers the greatest opportunity to implement prevention
programs given that it is a reality to which the family delegates part of its responsibility for the formation and development of their sons and daughters. The classroom offers a favorable environment to promote the spreading and reflection of the topics mentioned, lending itself to the early detection of those at risk and the realizing of preventive interventions. We at St. Bernadette’s Home understand the need to network with other groups involved in the subject to develop these Prevention and Intervention Programs with the aim of counteracting the vulnerable conditions in which children have to live with. CM Violeta Roldan works at the St. Bernadette’s Children Home in Lima, Peru, with Columban Fr. Tony Coney, pictured left.
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What is a day in the life of a Columban Missionary like? It means being prepared to…
…Cross boundaries of country, language and culture to share the Good News!
…Share in the daily lives, struggles and suffering of those we serve.
…Understand the suffering of others which teaches us compassion, faith, hope, perseverance, and imbues us with a spirit of penance.
We invite you to join with us as our companion in mission. Your prayers and sacrifices will help sustain work of Columban missionaries in places like: Australia, Great Britain, Chile, China, Fiji, Ireland, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Taiwan, the United States and Hong Kong. Contact us: Columban Fathers P.O. Box 10 St. Columbans, NE 68056 Toll Free: 877-299-1920 mission@columban.org www.columban.org CM FEB15 final.indd 21
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Too Big to Cry Language School Tribulations By Fr. Charles Duster
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t was my third “first day in language school” as a Columban priest. At age 28, I started Japanese language school in Tokyo. At age 41, it was the Fijian language program in Suva. Then, at age 52, I was on my way to the first day of Italian language studies in Florence, Italy. I had been assigned as the Superior of the Columban residence in Rome, and Italian was a must. I already had seen the classroom at the Istituto Michelangelo and saw the need to arrive there early the first day. Some seats would be too near the radiator, others in front of a drafty window. Some chairs, quite frankly, looked pretty uncomfortable. I certainly did not want to be late the first day and have the last pick. The city bus that first morning was jammed beyond belief with school kids and adults on their way to work. In Italy you board the bus from the front or the rear doors and exit through the middle doors. I was wedged into a corner and was somewhat unclear about which was the closest stop to alight. When I saw the famous Cathedral or Duomo disappearing in the far distance through the back window, I knew I was in big trouble because the school was close to it. 22
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It took me another two stops to eventually squeeze and worm myself to the central exit. At this point, I was not too sure of the way because the bus had made several turns on the narrow streets. I started to run but quickly realized that was not in the best interest of someone who had a cardiac bypass. I really wanted to cry in frustration but figured that at age 52, I was too big to cry. I did get the last vacant seat in the classroom, almost on top of the radiator, and it was pretty uncomfortable. The next crisis occurred three mornings later. I was staying with an Italian couple. The husband ran his plumbing business from the back of his motor scooter. While shaving, I cut my right forefinger rather deeply on the edge of the door of the shaving cabinet. It was bleeding quite a bit and when I couldn’t get it stopped, my plumber host went to his bag of tools and produced a wad of not very sanitary looking steel wool which he proceeded to wrap around the cut and keep it in place with some tape. Since I didn’t understand one word of what he was saying, I could only assume that he was telling me this is how he handled such situations.
At the morning coffee break, the finger began to throb and was turning a strange shade of black. The teacher told me in English to go over to the hospital about four blocks away. My Italian at this point consisted of “This is a desk. This is a book. Where is the toilet?” When I arrived at the emergency room, no one seemed to speak English and when the doctor saw my fi nger he exploded in a tirade of Italian. One word he kept repeating as he extracted with a tweezers the individual strands of the steel wool from the cut. “Mai, Mai, Mai.” He must have repeated it a dozen times. I gathered that the word “Mai” means “never.” I assumed the rest of the sentence meant “never do such a stupid thing like this again.” That is a bit of medical advice I have had no trouble in following since, and I never will forget the word for “never.” CM Columban Fr. Charles Duster lives and works in St. Columbans, Nebraska.
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The Pleasure of An Ordinary Day
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begin most days with the celebration of Mass in our community chapel. There I join Fr. Richard Steinhilber and several local people in dedicating each day to the Lord and asking His blessing upon Columban mission and all those who participate in it around the world. Afterwards, the jovial banter of Fr. Dick (as he is affectionately known) with members of the congregation serves as a reminder of the joy that flows from a long life of service to the Lord. Despite turning eightyeight years of age recently, he continues to help daily in our mission office. A highlight of my days is reading the letters and cards that come from supporters and friends of Columban mission. There is always a variety of messages from every part of the country. Many are requests for prayers for the sender or a loved one. Some recount stories of faith and love through the ups and downs of
FROM THE DIRECTOR By Fr. Tim Mulroy
family life. Many are expressions of support and encouragement for our missionaries. As I read such messages, I realize how the lives and ministries of Columban missionaries are intertwined with the love and affection, as well as the prayers and sacrifices of so many people. I feel a deep sense of gratitude for such faithfilled friendships. Much of my time is spent visiting priests and lay missionaries around the country, as well as representing Columban missionaries at special events. During these past few months I had the privilege of spending a weekend with
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A highlight of my days is reading the letters and cards that come from supporters and friends of Columban mission. Australian priest, Fr. Kevin Mullins, and Fijian lay missionary, Sainiana Tamatawale, in Corpus Christi parish in Juarez, Mexico. On another occasion, I had the honor of joining a weekend of celebrations with the Chinese community at St. Bridget’s Church in Los Angeles to mark the 75th anniversary of its founding by Columban priest, Fr. John Cowhig. These encounters with people of different language and culture, who express the same faith, put me in touch with the heart of what it means to be a Columban missionary. Most days I play billiards after supper with three other members of my Columban community. Fr. Ed Quinn, Fr. Paul White and Fr. Colm Stanley began their missionary journeys several years before I was born, and so are now enjoying life at a contemplative pace. These three wise men are “as gentle as doves,” but when they play billiards they also become “as wily as serpents!” Before retiring for the night, I like to spend some time in the presence of the Lord thanking Him for the blessings of that day. This exercise has the added effect of calming my spirit, thus ensuring a restful night’s sleep before another day dawns.
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Columban Fathers PO Box 10 St. Columbans, NE 68056
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Transform the Lives of Others…Enrich the World…Give Hope Columban Mission magazine is published eight times each year and tells the stories of our missionaries and the people they are called to serve. Columban missionaries live in solidarity with their people and, together, they move forward to improve their social, economic and spiritual lives, always with Our Savior as their guide and their eyes on God’s Kingdom. For a $10 donation or more, you or a friend or loved one can share in our baptismal call to mission and the Columban Father’s mission work around the world through Columban Mission magazine. To begin receiving your Columban Mission magazine or to provide a gift to a loved one, simply visit our website at www.columban.org, call our toll-free number 877-299-1920 or write to us at: Columban Mission Magazine Subscription Missionary Society of St. Columban P.O. Box 10 St. Columbans, NE 68056
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“If I your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” — John 13:14 All of us are called to Christian service. But some are called to a lifetime of service to the poor. If you feel attracted to such a life, we are waiting to hear from you.
We invite you to join this new generation by becoming a Columban Father or Columban Sister. If you are interested in the missionary priesthood, write or call… Fr. Bill Morton National Vocation Director Columban Fathers St. Columbans, NE 68056 877-299-1920 Email: vocations@columban.org Website: www.columban.org
If you are interested in becoming a Columban Sister, write or call… Sister Virginia Mozo National Vocation Director Columban Sisters 2546 Lake Road Silver Creek, NY 14136 626-458-1869 Email: virginiamozo@yahoo.com Websites: www.columbansisters.org www.columbansistersusa.com
Japan + Korea + Peru + Hong Kong + Philippines + Pakistan + Chile + Fiji + Taiwan + North America
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