The Magazine of the Missionary Society of St. Columban
March/April 2016
Faith in Daily Life Columban Mission March-April 2016 final r1.indd 1
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Volume 99 - Number 2 - March/April 2016
Columban Mission
o n t e n t s
Issue Theme – Faith in Daily Life
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
The Rainbow 11 A Mother’s Voice Community Receives Award
4 A Missionary in His Own Country Mission Promotion at Home
5 Are Sisters Still Needed? Yes!
8 The Blessings of Our Unstinting God
Growing a Community
9 You’re Doing “Life,” Father
The Work of a Prison Chaplain
14 Good Friday in Japan
55 Years Using Visual Aids
16 Shoda Akira
Signs of Remorse
18 Sand, Water, Coal
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Toll-Free Phone: 877/299-1920 Website: WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG Copyright © 2016, The Columban Fathers (Legal Title) PUBLISHER REV. TIMOTHY MULROY, SSC DIRECTORUSA@COLUMBAN.ORG EDITOR KATE KENNY KKENNY@COLUMBAN.ORG EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS MARCI ANDERSON MANDERSON@COLUMBAN.ORG RHONDA FIRNHABER RFIRNHABER@COLUMBAN.ORG GRAPHIC DESIGNER KRISTIN ASHLEY EDITORIAL BOARD DAN EMINGER KATE KENNY REV. TIMOTHY MULROY, SSC JEFF NORTON GREG SIMON FR. RICHARD STEINHILBER, SSC SCOTT WRIGHT
Parish Life in the Thar Parkar Desert
20 Education in Myanmar
Hope for the Future
22 The Holy Spirit Alive in Us
Looking Forward in Joy
Departments 3 In So Many Words 23 From the Director Columban Mission March-April 2016 final r1.indd 2
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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God has a plan, so be patient.
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t’s hard to remind yourself to have faith every day. Especially when it comes to having patience or to being confident in God’s plan when it is unknown to you. I have found myself saying, “God has a plan,” a number of times over the last few years. My wife and I are in the middle of the adoption process. We will be first-time parents. Before we began the adoption process we had our fair share of heartaches and frustration. We got to a point where we said, “What is the plan?” After a great deal of thinking and praying we decided that we wanted to become adoptive parents. Sounds easy enough, right? It’s not. There are many steps involved just to be accepted by a reputable agency. The process to be accepted includes background checks, interviews, and classes. It can be a long process. Throughout this entire process my wife and I had to remind each other to have faith in God’s plan. When it became such a long and hard road to travel, we started to lose patience. We wondered if we would even have the opportunity to be parents, because there In So Many Words are no guarantees with the adoption process. By Greg Simon However, we continue to have faith in God’s plan for us and for our family. As of November 2015 we were accepted and passed all of the requirements to become adoptive parents. We are patiently waiting even though it is hard. During this journey my wife and I learned a great deal about each other and feel our relationship is stronger because of it. We e may not know God’s may not know God’s plan, but we have faith in the plan, but we have faith in journey.
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the journey.
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Greg Simon is the Web Marketing Specialist for the Missionary Society of St. Columban.
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A Missionary in His Own Country Mission Promotion at Home By Fr. Thomas Nam
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r. Thomas Nan was ordained in 2002 and spent eight years in Peru as a Columban missionary. “When I was young I never knew the Columbans. I was an altar server in my parish and always thought I would become a diocesan priest. It was through a friend that I was introduced to the Columbans and then decided to become a missionary priest. My parents live in Seoul, and I have one brother who is married.” “How can I be a missionary in my own country?” This has been the question that has haunted me since returning home to Korea from Peru several years ago. Back in Korea it took a lot of prayer and discernment with fellow Columbans to discover the most urgent missionary tasks I could commit myself to. I now have three missionary commitments in my own country.
Promoting Columban Supporters Looking for Columban supporters throughout the different dioceses of Korea keeps me very busy. Every Sunday I visit a different parish
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to celebrate the Eucharist and to invite parishioners to subscribe to the Korean Columban magazine and support the missionary efforts of Columbans by their prayers and contributions. This is difficult but important work. There are now many Korean Columban missionaries spread around the world who need the support of the Korean faithful to be able to continue their work. On the first Friday of each month Columban supporters in Seoul meet at the Columban Mission Center for a talk on the missionary nature of the church, followed by the celebration of the Eucharist.
Celebrating the Eucharist Celebrating the Eucharist in the open air during protests against injustices has a long tradition in Korea. I believe it is important for the Church to accompany those who suffer injustice and to express solidarity with them. One way we do that is by offering the Eucharist as a sign of solidarity with them, in a very public manner, right out on the street or at the protest site.
Jeju Island Naval Base Each morning the Eucharist is offered at this protest site against the construction of a naval base on the southern island of Jeju. Columban Fr. Pat Cunningham and myself when possible, participate in the celebration of this Eucharist. For at least one hour, according to Korean Law, construction of the naval base has to come to a halt because of the presence of a religious celebration. Other religious groups also hold their religious ceremonies at different times during the day. Many people including the Bishops, clergy and laity of the local dioceses both on the island and close-by on the mainland, oppose the construction of this naval base, not only because it will lead to the militarization of the area, but also because of the great environmental harm caused by its construction. Its construction has also greatly damaged the livelihood of local fishermen.
Sewol Ferry Disaster As I am based in Seoul, it is much easier for me to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist each Wednesday at the protest site for the victims of the ferry, the Sewol, that capsized traveling from Incheon on the mainland to the island of Jeju. Most of the 304 victims were secondary school students. Many of the relatives of the victims believe the government investigation into the disaster was inadequate because of the lack of accountability from high level authorities. They accuse the government of corruption and incompetency that helped cause the ferry disaster. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Every Wednesday at a protest site in a public square in Seoul, where the relatives of the ferry victims have erected a tent in a permanent protest site, different religious congregations including the Columbans take turns to celebrate the Eucharist and pray for justice for the victims and their families. I believe it is important for me to be one of the celebrants of this Eucharist. Fr. Thomas Nam and friends
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
The Priest Associate Program
The Eucharist is also celebrated every first Monday for workers belonging to Trade Unions who fear reductions in wages, job security and retirement benefits due to government policies. Whenecer possible, I try to participate in this Eucharistic celebration.
My other missionary commitment is to coordinate the Columban Priest Associate Program. This is a program that invites diocesan priests, with the approval of their bishops, to work with Columban missionaries in an overseas appointment for a maximum of six years.
At the moment, there are thirteen Korean Priest Associates from five Korean dioceses working in Chile, Peru, Fiji and the Philippines. There are eighteen priests who have finished their overseas missionary experience and have now returned to their home dioceses. My job is to invite diocesan priests to consider the possibility of an overseas missionary experience, to help train them once they have been accepted and to help them re-integrate into their home dioceses upon their return. God has me as a missionary priest both in Peru and now back home in Korea. Thanks to God for this calling to missionary priesthood! CM Columban Fr. Thomas Nam lives and works in South Korea.
Are Sisters Still Needed? Yes! By Fr. Alo Connaughton
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r. Louise Horgan from Farnivane near Newcestown, County Cork, Ireland, remembers the Columban magazine The Far East as one of the reasons for her missionary vocation. Being a distant relative of Bishop Edward Galvin, the co-founder of the Columbans, she naturally had an interest in the Columban Sisters, but eventually joined the Good Shepherd Sisters. After her basic training and novitiate she was assigned to Ceylon. “After being sick all the way from Le Havre to Colombo”, she says, “I was met at the port by a bullock cart, with crowds of people everywhere, all of whom, men and women, wore skirts.” The next day, with four local helpers, she found herself in charge of 120 babies. Other Sisters had similar numbers of WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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young women. It was tough work but “I loved it, I was young.” Then came the election of Mrs. Bandaranaike as President, the takeover of Catholic schools and a heavy tax on all missionaries. The Sisters did not have much funds and many were assigned to other countries. In 1965 Sr. Louise was sent to Thailand. “I had £10 in my pocket, Sr. Leila Bergin from Tipperary had £15.” The St. Paul de Chartres Sisters provided a home until they were able to rent a place of their own. They got jobs teaching English. Within a few months they had given lodgings to seven young women – refugees from the sex trade; then it grew to 20. A request to the Mother General in France for money brought the reply, “Stay where you are and trust
in Providence.” Given permission to raise funds locally, people proved generous, and the Sisters were able to rent a bigger house. At one stage, after a clampdown on prostitution, a police van arrived at their door at 2 a.m. to deliver 20 more young women. Over the years the numbers grew. Today, Fatima Center in Bangkok is still a place where vulnerable girls and young women can come and stay free of charge. Presently there are 72. There is a center which can receive up to 25 expectant single mothers. There is also a day-care center for about 100 children and a workshop where 130 women can learn skills and are paid by piece work. And if all that was not enough, they have recently agreed to run a school five days a week for 300 children, many of them March/April 2016
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fleeing the violence in Syria, Pakistan or Myanmar. It is a place with no shortage of sad stories but also a place where many people find rays of new hope. A hundred kilometers away, her companion Sr. Joan Gormley from Dunmore, County Galway, Ireland, works in the seaside port of Pattaya. Like Sr. Louise, her religious journey began in Cork, then in Angers, France, where she took final vows in 1958. Two weeks later she was in Singapore, then briefly in Malaysia and on to Vietnam where she was to spend the next fourteen years where the government had a policy of imprisoning for two years women found in prostitution. The Bishop of Vinh Long invited the Sisters to offer an alternative to prison. Sr. Joan says success was not always guaranteed but tells a story to illustrate what usually happened. “I remember a woman of about 27 who was brought to us. Her husband was in the army, and they had three small children; she used to earn a little by selling coffee on the street outside her house. Her husband was killed but she got no pension. She couldn’t survive, so, leaving the children with relatives, she went off ‘to work.’ With the Vietnam War on and many soldiers in town she went to the bars where money could be made. She was arrested and brought to us.” 6
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“When I talked to her she would say ‘I must run away, I have to take care of my children.’ If she were caught outside she would be jailed for two years, but if she stayed with us for a while she could learn a skill and to read and write, and could take better care of her children. She stayed and learned dressmaking. I remember one night after class she brought me into the classroom of a higher grade and began to read a full blackboard. Even now I remember how my heart raced in case she’d fail. She finished it and her companions all clapped. She said, ‘Now I’m ready to go home.’ We were able to send her off with a new sewing machine. For years after she continued to visit with her children and insisted on cooking a meal for us.” After Vietnam came four years in Malasiam, the Northeast of Thailand and now Pattaya. Today Sr. Joan helps out in the Children’s Center in Pattaya where 120 children, mostly migrants from Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Laos come every day. Nearby the Sisters have the Fountain of Life Center where up to 400 women come every day to learn basic reading and writing skills, foreign languages, computer skills, hairdressing and massage therapy. Many of them are involved in, Sr. Joan would say trapped in, the sex trade in the city. Today Srs. Joan and Louise, who both celebrated 60 years of religious profession in
2015, are still active but leave the frontline work to their companions from Thailand and other countries. As Sisters disappear from the European landscape one might ask, “Are they still relevant?” The social services in Thailand who frequently seek the help of the Good Shepherds would say “yes.” As this article was being written, a police raid near Bangkok rescued 72 girls, ages 14 to 20 years old who were forced into selling sex which is just the tip of an appalling iceberg. Take young N.N., age 12, and her sister, age 10, who arrived not so long ago. Described by Sr. Louise as “lovely little children” they were sold for about 300 Euro by an addicted relative and ended up in prostitution. “We didn’t take children of that age, but how could we refuse when nobody else would have them?” The two young Irish convent school girls who set out from Cork and Galway such a long time ago have made a difference to the lives of many in their years of service. CM Columban Fr. Alo Connaughton teaches seminarians in Thailand and China.
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God depends on you to carry out His plan for the world. Please consider becoming a Columban Mission sponsor today! As a Columban Mission Sponsor, you play a vital and important role in bringing Christ to the people of the Pacific Rim, South and Central America. You may not be able to go where our Columban missionaries go, and you may not be able to do what we do, but together we can bring Christ, in word and in sacrament to the people of the world. What Columban missionaries achieve is as much your work as theirs. When you choose to make sustaining gifts as a Columban Mission Sponsor, you help secure the future of mission!
What does being a Columban Mission Sponsor involve? Daily Prayer Columban Mission Sponsors pray daily for the success of our missionaries. The Gospel is spread through the power of God, not merely by human effort. For mission efforts to be fruitful, they must be accompanied by prayer. Sacrifice Offer whatever crosses, suffering and pain you experience each day for the success of our mission activities. Sacrifice is the inseparable compliment to prayer. A Monthly Offering Columban Mission sponsors give a specific amount that they choose each month for the work of the missions. These sustaining gifts live up to their name by maximizing giving over the long term and provide a secure future for vital programs and ministries.
What are the personal benefits for you? Becoming a Columban Mission Sponsor is one way of saying “Thank You, Lord” for all of God’s goodness to you, especially for the gift of Faith. You can be sure that, in return, God will never be outdone in generosity toward you or your loved ones. By helping bring Christ to others, you will find your own faith immensely enriched. To start your monthly giving today, visit us online at: www.columban.org/sponsors. Or, for your convenience, fill out the form below and use the postage-paid envelope in the center of this magazine. _____ I would like to learn more about giving via automatic bank withdrawal. Please call me. _____ I would like to begin my monthly giving by check. Enclosed is my gift of $____________ (We will send a reminder each month unless you direct us otherwise) Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________________________________________ City: _______________________________________________________________ State: ___ Zip: __________ Phone: ________________________________ Email: ______________________________________________
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The Blessings of Our Unstinting God Growing a Community By Sr. Martina Kim
I got off the minibus at the last stop on the hillside in Huaycan, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. The road ended here so I walked on the unpaved sandy track up the hill, past the shacks that seemed to sprout on the bare slopes. Sand, dust, dirt. Not a blade of grass. Not a flower. The only color was the ragged clothes of the children who followed me, full of curiosity as they laughed at my funny accent. They were lovely, and they were dirt poor. After many more bus journeys, meetings with the parents, listening to them and seeing the children, I discovered that their most pressing need was to have a place where their children could do their homework after school. As it was, they had minimal space and no light in their small shacks. I often saw children trying to do their homework on the side of the road before darkness fell. How could we help them? After talking things over with my community and receiving donations from generous benefactors, we built a fine brick Center in this bleak area, the St. Columban Center. And now, every day up to 70 school boys and girls come here to study after school. Not only do they have space and light but they are helped by the three teachers we employ. What a difference it has made to the whole community here! 8
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Among the children who come are three little boys, sons of Josephina who came to Lima from the Sierra, the high valleys of the Andes mountains. She married a man who turned out to be a bully. A quiet woman, with a low self-image, she was no match for her tormenter. After years of mistreatment, both physical and mental, she left home one day with her three small sons. Her understanding sister-in-law let her use a dilapidated wooden shack some miles away from her “home.” The boys and their mother did their best in this wretched place, since it being
infinitely preferable to living with a tyrant. Helped by some of her poor neighbors, Josephina and her sons somehow managed to exist. Despite, or maybe because of, her own lack of education, Josephina was firm in her determination that her sons would learn their books. “Don’t be like me,” she’d say to them. She made sure they went to school every day, no excuses–and they loved it. It was actually through her sons that I came to know this very reserved woman. Our Center is located in one of the poorest areas in Huaycan. The first question we ask the children when they come to study is, “Did you have lunch today?” Many, sadly, go hungry so at least we are able to give them some nourishment every day. We also put on various helpful programs for them, and we reach out to the parents also. Over the years the community has developed and what a joy it is to see how, given the opportunity, the people flourish. One evening I visited Josephina; her living arrangements shocked me. But this very dignified woman wanted no charity. Sitting in that shack, I sensed her reluctance to engage with a stranger, though she had met me at the Center and was appreciative of the help it was to her sons. Eventually she admitted that their most pressing needs were water containers and WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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bedding. We were able to supply those items, thanks again to generous benefactors. Josephina came to the Center to help with the cleaning, and over many months we persuaded her to come to various activities so that she got to know other mothers and feel more at home. Later on we were able to purchase a small bit of land nearby, and we built a little house for Josephina and her boys. How she smiled and smiled that day! Now at last she felt really safe and though she never fully shed that low selfimage, she became much more hopeful, especially for her sons. They are her joy. The area around the Center is bleak beyond words. One day I went to the Area County Office and asked them to give us 100 trees. Well, they were delighted that the local people at the Center would be so interested. Not only did they give us 60 trees, but they sent us a horticulturist to teach us how to plant and care for these saplings. How enthusiastic we all were! The children promised to water their trees regularly and care for them.
And they do–each one diligently bringing their bottle of water and carefully pouring it on the arid ground a few times every week. Every green leaf is as joyfully welcomed as a little baby! Not only do the growing trees nourish our spirit, but the children and their parents are learning the importance of caring for the earth in many little ways. In order to encourage the children and their parents to come to the Center we use many small strategies. One of the most successful is the paper “money” we give to the mothers (you almost never see fathers) according to the points they accumulate. For example, so many points for making sure their children come to study, for attending various workshops or meetings, for helping keep the place spotless, seeing to the meals, and so on. A chart on the wall keeps the record straight, and both children and parents take an avid interest in the points earned. These are then exchanged for the paper “money.”
When Christmas comes we have a bumper market where they can use their paper “money” to buy a variety of goods, mainly food and clothing. It’s a win-win situation and lots of fun. The community celebration and the good will and laughter that day must surely delight the Lord himself! In some ways I think our Center is like one of those saplings; it needs to be cared for, watered with love and patience, nourished with hope. In small ways we are growing “into Christ” and seeing His Kingdom come here among us. Every day I thank God for this mission, for the blessings for the poor, for the children who are the hope of the future. And I thank Him too for the many, many people whose generous spirit enables us to be here. You, too, share in the blessings of our unstinting God. CM Columban Sr. Martina Kim has been on mission in Peru for the last eight years.
You’re doing “life,” Father The Work of a Prison Chaplain By Fr. Peter Toohey
On September 6, 2015, I celebrated Mass for the last time in prison. For the past 22 years I have been working as a prison chaplain in Western Australian jails. The prisoners used say to me: “You’re doing ‘life’, Father, just like some of us!” But now I realize that God is calling me to take a different path and leave this ministry to others. I feel immensely grateful for all the blessings God has given me over WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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these years. It’s been such a privilege to walk with so many prisoners a little of their journey to God. I have been entrusted with so many secrets of the heart, confessions of guilt, experiences of anguish, loss and self-hatred. There is nothing they have confessed to me which in some shape or form I have not myself experienced. Indeed if I had grown up in a home where there was violence and abuse, perhaps I would be wearing green like them! March/April 2016
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Much of my time as a prison chaplain has been spent building relationships of trust with both staff and prisoners. I was aware that many of the prisoners were very damaged people who had known great sadness and deprivation earlier on in their lives. I tried to help them see that God does not write them off as “crims” or “scum” but sees them as a beloved son or daughter. No matter what they had done to hurt others, no matter what others had done to hurt them, God believes in them. God wants to forgive them, mend broken relationships, and help them to be there for those who love them. There is a part of them which simply wants to be accepted for who they truly are – someone who is able to love and deserving to be loved. I was often touched by the courage of people who were prepared to own up to their offenses and the damage they had done to the victims of their crimes. They needed that very much, the chance to grieve over all that had gone wrong in their life, to let go of self-hatred and the need to punish themselves endlessly. You see people in a very different light when they tell you something of what they have lived through. It has made me realize that God is at work in every one of us and that the most powerful thing any of us has to share is our own story. Because our story is ultimately the story of what God is doing in us. Working with prisoners has been for me an uplifting and rewarding experience. I loved especially the Restorative Justice workshops where victims of crime came into the prison to share the trauma they had suffered, encouraging prisoners to “fess up” and accept responsibility for their offences. I loved also the Masses I celebrated with the prisoners. It was an opportunity for them to share their reflections on the Scriptures and how and where they had met Jesus on their own journey. There was such an 10
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honesty and earthiness about the story of their addiction to alcohol or drugs, their underlying sense of worthlessness and how they came to discover “Amazing Grace.” There were of course times when I felt dispirited. In prisons there is often an undercurrent of deep frustration and rage. There is a lot of bullying, gang violence and drug dealing. For vulnerable young prisoners especially, jail can be a harsh and dehumanizing experience. Yet even in this darkest of situations the Light is never extinguished. Leaving the prison ministry I am conscious that prisons are more overcrowded than ever, putting great strain on staff and prisoners alike. Aboriginal prisoners are hugely overrepresented in the prison population.
It seems to me that many prisoners are hostages to defeat and shame long before they come into jail. They inhabit an inner prison of loneliness and failure. Much needs to be done to provide alternatives to imprisonment for the mentally ill, the addicts, those who have unpaid fines, etc. Rather than building more prisons, the emphasis needs to be on building communities where the most vulnerable are supported, where conflicts are resolved through dialogue between victims and offenders and their families. None of us walk alone. In my case I have had great encouragement from a little group of lay Catholics meeting at the Christian Center for Social Action each Wednesday evening. There we would reflect on the following Sunday’s Gospel and talk about what it meant for us and what God was doing in our lives. I have felt held and carried by this little group
over the years and inspired by their passion for justice and compassion for the poor. Over the years I have been greatly supported also by lay volunteers who would come into the prison chapel with me on a Sunday for Mass and share a cup of tea with the prisoners afterwards. I also owe a lot to a wise and caring woman who was my pastoral supervisor for much of my time as a Chaplain. I could “unload” onto her my concerns and frustrations and gain insight into myself, my own ambivalence, woundedness and blockages. It seems to me that many prisoners are hostages to defeat and shame long before they come into jail. They inhabit an inner prison of loneliness and failure. And as we know from our own experience, “hurt people hurt people.” I think of an older prisoner who had come through a period of deep depression. He was greatly loved by his wife and family. He told me how finally he felt able to forgive himself for the shameful things he had done and the trauma he had inflicted on others. Somehow other prisoners sensed the change in him. He found that men who presented such an image of macho toughness to their mates were coming to him for help, crying like children over long-withheld grievances. I have been privileged to witness many such graced moments. In particular, I have been brought to an experience of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. As Pope Francis has reminded us, Jesus stank of His sheep. What else would you smell of when you are forever searching for lost sheep, picking up the injured and carrying them home? CM Columban Fr. Peter Toohey has retired from 22 years of prison ministry in Western Australia. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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The Rainbow Community Receives Award By Fr. Noel O’Neill
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he Rainbow Community, a foundation offering services to peoples with intellectual disabilities in South Korea, founded by Irish-born Columban Fr. Noel O’Neill, received the Manhae Award in the field of social service. The award ceremony took place in Inje County, Gangwondo province, South Korea, on Tuesday, August 12, 2015, at a site a stone’s throw from the temple where the Korean poet, Manhae, wrote his poetry and also within roaring distance from North Korea. The Manhae Award is named after the Buddhist monk, Han Yong–un (1879-1944), a Korean independence fighter and a renowned poet, who used the pen name Manhae. Each year the Manhae Foundation gives awards in three categories: peace,
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social services and literature. Former recipients of the Manhae Peace Award were Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama. The Rainbow Community was selected for the social service award because it had pioneered community-based services for people with intellectual disabilities with the introduction of group homes. Besides pioneering community-based residential services, the community had also started a factory in an industrial estate where 40 people with intellectual disabilities make candles and toilet paper while earning the minimum wage. They are the sole suppliers of toilet paper to the Incheon International Airport. In his acceptance speech Fr. Noel said, “that just as the monk Manhae
fought to free Korea from the bondage of the Japanese occupation, so also the Rainbow Community struggled against society’s disinterest and prejudice towards peoples with special needs. If those institutionalized in large institutions throughout the country were given the opportunity for learning and training they too could live with dignity in the local community and make their contribution to society.” When interviewed by the influential daily newspaper the Chosun Ilbo, Fr. Noel said that he had prayed to God to extend his life for 20 more years, so that he would have the opportunity to establish group homes for the intellectually disabled both in North Korea and nearby China. CM
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A Mother’s Voice The Story of Yudi By Fr. Peter O’Neill
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ears flowed down the cheeks of Yudi’s face as he listened to the voice of his mother speaking through my cellular phone while he laid on his ICU (Intensive Care Unit) bed fighting for his life. I was filled with emotion and elated joy standing by his bedside when I knew for the first time that Yudi was able to remember the sound of his mother’s voice. For three weeks this 21 year old Indonesian fisherman had been in a coma. This is how I met Yudi. On October 17, 2014, I received a phone
Yudi in the hospital
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call from a Hsinchu City National Immigration Agency (NIA) police officer asking me to shelter an undocumented Indonesian migrant worker with a slight mental problem. I agreed to shelter the worker. When I met him, I was shocked upon seeing how distressed he looked. In my few words of Indonesian I greeted him and introduced myself saying I was Fr. Peter, the Director of the Migrant Workers Center. I asked his name. In a gentle and quiet voice he said, “My name is Yudi.” They were the only words he spoke. He was
wearing a thick winter jacket despite the weather being hot and humid. I gently removed his jacket so he could feel more comfortable. The police informed me that Yudi had gotten into a taxi, and the taxi driver immediately knew that Yudi had some kind of mental problem. The concerned driver drove Yudi to the NIA office to seek assistance from the police. Inside Yudi’s wallet was a copy of his passport, his Indonesian ID card and a few notes from South Africa, China and the Philippines. With this information the police were able to ascertain that Yudi was an international fisherman who had jumped ship. Sister Lenny is our Indonesian case worker. She rang the Indonesian government office in Taipei to inform them of Yudi’s condition. They rang the placement agency in Indonesia and were given Yudi’s home phone number. Sr. Lenny rang Yudi’s mother. She was so distraught when she heard what had happened to her son. She informed Sr. Lenny that Yudi flew to Singapore in January 2014 to board a Taiwanese owned fishing vessel. He slaved away at sea for seven months with no days off and no pay. When the vessel finally docked at the Kaohsiung port in southern Taiwan, WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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I was filled with emotion and elated joy standing by his bedside when I knew for the first time that Yudi was able to remember the sound of his mother’s voice. Yudi rang his mother to tell her his employer had given his salary to his employment broker, and his broker said it was the payment for his work placement. With no money to send home to his poor struggling family, Yudi decided to jump ship and try his luck in finding work in Taiwan. For several months he worked in the mountain region of Taiwan picking fruit twelve hours a day on a meager salary of NT$600 (US$20) per day. I drove Yudi to the Migrant Shelter where I live with the migrant workers. Since Yudi was so agitated and could not sleep, I took him to the hospital. The attending psychiatrist examined him and decided to sedate him so he could have a good night’s rest in emergency. The next morning Sr. Lenny and I went to the hospital. Yudi had a big smile on his face when he saw us and was very calm. When the doctor asked him if he was hearing voices he said he could hear the voice of his Taiwanese employer shouting at him. The doctor prescribed three days medication. Three days later Sr. Lenny took Yudi for another consultation and the doctor prescribed seven more days of medication. Each day it seemed Yudi was recovering well. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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After being in our shelter for a week Yudi woke up in the morning finding it very difficult to breath. He was rushed to the emergency department, and upon examination it was discovered that a virus had entered his brain through his blood stream. Tragically Yudi fell into a coma and was placed on life support. Every day we visited him in ICU waiting anxiously and praying to God that Yudi’s life will be spared. Two weeks later the neurologist informed me there was no hope for Yudi. Sr. Lenny rang and informed Yudi’s parents. They sent me their written agreement to have Yudi’s life support system switched off so he would not suffer any longer. Miraculously, after being in ICU for exactly three weeks, Yudi took his first breath by himself. We couldn’t believe it. Neither could the doctor nor nursing staff. The breathing tube was taken out, and Yudi started using an oxygen mask. A week later he spoke his first words and slowly began eating pureed food. Unfortunately Yudi will have to be on medication for the rest of his life as the virus has done considerable damage to his neurological system. He has lost a lot of his memory but
thankfully he can remember the names of his mother, father and younger brother. Almost every day for seven weeks I visited Yudi in the hospital. On my last visit, the day before he was discharged, I decided to test Yudi’s memory by asking him a few questions. When I asked if his captain ever hit him he gestured by clasping his fist and hitting his head. From the first day I met Yudi my suspicion was that he was a victim of physical and mental abuse by his captain and a victim of human trafficking. Yudi’s story is one of thousands. Yet until now not one Taiwanese captain has been sent to prison for human trafficking. Last week Yudi returned to Indonesia. Yudi has left a lasting effect on my life. His will to live and to survive the intolerable abuse of human trafficking empowers me to be even more vigilant in fighting for the rights of all migrant workers. CM Columban Fr. Peter O’Neill (pictured below right with Yudi) first went to Taiwan in 1991. He is the Director of the Hope Workers Center in Taiwan.
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Good Friday in Japan 55 Years Using Visual Aids By Fr. Barry Cairns
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hen I was a very young priest just out of language school in Tokyo, my Japanese vocabulary was somewhat limited! To give me confidence and help me get the message across I used many visual aids in my classes with those preparing for Baptism. Gradually as my proficiency in the language increased, I continued to use visual aids because I found that they conveyed the message of Jesus far more effectively. This especially is the case in the Japanese culture which emphasizes the concrete rather than the conceptual. And here I am 55 years later still using visual aids in my catechumenate, homilies and liturgies! The Good Friday liturgy is one example. For the Adoration of the Cross there is quite a display. The centerpiece is a large crucifix. I found the crucifix in the sacristy store room. It was broken with only wires protruding from the plaster arms. A sculptor parishioner, only recently baptized, gave Jesus new arms. This repair work meant a lot to him. I
had seen a crucifix from Ireland used during the persecution. On it was not only the outline of Jesus, but also depicted were the instruments of the Passion. Using this Irish crucifix as our resource we assembled various concrete objects. The women in charge of the altar flower arrangement plaited a crown of thorns. In my carpenter’s workshop I made the scourge and a large pair of dice to depict those used by the soldiers to decide who won the seamless cloak of Jesus. From my carpentry kit we added a heavy hammer, three large nails and pincers (to take the nails out after Jesus’ death). Another amateur carpenter made a very realistic looking lance, a pole topped with a sponge and a miniature ladder (to take down Jesus’ body from the cross). At first we had only a tiny rooster to recall Peter’s denial. Then a parishioner gave us an heirloom from her deceased father. It was a big, very much alive-looking rooster made in the atelier of the famous Japanese chinaware company, Noritake.
Our parish uses these visual aids on Good Friday during the liturgy which includes the Adoration of the Cross. At first we slowly read the relevant passages in St. John’s Gospel and the fourth Song of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52:13 53:12). The lights are then turned off, and only a spotlight on the area of the Cross remains lit. Then the parishioners come up in procession two by two while a chanter gently sings in Japanese those haunting liturgical hymns for Good Friday. The parishioners lay their hands on the Cross and commune with their Savior in silent prayer. It is a supremely sacred moment. The purpose of a catechetical visual aid is to lead the viewer to a deeper faith truth. The aid must not become a mere transitory entertaining gimmick! An aid is a parable in the concrete. In other words, we do not concentrate on the actual wounds themselves, but rather on the love behind them. “By his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) That love is not just 2000 years ago, but a love that is alive and active for each of us today. We can all say with St. Paul, Jesus “loves me and gave himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20) CM
Columban Fr. Barry Cairns lives and works in Japan.
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Columban Missionaries Memorial Garden Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves. ~ Philippians 2:3 The new and breathtaking Columban Missionaries memorial garden on the grounds of St. Columbans in Bellevue, Nebraska, memorializes the legacy of twenty-four Columban missionaries who gave their lives for our faith. They believed in something more than self and gave their lives in the same fashion. This special and quiet place of reflection honors their sacrifice. The design of the garden speaks to the fullness of resurrection and life everlasting. It also signifies the unity that you have shared with us in our common missionary calling throughout the years. We joyfully offer you the opportunity to be a part of this lasting place by memorializing or honoring a loved one or special person with the engraving of a paving brick. For a gift of $150, you can honor or memorialize someone and by doing so, become a part of this beautiful place that honors so much about our faith and calling. To place an order for your engraved brick, please contact us at 1-877-299-1920 or visit us online at www.columban.org to fill out an online order form. For more information about our memorial garden and to hear the story of the Columban missionaries who gave so selflessly, please contact us at CM 1-877-2991920 or email us at mission@columban.org. We are forever grateful for the part that you play in our shared missionary journey and we gratefully remember you in our Masses and prayers.
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Shoda Akira Signs of Remorse By Fr. Paddy Clarke
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any years ago, when I worked as a Columban missionary in Japan, there was a man I would have liked to have met. His name was Shoda Akira. I came to hear about him through a chance meeting with his mother. One Sunday morning when I was instructing a class of adults, a woman whom I did not know approached and asked to sit in on our class. Later I learned that she was Shoda San (Mrs.), a parishioner of the adjoining parish, who came to Mass in our parish. I was told that her son, Akira, was a prisoner in the Tokyo Detention Center awaiting execution. Gradually I began to learn more about Shoda Akira. He was born in Osaka in 1929. He graduated from the prestigious Tokyo Keio University in 1953. Japan at that time was slowly recovering from World War II. It was a time when the occupation forces had not yet left, and when the young generation of Japanese were deeply disillusioned. In this milieu, Akira began working as a trainee with a stockbroker firm in Tokyo. He was intelligent and a quick learner. He also proved to be a young man burdened with emotional issues and insecurities. Within a relatively short time he had to resign his job
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to avoid dismissal. Within a month, aided by two others, he formed a plan to kill and rob a businessman of a large amount of cash. They brutally murdered the man; however, the plan failed. The two accomplices were quickly arrested, Akira escaped with the money, and it was three months before he was arrested. Tried and found guilty of murder, he was sentenced to death by hanging. The practice in Japan, even up to the present time, is to wait until the condemned man shows signs of remorse before carrying out the execution. Akira showed no signs of remorse as he began his sentence. He came into contact with Fr. Candeau, a French missionary, chaplain to the prison. Later on he asked for instruction in the faith and was eventually baptized. Gradually his whole life changed as he embraced his new faith. He had always loved literature, and he discovered that he had a gift for writing. He began to publish essays and a novel, and co-edited a colloquial translation of the New Testament. His publications were well received by Tokyo’s literary community. Over the years it was assumed by his readers that his sentence would be commuted to life imprisonment.
At this point the focus of the story returns to his mother. Down through the years she had visited him each week. Then, one day she received a telegram from the prison requesting her presence on the following day. On arrival, she was informed that her son was to be executed the next day. That was to be her last meeting with her son Akira. Later she was told that he had spent the remaining part of that day writing letters of thanks to those who had helped him down through the years. Akira was hanged on December 12, 1969. He was no saint. Neither was he an evil man. He was a man who found Jesus, the hidden treasure. His life underlines an important truth which Sr. Helen Prejean, in her ministry against the death penalty, has expressed in few words, “Every human being is worth more than the worst act of his life.” CM Columban Fr. Paddy Clarke spent more than thirty years on mission in Japan. He is now retired in Dalgan Park, Navan, Ireland.
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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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Sand, Water, Coal Parish Life in the Thar Parkar Desert By Fr. Tomás King
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he Thar Parkar Desert is situated in the southeast of Pakistan in Sindh province. It covers an area of 22,000 square kilometers with an estimated population of 1.5 million people and is one of the most densely populated deserts of the world. It is a place of beauty, especially after the monsoon rains at least. Columban Fr. Tomás King provided this update about his parish in the Thar Parkar desert. The Thar Parkar desert has an interesting geology. There are red granite hills with deep gorges which are home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. One of the trees found in the area is the Gugral tree, which is the tree that provides the resin from which incense is made. It is estimated that 70% of the trees have dried up due to criminal groups extracting its resin using poisonous chemicals to speed up the process of extraction in order to sell the resin in greater quantities in the markets of the big cities. There are springs associated with Hindu shrines, rituals and pilgrimages. Hindus and Muslims visit them in large numbers on special occasions. There are a number of Jain temples, some dating back to the 14th century, when the Jains were prominent in the area. Nagar Parkar is a small town within a few kilometers of the Indian border. It is considered the homeland of the Parkari Kohlis, one of the many low caste tribal peoples to be found in Sindh. There is a parish center in the town which has been administrated by Columbans since the mid-1980s.
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There are less than 100 Catholic families, and they are scattered over a large geographical area. It is the only area in Pakistan where more than 50% of the population is Hindi. The area also has white china clay deposits which are being mined. But for the most part Thar Parkar is an arid and semi-arid desert, where, underneath its sands massive amounts of coal have been found and large-scale mining is being planned. The land is fertile when sufficient rains fall. Production of crops depends on the monsoon rains which should fall from mid-June to mid-August each year. Unfortunately, for the last ten years there have been drought conditions in Thar Parkar. Due to this many people migrate to the interior
The land is fertile when sufficient rains fall…. Unfortunately, for the last ten years there have been drought conditions in Thar Parkar. of the Sindh province in search of work, food and water. In 2014 it was estimated that 470 people died due to drought, mostly children. But that is only the official number. Along with human deaths there were thousands of livestock deaths, which are vital to the economy of the desert people. Obviously water is a serious issue in this area. Surface water is minimal, found in artificially dug depressions. Small dams and reservoirs are being
built by the government and some non-government organizations (NGOs) to capture and store rainwater when it does fall. As regards ground water, studies show that there is what is called aquifer zones at varying depths, including in the areas where coal is located. Some of this water is harvested through digging deep tube-wells for drinking and household use. What will happen to this water with the coal mining? For the mining itself, massive amounts of water will be necessary. Pakistan does not produce sufficient power to provide electricity for all its peoples’ needs. “Load shedding,” where electricity is cut off for hours on end every day, is a part of life even during the hot summer months when the increased demand is not met. It is not unusual to have protests that sometimes turn violent, as people vent their frustration and anger at prolonged load shedding. In such a context the discovery of massive amounts of coal under the sands of the Thar Parkar Desert, which has the potential to end load shedding and provide for all of Pakistan’s energy needs for generations to come, is seen as a Godsend. But at what cost to the desert environment and its people today, and to future generations? Will there be more prolonged droughts in the Thar Parkar Desert, as well as the heavier monsoons and increased flooding in other parts of the country? The government and some mining companies, including a Chinese company, have begun the process of WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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extracting the coal. China’s presence reinforces its policy of seeking out natural resources from virtually anywhere in the world to feed its own domestic needs. Presently the road is being upgraded from the main extraction area to Karachi, a distance of almost 300 kilometers. Small towns are being by-passed. So any so-called economic benefits will be for the big cities and China, with little for the poor of the desert, except contaminated water! All of this is happening as Pope Francis has recently released the encyclical Laudato Si in which he says climate change is a moral issue. He endorses the science that says humanity is a major contribution to the ecological crisis facing planet Earth. A major part of that WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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contribution has been the burning of fossil fuels. He writes: “A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system.... The problem is aggravated by a model of development based on the intensive use of fossil fuels, which is at the heart of the worldwide energy system.... We know that technology based on the use of highly polluting fossil fuels – especially coal, but also oil, and, to a lesser degree, gas – needs to be progressively replaced without delay.... Access to safe drinkable water is a basic and universal human right, since it is essential to human survival and, as such, is a condition for the exercise of other human rights....” This is a microcosm of the challenge facing humanity. How to
provide the energy necessary while decreasing the dependency on fossil fuels? The planet cannot tolerate the extraction of the vast quantities of coal in the Thar Parkar Desert and other locations around the world. It highlights the extent of the conversion and change of life style that is necessary to turn things around. It is also a missionary challenge facing the local church, and a challenge for the many NGOs who claim to be working for the betterment of the people. It is a big challenge in the presence of a myriad of many other challenges. CM Columban Fr. Tomás King (pictured above) has been a missionary in Pakistan since 1992.
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Education in Myanmar Hope for the Future By Fr. Patrick Colgan
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or many years, the Columbans have been sponsoring the Education Commission of Myitkyina and Banmaw Dioceses, in Kachin State, Myammar, in their provision of boarding hostels and schools in the remote areas, where war and poverty are widespread. The following is a report from the Coordinator of the Myitkyina Commission, Peter Naing Lin, on a recent visit to two rural parishes in an area up near the Northern border of China. It gives a snapshot of the extraordinary challenges faced by teachers, children and the priests, Sisters and catechists, trying to provide pastoral care in most difficult circumstances.
Visit to Sumpra Bum Parish Nine of us got in a boat to begin a journey at about 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10, 2015. The boat was slow! By 5 p.m., the boatman got tired, so we put up for the night at an inn in Tiyan Zup village. The next day, we got to Layan village by the same boat. It was evening when we met my colleague Roi San’s father who gave us some food. We stayed at a priest’s house which was empty and a good place for us to cook. The next morning Roi San and three volunteers left for Kachyihtu parish, but four other volunteers and I had to stay for another day to get a boat to N Htan Zup. Sometimes there is no boat for several days. Our group arrived there on Saturday evening; the next morning, we continued on foot to Umhta village on foot. This was the first hard day, but not yet the hardest we were to face. 20
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The four volunteers began to smile and cry when we got to Umhta village at about 6:30 p.m. that night, for they all were assigned there as teachers. I spent another day there to observe the Umhta Sunhtu Middle school and meet teachers and the board of the school. I took some photos and had a little fun with the people there. Then I continued my journey to N Hkai village. One of the villagers accompanied me. The two of us passed many mountains and valleys like we were on a military training or like Jesus carrying the cross up Calvary. This was truly the hardest day of the journey. The road was muddy and full of leeches, and the weather was both hot and wet. We got to N Hkai at about 7:30 p.m. on June 16. The next day, I met the school staff and the school board. On June 18, I got another local man to accompany me to Lung Wang village, where we arrived two days later. After spending a little time there to rest, we walked for four hours to Chahkyi Rawng. I decided to stay there for another day to meet the staff and school board. As usual people there were friendly and talked much. I was too tired to talk to every one of them, although I did what I had to do. Then I had to continue my journey to another place, Bum Noi. One of the volunteer teachers there kindly accompanied me up to Bum Noi and N Htan Zup. At least I was able to ride a motorbike half way to Bum Noi! The following Monday morning, I met some parents and the school committee and talked about the vision
and mission of the school. Then I said, “good-bye...see you next time.” We arrived N Htan Zup in the evening on the same day. This time, the road was too bad for a motorbike, which we fell off several times. But somehow we got there. The next day we boarded a boat for home, bringing to an end this difficult but memorable stage of the journey.
Visit to Putao Parish On September 2, 2015, Roi San and I made it to St. Paul Boarding house, driving motorbikes to Machan Baw from Kawng Kahtawng when the sun had already become very dim. There are 28 students here, none of whom are from rich families, so not all of their parents can pay the boarding fee. Students take turn cooking. Their lunch always seems to be porridge. Mostly they get fresh vegetables from their own garden. The water is clean and healthy enough. Desks and chairs are clearly not sufficient. Dormitories for both boys and girls are just temporary bamboo houses. Toilets are getting old, but the electricity is okay. These young peoples’ dreams are to be school teachers, lawyers, nurses, catechists, priests and Sisters. On September 20, we went to Lung Sha Yang Boarding House where there are 44 students. The priest shared his difficulty in managing those students, many of whom are traumatized by the war. The dormitory and study halls are in good condition but not the dining room. The bathrooms and toilets are quite bad. They have two meals a day, but the meals are usually of poor quality. They have electricity but obviously WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Grade One
Students working on the grounds
Students in front of boarding house
no internet. The boarding house relies totally on the Education Commission for funding. There is no sign of the committee trying to move to selfsustainability. As it is, most parents are poor and uneducated farmers who can’t pay any boarding fees. On September 28, we arrived at Kawng Kahtawng Boys’ Boarding House where there are 15 boys from different villages. Since many of them are from very remote areas, their learning process is slow compared to students at state schools. They take only two meals a day but never complain; the lights, though, are not bright enough to study at night. None of their parents can pay the boarding fee. They all have great dreams and totally rely on their priest. We then moved to St. Francis Xavier Convent Boarding House where Sr. Teresa AH Myaw is helping the six students here. Sr. Teresa wants to add more students, but she is worried about how to fund them. The Education Commission presently pays all boarding costs including the boarding mistress’s salary. Next, we visited N Si Yang Primary School on the afternoon of September 30. There are 42 students on the list here, all from surrounding villages. Their absence from school WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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depends on the information they get about the fighting between Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and government troops which can happen at any time. Ten out of 52 families have fled to other places, and there will be more families leaving their homes soon. The school building, desks and blackboards are getting old. If there is more fighting, the school will have to close. Some rockets fell next to the school fence during the war last year. The school is affiliated with the state school from Lung Sha Yang. Exam papers, report cards and teaching methods are provided from there. The Kachin Independence Army provides a sack of rice and some salt to each teacher every month. As a local contribution each family is asked to pay $5 and ½ sack of rice each year, but not every family can afford even this fee. The Education Commission provides a monthly salary to the three teachers as well as sport materials and some medicines. All teachers are married, and their absences are frequent. There are three villagers elected to be the school committee. The school is the only hope of the villagers for their children’s education.
Finally, on October 2, we visited St. Michael Girls’ Boarding House where eighteen girls from the surrounding villages are studying. They go to daily Mass and prayers (as is the custom in all the boarding houses). Their parents are charged $200 per a year but only a few of them could pay it, so the Columbans, through the Diocesan Education Commission, have been paying it in full or part. None of the girls have dropped out or complained, although the building is clearly getting old and is too small for them. Their three meals a day are comparable to the ones they get at their homes, and they get fresh vegetables from their garden. There is intermittent electricity, and they share a generator with the boys’ boarding house. The Sisters run a kindergarten program during the day. These young people all have great dreams, such as to be doctors, teachers, and religious Sisters. CM Columban Fr. Patrick Colgan serves on the Society’s General Council and lives and works in Hong Kong. He frequently travels to Myanmar.
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The Holy Spirit Alive in Us Looking Forward in Joy By Lilibeth Sabado
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left Taiwan three years ago and returned for a two-month refresher course in Chinese Mandarin in March 2015. It was great to be back in a place where I am familiar, a place where I feel secure. It is fair to say that Taiwan is my place of comfort, my second home. “Today is our budget meeting and in a special way I would like to invite all of us to remember in gratitude our benefactors and supporters around the world,” an introduction of the morning prayer led by one of the lay missionaries where I attended my last business meeting in Taiwan Mission Unit. Everyone was engaged in the discussions, and I sat quietly, listening and observing. I cannot help but be soaked in gratitude for my years of missionary journey in Taiwan. We missionaries respond to the call of mission, and our supporters and benefactors share with us in responding to this call. It is not just our yes, but also it’s the commitment of our supporters and benefactors that play a great factor in facilitating us to go on mission. We are able to cross boundaries and journey with the people in the margins, because we receive support from our benefactors. I can still remember the first time I arrived in Taiwan thirteen years ago. I was scared, unable to speak the language, feeling uncertain about a lot of things and at the same time the feeling of excitement to explore the 22
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unknown and anticipation of what will come was dominant. I suppose all of us will agree that going on mission for the first time does feel this way. But at times I tend to forget how I have started and have to remind myself every time new missionaries arrive in the country to go back to these experiences of “beginnings” so I can support the younger missionaries in their process of insertion. I was rejoicing to see my fellow missionaries settled and have taken different responsibilities in the mission unit and their ministries. I am amazed at how the Holy Spirit is alive in us all. Growing in the Spirit is expressed through sharing joys; their openness to share each other’s challenges and difficulties and being open to be mentored. In mission, we learn, we grow then we continue to learn and grow. I suppose it is important that we keep these two dimensions without limits because this drives us to explore. Exploring leads us to reach new heights and new realizations. Change is always part of the equation. My experience of working in the central administration for three years has brought me to a new perspective of mission. My concept of mission used to focus only in my participation in the Taiwan Mission Unit and in my ministry. However, after my term of service on the central administration team, I realized that as a long-term lay missionary I noticed
that I no longer seek for intact and functioning structures but to be part of “constructing” new structures that would facilitate mission in areas of focus for Columban missionaries. This is the reason why I opted to undergo a process of change of assignment. The process involved a dialogue with the present Columban lay mission team, the Society General Council and the Taiwan Mission Unit. This will again involve an adjustment, not without feelings of uncertainties; however I am open to learn and explore, comforted in the thought that there is always excitement in the unknown. I am grateful to God for my mission experience in Taiwan. I leave with a heart full of gratitude for all that has been and especially to all our supporters and benefactors who contributed greatly leading me to a space where I am now. I do not know for sure what will be my future in my new assignment, but I am open to learn and I look forward with joy and gratitude believing that the Holy Spirit is alive in me and in us. CM Columban lay missionary Lilibeth Sabado lives and works in Hong Kong.
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The Faith of the People “What is it that keeps you going?” is a question that I frequently ask other Columban missionaries who live and minister in very difficult circumstances. The response is almost always the same, “The faith of the people.” It is indeed surprising that we Columban missionaries, who go around the globe as messengers of Jesus, find that our own faith is nurtured and sustained by the very people with whom we share the Gospel. Columban lay missionary Sainiana Tamatawale and Fr. Kevin Mullins minister in Corpus Christi parish on the edge of the city of Juarez in Mexico. Despite the fact that they continue to live in the midst of grinding poverty and frequent violence, both these missionaries have come to cherish the deep faith, daily persistence and spontaneous joy of the Mexican people. “These people have slowly converted me!” says Fr. Kevin, with a broad and radiant
From the Director By Fr. Tim Mulroy
smile. Then he adds, “In the face of so much uncertainty, they have taught me during these past twelve years what it means to put my trust in God.” From his expression, I sense that this unsentimental Australian is still amazed by his discovery of a hidden treasure in Juarez. Sainiana also seems surprised and grateful for what she has discovered in her ministry: “I am so impressed by the way people care for their family and others in their community. Even though many are carrying heavy crosses,
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“These people have slowly converted me!” says Fr. Kevin, with a broad and radiant smile. they continue to reach out to anyone who is troubled or alone. I am the only Fijian person here in this city. However, the local people are so concerned for my well-being and always look out for me. Yes, there are some problems with drugs and violence, but ninety-five percent of the people are trying their best to live a good life. It’s a pity that their stories never makes the headline news.” Through his ministry in Juarez, Fr. Kevin has come to realize that Jesus is fulfilling His promise to reward him a hundredfold for leaving his family and possessions behind in order to witness to the Gospel: “Many times people ask me why I prefer to live here in this dangerous city when I could enjoy a comfortable lifestyle among family and friends back home in Australia. My life as a Columban missionary makes no sense to many of them. However, when I discovered the pearl of great price among the Mexican people….their faith, their hospitality and their joy….it was no sacrifice to leave everything behind.” God has indeed rewarded Sainiana and Fr. Kevin’s service to his mission in a most unexpected place, and in very surprising ways.
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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 you knew the gift of God and who it is who is saying to you ‘give me a drink,’ you would have asked and he would have given you living water.” — John 4:10
If you feel a thirst to spread the word of Jesus, we would love to discuss missionary life with 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… Sr. Carmen Maldonado Columban Sisters 2546 Lake Road Silver Creek NY, 14136 716-934-4515 Websites: www.columbansisters.org www.columbansistersusa.com
Japan + Korea + Peru + Hong Kong + Philippines + Pakistan + Chile + Fiji + Taiwan + North America
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