The Magazine of the Missionary Society of St. Columban
Wisdom Counsel
Fortitude
November 2015
Understanding
Knowledge
Piety
Wonder & Awe of the Lord 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit Columban Mission NOV15 final.indd 1
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Volume 98 - Number 7 - November 2015
Columban Mission
o n t e n t s
Issue Theme – 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit
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)
One Mother’s Story
12 Home Is Where the Heart Is
4 My Journey as a Vakavuvuli, a Catechist
A Long Road
5 Everybody Has a Part to Play
Protecting the Most Vulnerable
8 Missionaries in Myanmar
A New Columban Team
14 Columban, One with Creation
A Disciple of the Earth
17 Columbans Celebrate Ordination Anniversaries Departments 3 In So Many Words 23 From the Director
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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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Becoming Divine
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here is a tiny moment at Mass when the priest, just before he offers the wine at the altar, adds a few drops of water to the chalice and prays in these startling words: “By the mystery of this water and wine may we become partakers in the divinity of Christ who humbled Himself to share in our humanity.” Familiarity may have dulled our sense of wonder, but what we are asking for is nothing less than to become divine like Christ Himself. Unbelievable as it may seem, and utterly amazing, we, in all our weakness and brokenness, are diamonds of divinity. This is not because of any ascetic practice or powerful prayer on our part, but because of the radical goodness of God and His unfathomable love of us. The Holy Spirit works in our hearts not simply to help us to grow in virtue, but to form us in the image of the Son to make us participants in the divine nature of God Himself. Because of this great gift we can truly live as Jesus taught us, responding to His call of love and service with humility and simplicity of heart. Our joy increases as we reflect on the enormity of the gift that is ours, however wretched or pain-filled our lives may be. Like Jesus, we too must carry our cross, face rejection and suffer. Our divinization does not insulate us from the pain of life; rather we become more sensitive to the cries of our brothers and sisters, the cry of creation. In fact the paradox is that by becoming divine we begin In So Many Words By Sr. Redempta Twomey to be fully human. As we reflect on and claim this innermost truth of ourselves, the deepest longings of our heart are revealed. We touch on the astounding love of God for us and know, at a he Holy Spirit works in level beyond thought, that nothing less than God our hearts not simply to Himself can satisfy our soul. help us to grow in virtue, Jesus, who said, “I have come that they may have but to form us in the image life and have it more abundantly,” (Jn 10:10) shows us what this life means and that it is ours for the of the Son to make us living. We are not on our own, God lives in us and participants in the divine that makes all the difference. Sr. Redempta Twomey lives and works in Ireland. nature of God Himself.
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My Journey as a Vakavuvuli, a Catechist A Long Road Vakavuvuli Ignatius Gyan Want as told to Chris Hochstetler
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t. John Paul II connected the vital role of the catechist to the missionary church in his encyclical Redemptoris Missio saying “During my apostolic journeys I have been able to observe personally what the catechists offer, especially in mission territories, an outstanding and absolutely necessary contribution to the spread of the faith and the Church.” Columban missionaries rely on the catechists to help assist them in bringing and strengthening the faith to remote places where priestly visits and the Celebration of the Eucharist are infrequent at best. Along with the priest, the catechist performs a vital function in keeping the faith alive and growing. In Fiji the challenges of remote location and poor access are also compounded by the cultural differences found within the small nation. According to an article published by CNN in September 2014, about 57% of the population of Fiji are indigenous Fijians and 38% are Indo-Fijians. Indians in Fiji have a rich, vibrant and distinctive culture. They also have different faith needs as it relates to the liturgy and their language. By and large, Indians in Fiji speak Hindi, and the community needs a catechist that speaks their language and is a part of their culture. Until recent times, there have been few to no IndoFijian catechists. We are blessed at the Columban staffed parish of Holy Family in Labasa, Fiji, to have a Hindi speaking Indo-Fijian catechist. His name is Gyan Want. I met him on
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a recent trip to Fiji. He is passionate and serious about his calling, and he is a vital part of Columban missionary work in Fiji. He wanted to share a small part of his faith journey with you as one of the first Indo-Fijian catechists in all of Fiji! – Chris Hochstetler I had just completed my secondary education in Labasa, Fiji, and was contemplating the career path that I was on. One day, Columban Fr. Pat McCaffrey asked me if I wanted to attend Corpus Christi Teachers College in the capital city of Suva. It may sound funny, but I asked him, “Father, what’s that?” I was enrolled there in 1974 after Fr. Pat told me what Corpus Christi Teachers College was. I was never a boarded student before. I had also never experienced living with the i-Taukei or indigenous Fijian people, I had only lived among them. Their food and their language were very different to me. Out of one hundred students at the college, only three of us were Indo-Fijian. My Catholic faith helped me to survive there. It was a turning point in my life, and I felt a calling for religious work that became a passion for me. After graduating from the teachers’ college and while teaching at Holy Family Primary School in Labasa, I wrote a letter to Archbishop Petero Mataca asking if I could do some work officially teaching catechism. The Archbishop asked me to join the first lay leader’s course to be conducted at the Namata Ashram in Nadi, Fiji. After completing the
Vakavuvuli Ignatius Gyan Want
lay leader’s course and together with other lay leaders, I started setting up small Christian prayer groups in and around Labasa. We taught Catholics the seven steps of Bible sharing. I also assumed an active role in the teaching of catechism alongside our Columban priests. I officially retired from my teaching job in the year 2009. It was a very sad day in my life, but came with the blessing of being able to teach catechism on a more regular basis. I felt that I had more time to share with my fellow brothers and sisters. I also visited many other countries overseas during this retirement period. The travels showed me that my home of Fiji needed me the most. So, I decided to stay in my beautiful islands in the sun! I started to run a small dairy shop, but that was not successful or fulfilling. At the same time, the Diocese forwarded my name to be recognized as a catechist or vakavuvuli in Fijian. I joined the Navesi catechist training center at this time. It was another trying time for me because Navesi is just like a traditional i-Taukei Fijian village and very much different from the Indian WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Fr. Charlie Duster, Mr. and Mrs. Waynt, Fr. Paul Tierney
Archbishop Peter Loy Chong Mrs. Gyan Want and Vakavuvuli Ignatius Gyan Want
culture that thrives here in Fiji. All of the lessons that I must learn were in the native Fijian language and not my own. My own faith, my family and the love of the student catechists and staff helped me to survive the experience. On November 21, 2013, I was commissioned as a catechist. I was a part of history in becoming one of the first Indo-Fijian catechists for Fiji and Rotuma!
supporting me. I am still trying each and every day to better myself in my journey of faith. CM
I feel so happy now; there is never a dull moment. Today, I honor my ancestors who brought the faith with them to Fiji from India. They sowed the seeds of the faith here in Fiji and then the seeds were nurtured, watered and looked after by the Columban Fathers who played a major role in who I have become today. I thank my parents and all of the faithful Catholics around the world for
Vakavuvuli Ignatius Gyan Want related this story to Chris Hochstetler, the director of fund development for the Columban missionaries in the U.S., while Chris was visiting Fiji earlier this year.
Everybody Has a Part to Play Protecting Those Most Vulnerable By Fr. Tony Coney
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elia phoned us in the Children’s Center, distraught and asking for help, as her ex-husband had abducted their eight year old daughter, Milagros, a few months previously, and any attempt she made through the police and the local DEMUNA (“Defensoría Municipal del Niño, Niña y Adolescente”) to recover her child ended in frustration. She approached us in the St. Bernadette´s Children’s Center as a last resort and related her story. The WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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relationship with her husband had been initially very caring and loving, but for some reason, after the birth of their daughter, he became very violent towards Melia. The violence, punches, insults and humiliations, etc., all happened in front of their daughter for a number of years, the motive being that he had been mistreated as a child. Whenever there was a problem he would take the daughter away for a time and would only agree to bring her back when Melia revoked the complaint she had made to the police
for family violence. This went on for years. “One day his mother told me that as a young man he had received psychiatric treatment for the violence he couldn’t control, and it became a condition for our continued relationship that he would resume this treatment.” But soon, once again, the violence would start all over again. It came to the stage last year that he took Milagros away for good and no matter what Melia tried, nobody took any notice. “I would surreptitiously go November 2015
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to visit my daughter in her grandma’s house where Rolando had taken her, but in fear of his catching me. Milagros would also be looking out the window in case he came telling me that I shouldn’t visit because her father would beat me again. I would go the school where Milagros was studying just to see her, but my husband would arrive threatening to kill me, to shoot me and at times waving a gun at me. I was petrified, but I wanted my daughter back. He would punch and kick me in front of the other parents and the “Directora” of the school, but nobody interfered. The “directora” of the school wouldn’t allow me to see Milagros because my husband told her not to let me in, although once in the school office, with the “Directora” present, he again started punching and threatening me. After one of these episodes at the school, I was walking back along the road crying when I met a young man who approached me on seeing my distress. I told him my story and he gave me the address of a place where I could go for help. It was several months after that when I eventually called the St. Bernadette’s Children’s Center which also has a “Child Defense Desk” connected with the local DEMUNA office. On being invited to the Center, I met Ruth and Marcela who listened to my story. The young man, Miguel, who gave me the address of the Center, was an ex-Columban seminarian, whose wife, Esperanza, had been an English teacher in the Centre some years previously. Ruth and Marcela decided to present an official complaint to the “Poder Judicial” which eventually sent them to the DEMUNA office in the area where Melia lived. Having presented a complaint against Rolando, they returned to find out why, after so long, nothing was being 6
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After one of these episodes at the school, I was walking back along the road crying when I met a young man who approached me on seeing my distress. done. There they discovered in the documentation that the husband was listed as the ex-director of the DEMUNA in that area, and those in charge now didn’t want to move against him. This is when Ruth and Marcela decided to go to ALEGRA (Asistencia Legal Gratuita) where they talked with a Dr. Peláez, a lawyer who took up the case. At the same time they went to a television channel whose Sunday program called “Nunca Mas,” which highlights abuses like that of Melia, and with their lawyer, Dra. Andrea Llosa, along with Dr. Peláez, presented a complaint to the “Fiscalia de la Familia.” The program “Nunca Mas” arranged that Melia would go to the school again in an attempt to meet her daughter, Milagros, but this time with hidden cameras to tape anything that might occur. The husband did arrive and once again was very abusive, verbally and physically. The encounter was filmed to be presented on the Sunday night program. They also interviewed the “Directora” of the school as to why she didn’t take action against the abuse
that was being perpetrated outside and inside her school. It turned out, to our astonishment, that she was a psychologist who also worked in the Children’s Center many years before, and who was the person who had the initial idea of opening up a home for children who had been sexually abused, which now exists as part of the St. Bernadette’s programs for the protection of children, and the prevention of sexual abuse. She apologized publicly on television for her inertia which unfortunately is a common trait when it comes to trying to present and move a complaint through the local authorities. Because of the television program the complaint was acted upon almost immediately with the “Fiscalia de la Familia” awarding Melia guardianship of her daughter, although nothing more happened to Rolando other than losing custody of his daughter. Melia still lives in fear of reprisals from her ex-husband, but at least now she has her daughter with her. There were many players involved to bring this situation to a happy end and shows how all our actions will have consequences, but that when we pull together for the common good we can overcome the most hopeless of situations. We are all interconnected spiritually and can positively influence the lives of others when we become more concerned for our neighbor. With more of us acting as Good Samaritans we can create a more just and humane society for everybody. CM Columban Fr. Tony Coney lives and works in Peru.
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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
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he new and breathtaking Columban Missionaries memorial garden on the grounds of St. Columbans in Bellevue, Nebraska, memorializes the legacy of twentyfour 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.
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To place an order for your engraved brick, please contact us here at St. Columbans at 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 Chris Hochstetler at 877-299-1920 or at chochstetler@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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n July 1, 2015, a new group of Columban missionaries, six in all (three ordained and three lay missionaries) will begin work in Myanmar (formerly Burma). They will be joining Columban Fr. Neil Magill who has worked in Mandalay since 2007. Columbans have not existed as a group in Myanmar since the expulsion of our last priest from there in 1979. Since 1936, Columbans had worked in Kachin State, building up the church and serving the poor in many ways. Despite the often hostile political atmosphere and crushing poverty, they left behind a self-sustaining and vibrant Kachin church, and Columbans have maintained a supportive partnership ever since, through visits, formation and spirituality modules, and, most recently (through our benefactors’ generosity), financial help for an education system for children of families displaced by war. Please meet the new team (and also Fr. Neil!)
Jehoon Augustin Lee My name is Jehoon Augustine Lee, and I was ordained as Columban missionary priest in November 2014. I was born in Seoul, South Korea, where my family currently resides. After studying English literature at university, I joined the Columban Formation Program in 2002. The first phase of formation took place in Korea, a time during which I 8
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also completed two years of military service. I then continued with five years of study in the United States. Following two years of language education and pastoral exposure in the Philippines, I was ordained last year. The Columban Society has been hoping for an opportunity for “remission” in Myanmar for several years now, and I’m very happy that we are now in a position to be able to respond to the needs of the Church in Myanmar. I am proud of the openness and the passion, particularly among the younger members of the Society, in regards to the work to be done there and look forward to being a member of this team. During my priestly formation, I learned that it’s important to be a happy and content person in life and this is how I envision my life as a Columban missionary priest. This isn’t to say mission won’t have challenges… in fact, there are always challenges no matter where in the world we are, and we are called to “face to the music” everywhere! My formation program taught me many ways in which we encounter others, particularly those from different cultures and from different backgrounds than our own. I will certainly keep in mind all that I have learned as I prepare to happily meet these challenges, serving the people I encounter with a spirit of contentment and openness as a proud representative of the Columbans.
Euiyun Carlo Jung My name is Euiyun Carlo Jung. I was born in Incheon, South Korea, in 1982. I joined the Columban Formation Program in 2001 and have studied at the Catholic University in Korea and the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, United States. I was ordained on May 3, 2014. I was in the Fiji Islands for my first mission assignment from April 2011 to January 2013. While I was in Fiji, I learned the Hindi language and spent most of my time with Indo-Fijian people, working with both urban and rural poor and marginalized communities. I also worked in inter-religious dialogue with Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh religions and ecumenical dialogue with other Christian denominations in Fiji. Moreover, I worked with the youth and children in the Columban parish of Ba. When I received the letter from the General Council that the Columbans would like to consider to re-open God’s mission in Myanmar, this is the exact words that I wrote to the Council: “I am most happy to be assigned to Myanmar for my post ordination assignment.” So with much excitement and many hopes, I agreed to become a member of re-opening God’s mission in Myanmar. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Neil Magill
I joined the Columbans in 1965 and was ordained on Easter Sunday 1973. My first assignment was to Korea, but soon I was asked by the then Superior General to consider going with three other Columbans to start a new mission in Taiwan. Arriving in Taiwan in early 1979 it was back to language study where I studied Taiwanese rather than Mandarin, because I wanted to work with the teeming multitude of factory workers who were treated cruelly by local and multinational companies. I set up a Workers’ Center in Taoyuan south of Taipei where we had labor education law classes, the formation of trade unions and a group of lawyers who offered free legal service to workers unfairly fired from work. I soon ran into trouble with the authorities and after ten years of threats I was finally arrested on St. Patrick’s Day 1989 and deported back home. From 1994 until 2000 I served as the Irish Regional Director. I was then elected to the General Council, serving as the liaison person between the Council and Myanmar still under the dictatorship of General Than Shwe. I visited Myitkyina, Bawmaw and several other dioceses and fell in love with the country. All in all,
I visited three times and saw great possibilities for missionary work where 92% of the population was Buddhist, and the majority of people lived in extreme poverty and fear. On finishing my term on the General Council, I decided to go to Myanmar in May 2007 at the invitation of Bishop Paul Grawng who was then Archbishop of Mandalay. I taught English and Catholic Social Teaching in the premajor seminary and am very happy that three of my former students are now in the Columban formation program in Manila, the Philippines. During my first years in Myanmar, I got local people to assist in running soup kitchens for the poor, started a “Back to School” project for poor children and started micro-finance projects, especially for poor women. However, I came to realize more and more the need for education as the military regime had destroyed the education and health systems. So in 2010 with the blessing of Bishop Paul Grawng I started a Higher Education Center for bright young women and men from the six dioceses of upper Burma. This has developed into a three year course with 90 students. I have been very happy in all my assignments and thankful to the Society for giving me the opportunity
to learn so much from other cultures and religions. After being the only ordained Columban here for the past eight years I look forward to the arrival and working together with the new teams of ordained and lay missionaries.
Fr. Pat O’Donoghue
Frs. Carlo, Jehoon and Neil
Lenette, Columban, Cata
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Pat O’Donoghue I was born in Cork, Ireland. After two years working in the civil service I joined the Columbans and was ordained priest on Easter Sunday, 1974. As a deacon and newly ordained priest I served in the parish of St. Aidan’s, East Acton, London. In September 1974 I arrived in the Philippines and was assigned to Mindanao. After language studies in Ozamiz City, I was assigned to the diocese of Pagadian where (apart from 18 months in the U.S.) I served until June 1984 when I was again asked to study, this time at the Gregorian University in Rome. I graduated there with a license in psychology in June 1987. I had expected to return to the Philippines but instead was to spend the next 15 years in Ireland (Maynooth and Cork) in the formation of our own students and in a variety of other ministries including
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teaching, retreat work, spiritual direction, family ministry and the pastoral care of priests. This time also afforded me the valuable experience of pastoral work in Norway, United Arab Emirates and Oman. In January 2003 I was reassigned to the Philippines where I have happily served until now, again in a variety of ministries including formation and ongoing formation of clergy and religious, spiritual direction and retreats. Between June 2003 and November 2011, I made many trips to Myanmar to help in the dioceses of Myitkyina and Banmaw, in the area of formation, facilitation and retreat ministry. From June 2008 to June 2014 I served as Regional Director of the Philippine Region – perhaps the toughest ministry of all! In September 2014, the Superior General asked me to be a member of the new group of Columbans going to Myanmar in July 2015. Initially, I was not too sure of the wisdom of this for a variety of reasons including age and health. But as I discerned the request, it became abundantly clear to me that this was what God was asking of me now and I readily accepted the assignment. I feel privileged to be part of this new venture and to follow in the steps of those Columbans who went before us in Burma with great faith and total dedication to mission.
Lenette Toledo I was born in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat, the Philippines. I joined the orientation program for Columban lay mission in 2007. After completing orientation in 2008, our group of five was sent to Ireland where I spent six years full of enriching and colorful experiences that have touched my life and made me grateful. Ireland became a second 10
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home to me that I surely will miss in so many ways my friends, Columban family and people I came to know through my ministry. The decision to leave Ireland for Myanmar was not an easy one for me, but I trust God more than myself with faith and believing that it was His will for me to go and share what I have learned from my journey with Irish people and migrants in Ireland. I will sadly miss so many people I considered friends, but I will bring along with me these experiences and memories.
2008, I transferred to Myanmar with other two lay missionaries with the invitation of the Bishop of Banmaw who invited us to work for the diocese. I worked in Karuna (Caritas for Burmese) for three years, particularly among people living with HIV/AIDS. Then I worked in Hong Kong for three years on our Lay Mission Central Leadership team. While there, I had a ministry to foreign prisoners in four jails. I am so happy and grateful to go back to Myanmar where the people and culture are no longer strange for me. My hope is to continue to share God’s love and my mission experience with the church and the people especially the poor and marginalized.
Catharina, Seon-young Son
Travel in Myanmar
I am thankful to be given the opportunity to continue my missionary journey in Myanmar. Though I’m sure it’s going to be tough, I am looking forward to embrace more challenges trusting and knowing that God is there before me as my guide.
Columba Chang I was born in Seoul, South Korea, and and have been in the Columban lay mission program for nearly 25 years. My first mission was in the Philippines (1990 to 2008) where I learned the Filipino language and way of life. The people I journeyed with helped me to grow as a person and deepen my faith in God. In
Originally I am from Korea. Since the year 2000, I have been working in the Philippines, Korea and Peru as a Columban lay missionary and am now assigned to Myanmar. In these different mission countries, I have had a lot of beautiful experiences, and I treasure them as a blessing in my life. I am grateful to God, to my family, and to all whom I have met in this journey. I am going to Myanmar like a newborn baby who must start learning everything anew; speaking a new language, adjusting to a new culture, living with a different life style, etc. Despite all this “newness,” it is inspiring to be assigned to Myanmar, because my previous experiences tell me that Our Lord will be in our new journey, and I will find Him even more closely within and among the people of Myanmar. Praise the Lord! CM Columban Fr. Patrick Colgan serves on the Society’s General Council. He lives and works in Hong Kong.
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Always, We Give Thanks to God for You!
Throughout the year, Columban missionaries everywhere are reminded that the work they do is made possible through a partnership – a partnership with you our faithful benefactors. For over 97 years, Columban priests, Sisters and lay missionaries have responded to Jesus’ universal call to discipleship by crossing boundaries of country, culture and language to bring the Good News to the poor and marginalized of the world. Without your help, the building of the Kingdom would simply not be possible. As you finalize your charitable contributions for 2015, we ask you to renew your partnership with us today. In gratitude for all you do, all Columban missionaries will remember our benefactors in special Masses and prayers throughout November and December.
Missionary Society of St. Columban PO Box 10 St. Columbans, NE 68056 T 877.299.1920 (toll free) E-mail: misson@columban.org Visit us online at: www.columban.org
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One Mother’s Story Heartache and Survival By Sr. Mary Dillon
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a Ra, a gentle, vulnerable and very creative woman of 45 years infected with the HIV virus has lived a life time of heartache and survival. She and her two sisters were left alone and penniless when their parents died while they were still teenagers. Life in the mountains was very bleak and perilous; there was little hope for the three young girls. Ja Ra moved from the hills down to the small town of Myitkyina, Myanmar (formerly Burma), and searched out a way to stay alive by selling little bundles of vegetables on the side of the road. She also learned to weave cloth. In time she married with the dream that life would be kinder to her, and she would have someone to share her love. She had two children, a daughter, Khaun Din, and a boy, Kyaw Win. Life was tough and void of any comforts and often the family had to go to bed hungry. It is a searing pain to hear your children cry of hunger. Her husband traveled to the jungle and mining areas to seek manual work. Little did she realize that these areas were flash points for disease and drugs. He returned home sick, with no money. Ja Ra looked after him until he died shortly after. Now she was alone again with the added responsibility to provide for her two small children. One of the most industrious and creative people I have met, Ja Ra lives with courage, surmounting difficulties 12
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that would send another into deep depression. She regularly searches the forest for vegetables and wild animal meat. For some months I had been looking at a few bundles of dried-out corn hanging off one of the beams in
her half fallen down house. One day during the early monsoon weather, I spotted the sturdy green young corn growing all around her home. Ja Ra and I have developed a mutual semi barter relationship. I provide her with rice, and she collects greens and berries
that are used in Kachin cooking that I buy from her. She feels good that she can support her little family. We were also, thanks to the goodness of our benefactors, able to help pay for the schooling of Kyaw Win and his sister Khaun Din. Life dealt this gentle woman an even heavier blow. For some weeks she had felt that her energy was slipping away and that she was losing weight, she had no energy to eat. A neighbor encouraged her to visit a HIV/AIDS clinic where it was discovered that she had the virus and was in urgent need of both TB (tuberculosis) and anti-retroviral medication. When the news leaked out among the neighbors, Ja Ra found herself isolated and discriminated against. Women who used to visit her and spend hours chatting with her all avoided her now. The stigma of this disease, and the awful loneliness, caused her much inner pain. As the weeks progressed, Ja Ra withdrew into herself and began to fear the world outside her little shack as a dark and threatening environment. Thankfully we were able to provide some medication and within a number of months her energy returned. Gradually she ventured out and was once more accepted by her neighbors. Ja Ra’s suffering was intensified when in March 2014 her daughter Khaun Din now 16 years old, began dropping out of school and roaming the streets of Myitkyina with a friend. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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One evening while Khaun Din and her friend were walking on the country road near her mother’s house, a woman on a motor bike told them that there was work for them in China and that she could help them to get there. Ja Ra knew at once that this was not good news and begged the girls not to get involvd with the woman. That very night the two girls left while Ja Ra was asleep. She has not seen her daughter since. I found out later that around the same time, 30 other young girls also disappeared. The trafficking of young women into China is well documented, and the numbers are well into the thousands each year. The Kachin WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) in 2011 said, “Out of the confirmed trafficking cases, about 90% of the cases were forced to be brides in China.” Last year, KWAT reported that “decades of civil war and rampant drug and alcohol addiction among men has left many women as the heads of household, creating further burdens for women as the sole breadwinner of their families.” Ja Ra was distraught and for weeks she walked the streets and roads of the town and surrounding area looking for a glimpse of her precious daughter. We put in her contact with a local women’s group that works with families of children who are trafficked,
and they in turn contacted the local police. Today Ja Ra continues her search, crying bitterly to have her daughter back by her side. Each time I visit with her, her eyes fill up with tears, tears that I know are coming from a mother’s broken heart. Trafficking of women and young girls is a global phenomenon. In today’s world, there are estimated to be over 20 million victims of this horrendous crime, especially from underdeveloped countries. This is just one mother’s story. CM Columban Sr. Mary Dillon lives and work in Myanmar caring for people living with HIV/ AIDS.
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Columban, One with Creation A Disciple of the Earth
A
visitor to the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, in the city of St. Gallen, Switzerland, will be intrigued to see a scene depicting St. Francis of Assisi with Sts. Columban and Gall painted on the ceiling. The fresco shows St. Francis kneeling like a pupil at the feet of his teachers as he looks in awe toward Sts. Columban and Gall. St. Francis of Assisi is popularly known for his love of nature, affection for animals and his song in praise of creation, “Brother Sun and Sister Moon.” He inherited this from a long spiritual lineage of holy men and women dating back to the earliest centuries of Christianity who praised God in creation and celebrated their oneness with all creatures. In fact, Jesus himself is presented as the Good Shepherd in the early iconography. He is seen as the Good Shepherd who carries a young lamb on His shoulders, as foretold by the Prophet Isaiah, “He shall gather the lambs with is arm, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” (Is. 11:11) Columban, like Gall his companion on pilgrimage, learned from the Desert Fathers their love for nature and their affection towards animals. The feast of St. Anthony Abbot, one of the best known Desert Fathers, is celebrated each year on January 17 at a small chapel in Rome with the blessing of animals, especially farm animals. He was known in the third century as the patron saint of pigs. 14
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Jonas, who wrote on the life of St. Columban at the beginning of the seventh century, tells us of his closeness to animals and birds. He was seen calling “the birds and wild animals when he would be in the desert for prayer. They would come at his call and when he would rub them down gently with his hand, they would frisk and gambol around him like puppies around the master. There was a squirrel, too, who would come down from the top branches of the trees, and alight on his hand or his shoulder as Columban was leaving or entering the cave.”
St. Francis of Assisi is popularly known for his love of nature, affection for animals and his song in praise of creation, “Brother Sun and Sister Moon.” Columban’s approach to life and creation offers us some guidelines that we might like to consider. Here are four such aspects: outdoor life, water, food and forest. Our twenty-first century western lifestyle with air conditioning, shopping malls, offices and administration work, entertainment venues such as movie theaters, and casinos, all cut us off more and more from outdoor life. We are beginning to spend more of our daylight hours indoors rather than outdoors, and
very often we are cut off from the beauty of nature. Columban invites us to come out into the desert and to enter deeper and deeper into life. This can only be achieved by touching, listening, breathing and immersing ourselves into creation all around us and thereby experiencing the cosmic Christ ever present in our universe. Columban did not flee from the world but from the trivial pursuits that can destroy both body and soul. He was deeply connected to the world deep within himself and the world around him, where he breathed the fresh air of the Spirit of the living God who showed him the pathway to follow on his missionary and monastic journey through life. For St. Columban there was a real connection between thirsting for water and thirsting for God. In one of his sermons he has this to say: “So still, my dearest brethren, give ear to our words, in the belief that you will hear something needful, and refresh the thirst of your mind from the streams of the divine fountain of which we now wish to speak, but do not quench that thirst, drink, but be not sated; for now the living Fountain, the Fountain of life, calls us to Himself, and says, ‘Let him that is athirst come unto Me and drink.’ (Jn. 7:37) Thus the Lord Himself, our God Jesus Christ, is the Fountain of life, and so He calls us to Himself the Fountain, that we may drink of Him. He who loves drinks of Him, he drinks who is satisfied by the Word of God, who sufficiently adores, who WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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longs sufficiently, he drinks who burns with the love of wisdom.” It is heartbreaking to read about the inaccessibility of clean water for so many people on the planet. This is due to greed, contamination of the atmosphere, irresponsible mining, war and many other injustices. As human beings we long for water as we long for God and the mystery of the Divine. Sin and evil cut us off from both water and God, which are the source of our very well being and existence. Columban invites us to keep that thirst for the love of God and the springs of clean water constantly in our awareness and to cherish and give thanks for the experience of both. One of the principal concerns of our parents was to ensure that there was enough food on the table when we were growing up. St. Columban was no exception, and while he attended to the spiritual needs of his monks he also had to ensure that there was enough food on the community table. We can hardly imagine what the daily WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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routine in Columban monasteries was like, trying to provide food for the increasing number of monks that were attracted to the monastic life. While fasting was prescribed as part of the penitential way of life, Jonas, St. Columban’s biographer, reminds us that there were many times that fasting was inevitable as there was not
Columban’s approach to life and creation offers us some guidelines that we might like to consider. Here are four such aspects: outdoor life, water, food and forest. enough food to go around. There are several stories, often miracles, telling us of St. Columban having to source out food for the monks. One time when St. Columban was on a journey with young monks, “twelve days had passed and when
only few fragments of bread had remained, about meal time, the Abbot told them to go down through the rocks of the bottom of the valley and bring back whatever food they could find. They went down to the valley of the Moselle and found a trap that had once been used by shepherds. In it they found five large fish, of which they took three that were still alive, and brought them back. ‘Why did you not bring the five,’ asked Columban. ‘Because they were dead,” they replied. ‘Do not eat of these,’ said Columban, ‘until you bring back the others.’ They then realized the miracle of Divine Providence and hurried back. He chided them for not gathering the manna that they had found and ordered them to prepare the meal. For he knew, through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, that God had always provided them with their daily food.” As we look inside the mind of St. Columban, we are invited to rediscover the value of food. The increasing number of people who November 2015
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are coming together to develop community gardens is a sign of this rediscovery. They are becoming living communities with a commitment in building up relationships among one another by working together to produce and share with others the fruits of their labor. Inspired by St. Columban and the medieval monastic communities we can educate ourselves in better looking after our bodies by not overeating, cherishing our food, being mindful while we eat of the tastes, smells, texture and goodness of the food we eat, and being grateful for those who produce and prepare our meals. And most of all being thankful for the fruit of the earth and the work of human hands. This expression of gratitude was celebrated around two tables that brought St. Columban and his monks together: the refectory table and the Eucharistic table. Life, love, sacrifice, forgiveness, creation, and commitment to one another was offered up and celebrated in these gatherings, be it through the food that was shared at the table or the sacred communion that nourished each monk as food for the journey. This tradition that has been handed down over centuries and invites us all to renew and give time to the gatherings around the kitchen table and the Eucharistic table. This invitation is becoming increasingly difficult when our way of life is often consumed by rush hour culture and text messaging, immediacy that inhibits our becoming present to one another either as family, friends or community. St. Columban and his monks got involved in shaping the physical landscape, woodlands and agricultural practices in the areas they established 16
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their monasteries. As the monasteries in Luxeuil, Annegray, Fontaine and Bobbio came into being, they were woven into the landscape and became part of the fabric of society. Columban monks had a feeling for the landscape that nurtured them and supported them. They cared for the earth; they lived off the land, lakes and rivers. The woodlands were both sacred places
[Columban] came to the conclusion that the savagery of wild beasts, seeing that it involved no sin, was to be preferred to the attack of men, which would involve the loss of souls. and dangerous places where wild animals and bandits were free to roam. Yet, it was here that St. Columban and his monks sought out moments of solitude to connect with the Creator of the Universe. We are told of the encounters St. Columban had with animals in the forest. Here is one story that Jonas tells us about: “While in Annegray, it happened that one day, Columban was walking through a very dense part of the wood. The question occurred to
him: which should he rather choose, to suffer at the hands of men or to suffer from wild beasts. He considered the question frequently, making the sign of the cross and praying: and he came to the conclusion that the savagery of wild beasts, seeing that it involved no sin, was to be preferred to the attack of men, which would involve the loss of souls. While he was meditating he saw twelve wolves approach him and stand at either side of him. He remained quite still praying: ‘Deus in adiutorium meum intende; Domine, ad adiuvandum me festina.’ They approach nearer and touch the hem of his garments. He still remains calm; and the wolves leave him and return to the woods. Another day, when he penetrated further than usual into the woods, he came upon a huge rock, the front of which had broken off, thus forming a cave, which was covered by brambles. When he examined it more closely, he found it was a bear’s den, and the bear was inside. The gentle saint ordered the ferocious bear to leave. The bear went off and made its den about several miles from Annegray, and never molested again.” The forest merited recognition, respect and reverence then and now. Columban’s legacy invites us to recognize the forest as an integral and essential part of the ecosystem and the lungs of Mother Earth; to respect the forest as the elder brother and sister of creation, and its longevity as the backdrop that gives protection to our towns and cities; and to revere its biodiversity and beauty as a manifestation of the grandeur of God. In the words of Meister Eckhart, the forest floor and “every creature is a Word of God and a book about God.” CM WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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A Prayer Alas the time has come and gone Alas the loves that never were to be The time for wooing in my heart keeps moving But the time for loving has passed; so, let me be Just thinking of our would-be loves still worries That in leaving all ourselves we did betray That the time we spent in service was not reckoned And we are useless, beat up wrecks around the bay But grant me Lord one last brief tour of duty Not far from you despite my many sins And keep me faithful for one last brief hour Till time runs out and Love forever wins. Columban Fr. Maurice Foley lives and works in Ireland.
Columbans Celebrate Ordination Anniversaries Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. Jeremiah 17:7 We honor you for being a dedicated and loving shepherd of God’s flock and thank you for your loving service to the Church. May God bless you abundantly on this milestone of devotion and service and in your on-going priestly ministry.
50th Fr. Robert Clark 60th Fr. Edward Quinn 65th Fr. Charles Flaherty
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Home Is Where the Heart Is
to go on mission to South Korea later this year. My immediate challenge is learning to balance my energy with my enthusiasm to engage in all the parish ministries! Even as a newly ordained missionary priest who is full of vigor, I am still a man who, at times, becomes tired!
A Conversation with a Newly Ordained Columban Priest
How did you come to know Columban missionaries?
By Fr. Timothy Mulroy
O
n January 7, 2015, Fr. Jason Antiquera was ordained a Columban missionary priest in his hometown on the island of Negros in the Philippines. He He then ministered in a Columban parish in the capital city, Manila. On September 1, 2015, he left for his mission assignment in South Korea. Below are extracts from an interview that he recently gave to Fr. Tim Mulroy Mulroy prior to leaving for South Korea.
What is it like to be a newly ordained Columban missionary priest? It is like reaching home. “Where your heart is, there your home is” is the 18
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saying that captures my feeling as an ordained Columban. I have always seen life as a journey in search of that place within me that I call home, where my heart experiences joy, peace and love – and I have a deep sense of having arrived at that place since the day I was ordained. I have been a wanderer on this faith journey – at times I took the short and the straight path, but at other times I took the winding, ascending and descending road. Thankfully, I have successfully navigated more than one detour until finally reaching “home.” Being at home with myself, I am excited to get involve in household chores. For me, household chores are engaging in full-time ministry now and preparing
I came to know the Columban missionaries before I came to know them as the “Columban Fathers.” I was baptized by Columban Fr. Michael Martin, who is my confrere right now in Malate parish where I presently live and work! I studied in a high school and college founded by the Columbans. Furthermore, my father was a high school teacher in a Columban-founded parish school, from where we received Misyon, the Columban mission magazine that featured stories about the life and experiences of missionaries, especially Filipino missionaries, who engaged in cross-cultural mission. However, my heart was captured, first and foremost, by the presence of those foreign priests in my hometown. Columban priests were household names especially among my parents’ generation because they set up schools to provide an education for poor people. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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I have always seen life as a journey in search of that place within me that I call home, where my heart experiences joy, peace and love – and I have a deep sense of having arrived at that place since the day I was ordained.
Columbans in Korea at the Christmas gathering
Middle school and high school students
Youth choir in Gwanju, South Korea
What inspired you to want to become a Columban? The very charism of the Columbans – cross-cultural mission – inspired me as I slowly came to know those foreign missionaries. I developed a strong sense of adventure, a desire to explore the unknown, and an interest in meeting people on the other side of the world. As these desires became stronger, following the example of Columban missionaries became more and more attractive. I remember reading about the experiences of missionaries through Misyon magazine and being intrigued by the notion that the witness of one’s life can also be a powerful missionary message – at times more valuable than teaching or preaching. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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At one point, even though I experienced a period of turmoil with regard to my missionary vocation that resulted in a decision to leave the Columban seminary, I never considered joining another religious community during the year-and-a-half I spent back out in society. I like the Columbans’ fluid character, being able to adjust to the changes that confront the Church and the world, reading and discerning the signs of time so as to continuously develop a pastoral and missionary approach that is relevant to people, particularly those who are marginalized by society. Most importantly, I am drawn to the Columbans by the fact that they are joyful in what they do despite the many challenges that they encounter.
Who inspired or assisted you greatly on your vocation journey? In what way did they assist or inspire you? Columban missionaries in general, and Fr. Michael Mohally in particular. The missionaries I knew in local parishes, and those elsewhere whose experiences I read about in the Columban Misyon magazine, awakened and nourished in me the seed of faith that God had planted in my heart. Many years later, after I entered the Columban seminary, Fr. Michael Mohally, who was my spiritual year director – and of whom I was really scared of during my first year! – had a major influence on my vocation journey. Thanks to his unique way of encouragement, I learned how to cycle, swim, drive a November 2015
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I am very grateful for the many ways – encouragement, prayers, friendship, sacrifices, financial support – in which supporters of Columban mission have helped me on my long journey to become a missionary priest.
car, play guitar – though maybe still not in tune! – and how to be alone in the dark! All of these opened me up to trust in God by facing my fears, learning new things, and dying to myself by going beyond my comfort zone. Apart from that, as I came to appreciate his consideration and patience with me, I learned to be considerate and patient with others.
During your preparation for missionary priesthood, what experiences strengthened your vocation? The one experience that significantly strengthened and confirmed my vocation to missionary priesthood was my assignment as a seminarian in South Korea (April 2012 - January 2014). That experience healed, redeemed and strengthened me by confirming my calling to missionary priesthood. Some years previous, I had been sent on a similar mission assignment to Peru (July 2008 - November 2009). There I encountered major challenges. Within a short time of arriving I had a painful accident, which necessitated a number of surgeries. Then I was mugged on two occasions. Since I was facing all these difficulties in a strange country where I didn’t know the language and had few friends, I found myself overwhelmed. I decided, therefore, to leave Peru, say goodbye to the Columbans, and return home to the Philippines. 20
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However, after a year-and-a-half away from the Columban seminary, I felt myself drawn to returning there, though I was still somewhat fearful of the challenge of having to go to live in a mission country. Thankfully, the Columbans accepted me back, and I resumed my studies. Two years later, I was assigned to South Korea, which had its own unique challenges and hardships. However, the two years that I spent there restored my self-confidence. Thanks to God’s goodness and grace, my mentors, supervisors and friends, my enthusiasm and joy in living as a cross-cultural missionary was restored.
pastoral programs. Of course, I have learned some skills to cope with such challenges, yet I still struggle with mixed feelings and emotions whenever I have to say goodbye. As a missionary I have frequently experienced my own vulnerability in such moments, but I have also learned that gifts come through this vulnerability. Such experiences are the Eucharist in real life, a self that is broken and shared repeatedly with others. Being broken is always painful, yet joy comes with sharing. Through my various experience, I have come to realize that I become alive only by being broken and shared.
During your preparation for missionary priesthood, what other experiences did you find challenging? What did you learn from those experience?
Columban missionaries from other countries have ministered in the Philippines for more than 80 years. How do the Filipino people view these missionaries?
As a missionary, one can be repeatedly asked to move to a different place. For me, the biggest challenge is forming relationships and friendships and then later leaving them all behind. I’ve had many such experiences during my twelve years in the seminary, and I still haven’t become accustomed to it. As a missionary, I need to build friendships and that takes time, effort and energy. Then, at the end of a mission assignment there is grieving in separation and moving to another location – during my years in the seminary this always happened at the end of month-long summer
For my ordination celebration the entire parish community, town and local diocese were magnificent in their support for me. I like to think of all those people’s generous and joyful response not so much as a show of support to me personally, but to all Columban missionaries who labored in my country over so many decades. The pastor of my hometown, a Filipino diocesan priest, wanted my ordination to be celebrated in such a way that it would be the community’s way of showing thanks to the invaluable contribution of WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Pastoral visit to the Malate Church youth group
the Columban missionaries to the local church. He knew from his own ministry how Columban missionaries were a blessing in the lives of so many ordinary and marginalized people in our community. Filipinos are truly grateful for the presence of those dedicated missionaries.
Soon you will go on mission to Korea. What do you expect your life will be like there over the next few years? I am happy to be appointed back to South Korea. Of course, my life when I return there as an ordained Columban is going to be different than when I was there as a seminarian. I am excited about being involved in full-time ministry, yet I am aware that the language and culture will remain trials. However, I’m looking forward to continuing my language studies and re-connecting with my Korean friends, who have introduced me to Korean culture. Three major challenges await me in Korea: the first one is language; the second one is also language; and the third one too is language! By language, I mean both verbal and non-verbal means of communication. There is a word in Korean, noon-chi, which roughly translates as “eye-measure;” it refers to an ability to sense a person’s mood. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Youth at Christmas Eve service, Malate Church
As a seminarian, I noticed that many foreigners, including missionaries like myself, made mistakes in their manner of conducting relationships because of a poorly developed sense of noon-chi. Developing this level of communication is important in order to form life-giving relationships.
How do you recreate? What do you enjoy doing during your free time? I like to spend Monday, which is my usual day off from parish ministry, to recharge myself. Since my temperament is that of an introvert, I recharge by resting and spending time by myself. I realize that I need a day each week to be by myself since I am almost constantly with people during the other six days. On my day off I enjoy reading a book in a quiet coffee shop or taking a stroll along the seafront near the parish. I also enjoy playing and listening to music or karaoke with a few close friends. From childhood I have engaged in painting
and sketching, so, from time to time, I return to that form of recreation.
What message would you like to share with supporters of Columban missionaries? Recently, I facilitated a recollection day in the parish on the theme of gratitude. It led me to reflect on my own experience of gratefulness, which in turn led me to think about Columban supporters, known and unknown to me. I am very grateful for the many ways – encouragement, prayers, friendship, sacrifices, financial support – in which supporters of Columban mission have helped me on my long journey to become a missionary priest. Thanks to the blessing that you have been to me, I want even more than ever to become a blessing for all whom I meet on my future missionary journeys. Thank you! CM Columban Fr. Jason Antiquera is living and working in South Korea. Columban Fr. Timothy Mulroy is the Director of the U.S. Region.
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Spiritual Gifts
We are all blessed and rely upon the gifts given in the fullness of grace to us by the Holy Spirit. They are vital components of our walk of faith and with each other. Columban missionaries around the world also rely on these gifts as they bring the message of Christ to some of the poorest and most marginalized of our brothers and sisters. There are many ways to partner with Columban missionaries on this journey. Your prayers are first and foremost an exercise of the gifts. You can also contribute donations, when you can, to ensure the work of building God’s kingdom continues. Remembering the Missionary Society of St. Columban in your estate plans is also an excellent way of ensuring that the legacy of our shared work continues even after you have passed away. To request information about planning a legacy gift, please request our handy booklet on Estate Planning or contact Chris Hochstetler at plannedgiving@columban.org. You may also visit www.columban.org for more information on how to remember Columban missionaries in your estate plans. Be assured of our deepest gratitude and that we will always keep you in our Masses and prayers.
For information about remembering the Missionary Society of St. Columban in your estate plans, please contact Chris Hochstetler at:
Missionary Society of St. Columban 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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A Symphony of Joy
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y feeling of being overwhelmed during my first week assisting at St. Pius X Church in El Paso, Texas, was was not due to my workload, but rather to the fact that there was so much going on around me! From early morning until late into the evening the meeting halls and classrooms were buzzing with activity. Everywhere I looked, groups of parishioners were enthusiastically engaged in planning or organizing, in praying or studying, in faith sharing or singing. While they welcomed me warmly into their various gatherings, it soon became clear to me that my role as a priest there was going to be different from what I had experienced elsewhere. Some weeks later, during a conversation with the then pastor, Msgr. Arturo Banuelas, I commented on how impressed I was not just with the number of volunteers, but with their level of dedication and commitment. His response, “There are no volunteers at St. Pius!” startled me. “But how do you explain ….” I began,
From the Director By Fr. Tim Mulroy my mind racing to put into words something that seemed inexplicable. Msgr. Banuelas then explained that the members of St. Pius X community were fulfilling their baptismal vocation through their engagement in various ministries. Unlike volunteers who can decide whether or not to contribute their surplus time and talent to a particular worthy cause, all baptized persons are entrusted with a vocation to serve their brothers and sisters. In contrast to volunteers, who can decide whether or not to participate in the life of a community,
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Unlike volunteers who can
decide whether or not to contribute their surplus time and talent to a particular worthy cause, all baptized persons are entrusted with a vocation to serve their brothers and sisters. every baptized person has both the privilege and responsibility to build up their faith community into the living Body of Christ. Through my encounters with members of St. Pius X community during the following months I came to a deeper appreciation of the Church as a community of all the baptized. Since they believe that they have been empowered by the Holy Spirit in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation, they respond by placing their gifts at the service of their faith community and the wider society. Moreover, each member not only gives a gift to the community, but also receives a blessing from it: a leader in the Sunday school is supported in her grief by the bereavement ministry, while a high school student is among the leaders of a parish retreat team. The members of St. Pius X community understand that it is not enough to simply share the leftover parts of their busy lives with God and with one another. Instead, by enthusiastically sharing their various gifts, they strive to become a symphony of joy that resounds across the city, and form a chorus of praise and thanks to God.
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