The Magazine of the Missionary Society of St. Columban
October 2015
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Volume 98 - Number 6 - October 2015
Columban Mission
o n t e n t s
Issue Theme – Mysterious Ways
Published By The Columban Fathers
Don’t Let Them Torture Me
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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)
This Is Where My Future Begins 4 Galvin Remembered
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Holy Rosary Church, Brooklyn, New York, remembers Bishop Edward Galvin
6 Columban, a Pilgrim for Christ
Following in Columban’s Footsteps
8 Theylooklikelongsentenceswithoutspaces
Words Have Power
9 Coincidences
A Gift of the Spirit of God
10 Learning to Be a Pastor
Reflecting on the Early Days of a Vocation
17 Icons in Korea
A Surprise visit and a Chance Meeting
18 God of Suprises
Things Unfold in God’s Time
20 A Close Shave
The Blessing of a Missed Flight
Departments 3 In So Many Words 23 From the Director COLUMBAN MISSION OCTOBER15 final.indd 2
PUBLISHER REV. TIMOTHY MULROY, SSC DIRECTORUSA@COLUMBAN.ORG EDITOR KATE KENNY KKENNY@COLUMBAN.ORG EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS CONNIE WACHA CWACHA@COLUMBAN.ORG MARCI ANDERSON MANDERSON@COLUMBAN.ORG GRAPHIC DESIGNER KRISTIN ASHLEY EDITORIAL BOARD DAN EMINGER CHRIS HOCHSTETLER KATE KENNY REV. TIMOTHY MULROY, SSC JEFF NORTON GREG SIMON FR. RICHARD STEINHILBER, SSC CONNIE WACHA SCOTT WRIGHT
The Missionary Society of St. Columban was founded in 1918 to proclaim and witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Society seeks to establish the Catholic Church where the Gospel has not been preached, help local churches evangelize their laity, promote dialogue with other faiths, and foster among all baptized people an awareness of their missionary responsibility.
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Galvin Remembered Holy Rosary Church, Brooklyn, New York, remembers Bishop Edward Galvin By Columban Fr. John Marley
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n October 26, 2014, Holy Rosary parish, in Brooklyn, New York, celebrated the 125th anniversary of its foundation in 1889. Holy Rosary parish in Brooklyn has a very special significance for The Missionary Society of St. Columban. Father Edward Galvin, who inspired the founding of the Society, served in that parish as a newly ordained priest from 1909 to 1912. Fr. Galvin was ordained in June 1909 at St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Ireland, for the diocese of Cork. Shortly before his ordination he was advised to seek temporary ministry in another diocese because the diocese of Cork had no place for him at that time. Fr. Galvin applied to the diocese of Brooklyn and was accepted on a temporary basis. When he arrived in Brooklyn in July 1909 he was appointed to Holy Rosary parish, where he served as assistant priest
until he left for China on February 28, 1912. Fr. Galvin’s decision to go to China did not come out of nowhere. Even before he began his studies for the priesthood Edward Galvin had expressed an interest in being a missionary priest. The idea of foreign mission was promptly discouraged by his parents, and apparently soon forgotten by the young man. But his interest in mission was suddenly revived by a priest who visited Holy Rosary rectory in January 1912. At the dinner table that day Monsignor James McEnroe, the pastor, introduced the visitor to Fr. Galvin as Fr. John Fraser who was a missionary in China and was looking for priests to go to China with him. The visitor showed no interest in Fr. Galvin, but spoke only of the squalor and misery of people in China, and their lack of knowledge of God. After dinner when the pastor
The collage depicting Fr. Galvin’s work
Fr. Marley, center, at the Mass
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said good-bye to Fr. Fraser, Fr. Galvin invited the visitor to his room. The conversation was brief. Fr. Galvin spoke: “I’m a priest ordained for the diocese of Cork. Cork did not need me. I was loaned to Brooklyn. Brooklyn doesn’t need me. You say China needs me. I will go to China with you.” Fr. Fraser was due to return to China from Canada on February 28. Fr. Galvin immediately began preparations to join him. It meant beginning to close down his activities in Holy Rosary, and more painfully, it meant writing a letter to his mother to break the news he would not be returning to Ireland. That letter would surface many years later at Holy Rosary 125th anniversary celebrations. In preparation for the celebration of Holy Rosary’s 125th anniversary, Monsignor Paul Jervis, the present pastor, invited all priests who had served in the parish to take part. I was invited to represent the Columban
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Fathers in recognition of Fr. Galvin’s years of service in the parish. I told the pastor that I would bring a copy of the letter Fr. Galvin wrote to his mother when he was leaving Holy Rosary to go to China. The pastor was enthusiastic and asked me to be prepared to read the letter to the people at the Mass. The Mass of celebration was scheduled for 9 a.m. on Sunday, October 26, 2014. I arrived at the church at 8:15 a.m. so I had time to look around before the ceremonies began. The church is medium-sized and could hold about 500 people seated. It has beautiful stained glass windows along each side wall and behind the altar, depicting the mysteries of the Rosary On the side wall at the back was an illuminated bronze plaque with an engraving of Bishop Galvin’s face, and a list of the significant dates in his life, including “Curate – Holy Rosary, Brooklyn, 1909-1912.” Beside the plaque on the wall was a large green-paper collage of words and photos showing Galvin’s career from Ireland through Holy Rosary to China. On a table was an open loose leaf binder which followed developments in Galvin’s life at Holy Rosary and afterwards. On another table with a green cloth cover was a large vase of fresh flowers, giving the appearance of a shrine as if to a canonized saint. The weather outside was bright and sunny, and there was a festive atmosphere in the church as the people kept arriving in all their finery. By 9 o’clock the church was almost filled, with only a few empty seats at the front. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, bishop of Brooklyn, presided at the Mass, and he was accompanied by a deacon and seven priest concelebrants. The all-female choir was impressive as it WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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showed its ability to provide volume, feeling or both at the appropriate moments. During the opening hymn the Bishop led the concelebrants to the Galvin corner at the back of the church, where he blessed and incensed the plaque, and prayed that Bishop Galvin would continue to inspire the people of Holy Rosary to reach out to others as an expression of their love for God and neighbor. In his homily after the Gospel the Bishop developed this theme. He congratulated the people on their faithfulness, and encouraged them to be constant in their outreach to bring others to God and to the Church. After the Communion of the Mass, the pastor introduced me and invited me to read to the congregation the letter Fr. Galvin had written to his mother to break the news that he would not return to Ireland but would continue on to China as a missionary priest. Before reading the letter I spent a few moments explaining how Fr.Galvin came to be in Holy Rosary in Brooklyn, and how significant it was that he would not return to Ireland as expected, but would continue on to China. The letter was particularly significant for this Holy Rosary congregation because the letter was written in the rectory of their parish. The letterhead read, “Holy Rosary Rectory, 141 Chauncey Street, Brooklyn, New York.” It was dated “February 28, 1912,” the very day that Fr. Galvin left Holy Rosary for China. It began, “My dear Mother,” and concluded, “Goodbye Mother. I will write very soon again. Your loving son, Ed.” Monsignor Jervis said the letter would help the people understand that Fr. Galvin’s missionary decision was a painful sacrifice for him and for his family as they tried to do what they believed God was asking them to do. After Mass we were all invited to the hall downstairs where we shared
breakfast and were able to mingle with the parishioners and learn more about them. Many people came to me to tell me how affected they were to hear Fr. Galvin in his letter trying to console his mother for the sacrifice they both were making to do what they believed God was asking of them. Reflecting on my experience of that morning at Holy Rosary in Brooklyn, I was genuinely surprised that Fr. Galvin is so well remembered there despite his departure more than 100 years ago. The pastor, Monsignor Paul Jervis was enthusiastic about Fr. Galvin and wanted the people to continue to honor and imitate him. Bishop DiMarzio was familiar with Bishop Galvin’s history, and referred to him as “a martyr.” Clearly Holy Rosary Church in Brooklyn will continue to have special significance for all Columban missionaries, because it was there that Fr.Galvin’s missionary vocation came to full maturity. From there he left for China, and from China he inspired other young priests to join with him in laying the foundation of Saint Columban’s Foreign Missionary Society in 1918. Since that day in February 1912 when he left Holy Rosary rectory for China, Fr. Galvin has enabled more than 1,100 priests to join the Columban mission, and has inspired many others, laypeople and religious, under the patronage of St. Columban, to join in the splendid cause of sharing the good news of the Kingdom of God in China and throughout the whole world. CM Columban Fr. John Marley lives in Ireland.
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Columban, a Pilgrim for Christ Following in Columban’s Footsteps
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ome years ago when a group of us Columbans were preparing to celebrate Jubilee 2000 and welcome in the new millennium all kinds of ideas and activities were thrown around from planting trees, visiting our ancestor’s graves to doing all-night vigils on mountain tops. There was a feeling that we had to do something out of the ordinary to mark the occasion. It was in the course of this interchange of ideas that we focused in on the idea of tracing the footsteps of St. Columban. I remember writing the word “pilgrimage” on the whiteboard and scribbling down all the words that we associated with pilgrimage. Words such as: a religious activity, peregrinari, penitential journey, religious tourism, pilgrim for Christ, following the pathways of the saints, connecting with the past, seeing places of importance to our faith, going to a holy place, hiking along the road, going to the Holy land, to Lourdes or Fatima. All of us were brought up in the shadow of pilgrimage and unaware to ourselves have had an experience of pilgrimage. It may have been our weekly pilgrimage as we walked along the road to the local church for Sunday Mass, doing the stations of the Cross, going to a Holy Well
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or hiking to places of devotion to a patron saint or to a place dedicated to Our Blessed Mother Mary. Some of us have done the old Celtic pilgrimages; be it climbing Croagh Patrick, fasting and praying on Lough Derg for three days or navigating out to Schelig Michael off the south west coast of Ireland. Our Christian life is wrapped up in pilgrimage as we move from birth to death and back to life. It is both a physical and spiritual experience, that gives movement to and brings changes in the human body and stirs up the
All of us were brought up in the shadow of pilgrimage and unaware to ourselves have had an experience of pilgrimage. spirit deep within us. It captures the very experience of life itself as we work out our relationship with God and those close to us; and as we make our imprint on the moment of history that we live in through what we do, say and think. As Columban missionaries entering into the new millennium we decided that one of the best ways to get into the mind set of Columban was to follow his footsteps across Europe. Since the year 2000 we have revitalized pilgrimage to the places he once trod. Through that experience,
we discovered some important aspects of Columban’s understanding of pilgrimage upon which he grounded his whole life. Firstly, Columban was undoubtedly a pilgrim for Christ. His initial encounter with the person of Christ was a journey to the interior and the depths of his own being. To accomplish this, Columban took his inspiration from the Desert Fathers, especially Saint Anthony the Abbot. He sought out places of solitude, desert surroundings where he withdrew. There, he encountered himself, and alone with himself and lone with his God. He walked away from what was familiar and comfortable to face his own spirit, his demons and embark on a life of conversion that would lead him to the authentic truth of his life, the person of Christ. Secondly, Columban, as a pilgrim for Christ, embraced two intertwined aspects of pilgrimage that were characteristic of monastic medieval times: the penitential journey and the wayfarer. The Celtic monks embraced the latter as the consequence of sin. They identified with Cain who was sentenced to a life of wandering as a punishment for killing his brother Abel. Columban took upon himself the sins of others and gave his life to saving people from the wrath of sin and leading them to Christ. His life was focused on Christ, and his
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pilgrimage was a journey to eternal life. He saw the penitential way as a means of reaching his destination. Thirdly, Columban’s vocation to the contemplative life was accompanied with a great desire to share the riches of the Gospel with those who had not yet converted to Christ and his Kingdom. His journey brought him to cross oceans, navigate rivers, hike over mountains and negotiate difficult terrain to meet peoples and kings in order to celebrate the presence of the risen Christ in their midst. He did not compromise on the Gospel message nor did he try to accommodate the teachings of Jesus to the likes and dislikes of his listeners. This often brought him into conflict with local kings and bishops and eventually led to his expulsion from the Burgundy region of Austrasia. Fourthly, Columban had respect for where he journeyed. The pathways were sacred ground, they were holy ground. He was walking in the footsteps of Christ, whose presence was there long before him. He came to encounter Christ in the solitude of the forest, the sound of lapping water, the music of the wind, and the roar of the bear and the song of the birds. He befriended and lay down with the bear in his cave. Tradition has it that it was a bear that brought him wood and was in turn rewarded with wheaten cakes. He sang the Psalms to
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the humming of the birds and gave comfort to the animals in wintertime. The power of the Creator was carved on the rocks and crevices of the caves where he found refuge to pray and be alone. For Columban, the presence of God was not too far away, it was a tangible presence in a creation that enfolded and revealed itself before him be it in the seasons of the year with its diversity of life, the Universe of starry lights or the lands he trod with his group of monks. Fifthly, an essential aspect of pilgrimage for Columban is
Our Christian life is wrapped up in pilgrimage as we move from birth to death and back to life. community. While he spent many hours in solitude, he never went alone. He founded monastic communities and invited people to come, stay and live under the Rule. Monastery is the ancient word for people. For Columban, to be a disciple of Christ was to live in a community. His was a monastic community. Eucharist was at the heart of the community. This did not mean that the Eucharist was celebrated daily in Columban monasteries, but rather that the center and source of communion for Christian people, and therefore every
monastic community is the person of Christ present in the Eucharistic Bread and viaticum (food) for the journey. Not only is the wanderer nourished by wheat and rice, but with the Bread of Life, the Bread of the Word, the Eucharistic Bread. Columban could spend many days fasting from bodily food but never went without celebrating his communion with the Lord and his brothers in the Bread of the Word and Eucharistic Bread. Following the footsteps of St. Columban in the 21st century took us through towns and cities, shopping malls, farmer’s markets, social housing schemes, built up wealthy residential areas, dangerous highways, roads congested with traffic, open spaces, deserted hills and ancient pathways. These are routes traveled by many people today for all sorts of reasons be it for work, adventure, trade or emigration. Yet, as we traveled these routes we encountered an inner silence, awareness and consciousness of what it means to be a pilgrim in life’s own journey. Amidst the crowd and noise of our surroundings we like Columban experienced a moment of the sacred that gave us the renewed energy to go back to our habitual place of work and mission to continue on life’s journey and pilgrimage. CM
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Theylooklikelongsentenceswithoutspaces Words Have Power By Ashleigh Green
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created my first Facebook account at the age of 17. As a student studying HSC English I felt very acquainted with the English language and its idiosyncrasies. But the use of language online, as I was soon to discover, was another ballgame altogether. High school English had turned me into a master of essays, speeches and reports, but online language was another skill to master.
The words we use online are powerful. In recent years we have seen a great deal of hatred, intolerance and racism conveyed through language online. When we sign up for a social media site or a blogging platform we have an instant public platform to voice our opinions. Anyone can claim to be an expert on anything. Thus, there is great potential for individuals to share misinformed statements and propaganda with thousands and sometimes millions of people. When particular groups are targeted in such events, it exacerbates division and intolerance in society.
It is no wonder social media gets such a bad rap. In recent months, however, the humble hashtag (#) has turned social media into a unifying tool. If you’re new to social media, hashtags (#) may seem mystifying. Theylooklike longsentenceswithoutspaces. On Twitter, Instagram and Facebook the hashtag sign (#) turns any words or group of words that directly follow it into a searchable link. This allows you to organize content and track discussion topics based on 8
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those keywords. So if you wanted to post about “World Interfaith Harmony Week” you would include: #WorldInterfaithHarmonyWeek in your post. Other people are then able to quickly find your post if they do a search. The #IllRideWithYou hashtag was inspired by a young Brisbane woman who posted a moving Facebook status about her encounter with a Muslim woman on the day of the siege in Martin Place, Sydney. “... and the (presumably) Muslim woman sitting next to me on the train silently removes her hijab,” Ms Jacobs wrote.“I ran after her at the train station. I said ‘put it back on. I’ll walk with u...She started to cry and hugged me for about a minute - then walked off alone...” At the time of the Martin Place siege in December last year, the hashtag: #IllRideWithYou came into popularity with over 120,000 tweets in one day. The Facebook status quickly circulated on social media and within hours, tens of thousands of social media users were using the hashtag: #IllRideWithYou to offer to ride public transport with Muslims who feel intimidated by anti-Islamic sentiment.
The hashtag is an incredibly powerful social media tool that offers a channel of mass-expression and connection. The hashtags (#) that go viral provide insight and an indication of values and priorities that we share as a national and international community. Surprisingly, Australia’s most popular hashtags in 2014 did not touch on themes of hatred, intolerance and racism. On the contrary, many of the hashtags reflected themes of solidarity, human rights and social justice. #BringBackOurGirls - which was used to raise awareness of the 300 girls who were taken from their school dormitory in Nigeria – was another popular hashtag that got the world talking about an event that would have otherwise been ignored by mainstream media. The way we use language online has the potential to unite or divide. With open social platforms of communication at our fingertips, we must be intentional with the words that we use. CM #YourWordsHavePower #UseThemWisely Ashleigh Green works in the Columban Mission Institute’s Center for Christian-Muslim Relations in North Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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Coincidences A Gift of the Spirit of God By Sylvia Thompson
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hen I was 18 my family moved from the Black Hills of South Dakota to Bellevue, Nebraska. I needed some income before starting college so I took a job at the Columban Fathers’ headquarters stuffing envelopes. This was my first encounter with what was to become my journey with the Missionary Society of St. Columban. I lasted only two weeks as one can only stuff so many envelopes, and I decided I was done with the Columbans. But I believe the Spirit had other ideas. Four years later I was married and my husband George who was in the Navy was transferred to Subic Bay in the Philippines. Outside the base was the Columban college and St. Joseph’s Parish pastored by a Columban. We visited both places often. We were blessed to meet several Columban priests who became friends, and I began to experience the life of a Columban missionary. George played tennis with a Columban, and I taught
Sunday school with several Columban Sisters. After our time in the Philippines we were transferred to Newport, Rhode Island, and much to our surprise the Columbans had a place across the bay at Bristol, Rhode Island. The Columban Fathers’ summer festival was famous for fun and family activities so we enjoyed once again their warm hospitality and friendship. Our time in Rhode Island ended, and we moved back to Bellevue buying a house that was literally in the back yard of the Columban headquarters. Once more we developed friendships, enjoyed the Columban festivals each summer, and George resumed his tennis playing with three Columban priests. A Columban became my spiritual director. When a position opened as assistant to the Columban Mission Education Director I applied and began a ministry that would open my eyes to the global church. Eventually
Sylvia Thompson, far right under the wall hanging, and Columban Companions at a gathering celebrating mission education WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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I began to see how the Columbans lived the message of their cofounder Bishop Galvin to “do what you can.” I became the Mission Education Director and in that position I traveled to some of the countries where the Columbans serve. I saw firsthand the conditions of some of those who live in poverty and are marginalized from society, and how the Columbans work and pray among these people. I experienced their hospitality and their love for the mission of God. I began to see how the Columbans lived the message of their co-founder Bishop Galvin to “do what you can.” Today I am retired and yet my connection with the Columbans has not come to an end. I am currently on a retreat team and committee in preparation for the Columban Centennial Celebration in 2018. Friendships continue, and I often have the opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist with a Columban priest. The other day I heard myself saying, “we Columbans.” And I realized yes, this is how I feel, and it is indeed a gift of the Spirit of God and the Columbans. CM Sylvia Thompson is the former Mission Education Director for the U.S. Region of the Missionary Society of St. Columban and current chairperson of the education committee for the 2018 Society centennial.
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Learning to Be a Pastor Reflecting on the Early Days of a Vocation By Fr. Seán Connaughton
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e priests believe firmly that we have a vocation: that is to say that we are called by the Lord. But the question arises, to what are we called? For some reason, my memory tracks back to 1981, when the local Vicar General of our Diocese in the Philippines was formally inducting me as Parish priest. The brief Mass had a long homily. What was the new Parish priest for? “Call him,” said the Monsignor, “for the sick, for blessings, for reconciliation, for the poor, the homeless, the children, Sacraments, etc.” I remember thinking to myself, “I’m to do more than 20 things here in San Pablo; this is vocation.” The Vicar General had more than 50 years of service behind him, had survived the American colonial regime and the Japanese occupation, he must know what he was talking about. But where would I start in his long list of services? On the first morning, on looking out the window I could see five very industrious women. They were sweeping, dusting, polishing, even mopping the wall. What on earth could this be about? Opening the door I quickly found out. My predecessor had had a cook; all five women were applicants for the job. I wondered what the Monsignor would have done? I didn’t want to hurt or turn away anyone, but I didn’t see how I could afford a cook. Yet it took me more than one whole day to accomplish a task that a competent canteen manager would have accomplished in ten minutes. Nena was clearly the most vigorous sweeper having piled a knee-deep corner of dust and sand. But Josie and Mila had
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actually climbed a wall to reach and clean the gutters. Then I had a brainstorm and asked, “Who was my predecessor’s cook?” “Oh, she’s an outsider and doesn’t belong in this place,” was the reply. However, after much agonizing, and for want of a better way to resolve my dilemma, I reinstated the former cook two mornings a week. As time went on I discovered great treasure among the women of the parish. Marisa was a member of the Apostleship of Prayer. I’d met this group in another parish. To me they were the nearest thing to “women’s lib” activists. This woman and two or three friends went on to become the “Appropriate Housing Group.” During my time, they built sixty-eight houses for families who had mostly lived in illegal shacks constructed on sidewalks. The housing group from Germany, who helped fund the project, and the young architects from the nearby university, thought we were marvelous. A credit union stimulated the school and dozens of small shops in the market came from gatherings which discussed what we needed
most. One disappointing case became the bane of our lives, a family with children in and out of jail and an alcoholic husband. One day when the flood was knee-deep in all our houses, I observed her daughter splashing through the flood with a huge sack on her shoulder. Too mucky for me, I just let her pass. Only later did we discover that she had cleared our little student library of a whole shelf of expensive math books. “Keep the books on the shelves or sell to feed the hungry?” A Gospel dilemma surely. Did we thank God and make our needs known to him? It used to hit me over the head when I looked at our under-20 choir. Nobody could say how many were escapees from the nearby jail. They sang every verse of every song and retired to the nearby bar after Mass to recover. So, vocation, who calls? Is it God? Or is it the people? Or both? I keep thinking about that. CM Columban Fr. Seán Connaughton served for many years in the Philippines and now serves as assistant in Castletown-Finea, in the Diocese of Meath, Ireland.
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Let us wish you a happy birthday! In gratitude for your generous and ongoing support of our missionary efforts around the world, we wish to offer you the gift of a special Mass in honor of your birthday. Please visit www.columban.org/birthday and complete the on-line form. Or fill out the form below and send it to us using the envelope included in the center of this magazine.
Dear Father, Please offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for my birthday. Date of Birth: Month Day Year Mr./Mrs./Miss: Street: City: State: Zip: Email: Please offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for on the birthday of my spouse or other other living relative. Date of Birth: Relationship: Month Day Year Mr./Mrs./Miss: Street: City:
State:
Zip:
Email:
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Don’t Let Them Torture Me A Columban Sister Stands Up to Guerillas By Sr. Grace de Leon
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arkness had fallen on the mountain. Inside the house the mother, Rosario, was cooking the vegetables and rice for the evening meal while her four children played and laughed around the kitchen. Every few minutes one or other of them would skip over to kiss their baby brother who gurgled in my arms. I was staying with the family while working with the tribal people in the Philippines. This was in the late 1990s; I had been there for four years. Suddenly a shout rang out, “Who’s there?” The laughter stopped; I clutched the baby tightly, the mother froze. Again, louder this time, “Who’s there?” The mother went to the door. “Me and my children.” “Who else?” “Me and my children,” she repeated. She glanced at me, mouthing “NPA” (New People’s Army). The soldier trained his gun on her. “You have a guest. Who is it?” She was silent. She knew she was facing soldiers who would shoot her and her children. Quickly I got up and handed her the baby. “You are looking for me. Leave them alone.” My heart was 12
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thumping, my knees trembling. But somehow, and I still think of this, as I held that tiny infant I had felt a strength seep into me. As though now I, too, were small and vulnerable and had to be held by someone. “Come,” the leader barked, pulling me out the door. Surrounded by his men we walked up to the top of the mountain, an hour’s journey. I knew
Quickly I got up and handed her the baby. “You are looking for me. Leave them alone.” My heart was thumping, my knees trembling. they were the guerrillas who terrorized the tribal people of the hillsides, forcing them to hand over rice and chickens and whatever vegetables they had. We had heard of the people’s suffering and the Bishop, Bishop Cabrera of the diocese of Alaminos in
Pangasinan, had asked us Columban Sisters to help. No one had visited the people, and neither he nor we knew how to make contact. Then we got the idea of going to the local market and seeing if the tribal people came down to sell their goods. Sure enough I met some of the people from the Kankaney and Ibaloy tribe and told them of our desire to help them if we could. A short time later a few of the women took me to meet some of the leaders. We sat around while I asked them what their needs were. “We cannot till the land,” one man spoke. “The NPA have taken all our carabaos (water-buffalo) and now we have no rice; our people are starving. Look at our children, their bellies are swollen, their eyes sunk in their skulls.” I saw so many of the listless little ones. If they could not till the land they were doomed. I went back down the mountain determined to get carabaos for them. And, by God’s providence, and the generosity of many people, including readers of the Columban magazine, we raised enough money to buy a good number of animals. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Almost at once their situation changed. Their health improved; their children grew strong; they sang tribal songs again. I met regularly with the leaders who organized the distribution of the carabaos so that each farmer could have one for a time until we had enough for all. “Now we eat three times a day,” one man said to me, with a wide smile. The leaders worked with me and saw that there was a fair distribution, that everyone was helped. When a carabao had a calf, that calf could be kept and so gradually the stock built up. This was the reason I was now surrounded by fifteen guerrillas, their guns trained on me. I was terrified. The interrogation began. Where had I come from? What did I mean by giving the farmers the animals? Where did I get the money? Who was behind this? It went on and on. “O Lord,” I prayed silently, “give me a clear mind. Don’t let me panic. Stand with me.” And then, suddenly, I remembered vividly the training we had undergone each week when I was in Peru some years before. Training on what to do if the Sendero Luminoso, the Shining Path, terrorists attacked us: “Don’t panic. Challenge them.” So, I told the men the money came from people who cared deeply for the poor. I told them I was a missionary Sister. I told them I knew they would kill
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me, already their guns were pointed on me. “But,” I said, “you will be the loser. Your children will suffer. Your wives will be shunned. You will lose face before all the people, especially the tribes. Already you steal their food; you destroy their lives. But people will not stand for it if you kill me. As for me, I have nothing to lose. I am a missionary; I have no children; I have no money; I have nothing to lose. Go
“We cannot till the land,” one man spoke. “The NPA have taken all our carabaos (water-buffalo) and now we have no rice; our people are starving. ahead and kill me. But let me tell you that there will be an outcry not only in this country, but people all over will condemn you because I belong to an international congregation with Sisters in the East and in the West.” In my trembling heart I was praying, “Lord, let it be quick. Don’t let them torture me; I’m so afraid.” I was amazed that my voice was so steady, as though I was fearless. I remembered the words of Jesus, “Don’t worry on what to say, the Spirit will give you the words.” The men sat in silence. A few of them went aside arguing about me. Then the leader came back and said, “We’ll let you go
now. But if you tell anyone we’ll come after you.” And they roughly shoved me down the path. Oh, the relief! I was still scared but how I thanked God over and over. Later that day I met with the leaders and told them, “I’m all right,” I told them, “but I can’t talk about it.” They understood. I told them we would go ahead and visit the eight families who had been promised funds; this was the last of the money we had received, and I wanted to finish the work before I returned to the convent. So for the next four days I went around with the men until we finished the distribution and saw that everyone was seen to. The people protected me. I knew I would not see them again, and my heart was breaking at having to leave them. Back with the community I was nervous, checking doors and windows, startled at the slightest sound, tense all the time. Finally my Sisters sat me down. “What happened, Grace?” So I told them. Of course they were very shocked and at once made plans to get me to Manila and eventually out of the country. But that’s another story. CM Sr. Grace is a Filipina Columban Sister who has worked in Peru, Hong Kong, the U.S. and the Philippines.
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This is Where My Future Begins Educating Young People for the 21st Century By Fr. Patrick Colgan
O
n the outskirts of Mandalay (of Kipling’s “Slow Boat to….” fame), lies a former leprosarium, St. John’s, where a group of Columban priests, after representations from the Vatican, were kept under guard by the Japanese from 1942 until the end of World War II. The church itself was built 103 years ago by the French MEP missionaries. The part now used by the Center was built as a leper colony and used for that purpose until the government moved the lepers out of the city of Mandalay to a remote area. During the Columbans’ internment, one of them, Fr. Thomas Murphy, was fatally injured by a Japanese shell explosion while saying Mass on the morning of March 16, 1945. The British Army took him to one of their dressing stations but he died on the way. The building has strong emotional ties for all Columbans. Since the building was left unused for many years, Irish Columban Fr. Neil Magill repaired it and founded the Higher Education Center (HEC). Its fifth anniversary of opening was on Sunday, February 15, 2015. The Center aims to prepare (annually) 30 young “poorest but the brightest” Myanmese students with a quality three year education (in subjects as important and diverse as English, 14
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computers, human rights, music, Catholic Social Teaching) to be leaders in both their civil and church communities, by opening up employment opportunities, which would otherwise be totally beyond their reach. Even during their studies, students “practice what they learn” by going weekly to Buddhist monasteries to teach children who can’t afford to go to schools as well as visit a Center for those living with HIV/AIDS
The enthusiasm to learn all they possibly can, their diligence in carrying out daily chores and participating in the liturgies and the general exuberance and fun of these young people inspires me greatly. sufferers and also an orphanage. Graduates of the HEC are working back in their parishes, diocesan offices, with Caritas and other faith-based non-government organizations on various projects such as micro finance, HIV/AIDS awareness, disaster relief, human trafficking and child protection seminars. Some have continued their studies, and four students obtained a
B.A. from the Philippines in religious studies. Seven others are presently enrolled in the same B.A. course. Others have studied for one year with the Institute of Jesus Sisters in Yangon to learn the Montessori method of teaching. As the General Council representative for Myanmar, it is always a joy for me to visit the Center, meet Fr. Neil and the students, and marvel at how the donations from Misean Cara (Irish Government Aid), Fr. Neil’s home parish of Lavey, Co. Derry, Ireland, and Columban supporters, are, through these young people, literally changing the future of a country which for a half century knew only military rule and international isolation. The Center has also been grateful for help from two Catholic agencies in Germany, Missio and Aid to the Church in Need. The enthusiasm to learn all they possibly can, their diligence in carrying out daily chores and participating in the liturgies and the general exuberance and fun of these young people inspires me greatly. Recently, I asked Fr. Neil to invite some students to share their stories, both family and personal, in short essay form. I found it fascinating and hope you enjoy the selection below. The poverty from which many left, WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Law
Monica
but which they are determined to return and ameliorate, is proof to me that the school’s mission statement (“This Is Where My Future Begins”) has really sunk in. We offer the story of three of them, who have asked that their full names not be published, due to the “way” Myanmar is currently.
(agricultural/construction) workers with very low salary. Despite this, they have supported me—the youngest in my family—to get an education.
Tell us a little about yourself. Law: In my family, there are 10 members including my parents. They had to struggle for our daily living, and I pity them because my parents are now quite old and don’t have much energy to work anymore. I haven’t visited my parents for four years because I’m studying in Mandalay and also during our holidays, I attend UDE (University Distance Education), too. So, I am just trying to support not only my family but also other young people who can’t study well. Monica: My family is poor. My dad is a ruby miner, and my mum is a traditional tailor. I am the youngest in my family. Luke: As my parents came from poor families, I too am poor. My parents weren’t educated. When I was at high school, without my relatives’ help, I couldn’t have attended. My parents are farmers so my elder brothers couldn’t go to school when they were young. My brothers now are daily WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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What does being at the Higher Education Center mean to you? Law: As a poor person, there are many struggles and daily problems, made worse without education. I want to thank you and the benefactors who support us to study here at school: Fr. Neil, the Sisters and staff and indeed all the students because I get much knowledge, experience and maturity, including spiritually, by living with them. The HEC has made my dreams come true. Monica: Before I came to the HEC, I couldn’t understand a simple English sentence. I simply memorized by rote all my lessons for many years. Now I can understand lots, and I can speak quite well. It has improved my education, spiritual life, and daily behavior. Luke: When I passed the matriculation exam, I had no way to learn other subjects like computers, human rights, justice, and English, etc. When I arrived at the HEC at first, I wasn’t thinking as I do now. The HEC is one of the places I won’t ever forget because it changed my life. It has taught me to be mature and a good
Luke
person. Before I came here, I was very shy–but no more! So sometimes I think that my life “started” at the HEC. Thus I always am thankful. What would you be been doing if you were not at the HEC? Law: I might have been a pre-school teacher, but I still wouldn’t speak English properly. I would have struggled for my career. I am sure that I wouldn’t have landed a good job, and I might have to do hard physical work in Chin State or somewhere else. Now I can be a good teacher for my own people. Monica: I would be sewing and weaving traditional clothes, or I would be feeding our pigs. I might be attending just a few courses. Now I don’t need to do that! The HEC gives me a good opportunity so that I can implement my future well. So I will forever be grateful to HEC as the place where my future started. Luke: I might have been a soldier or a seminarian right now, but I wouldn’t be well-educated. Of one thing I am sure, if I was in the Army, I would be a bad person. CM
Columban Fr. Patrick Colgan lives and works in Hong Kong.
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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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Icons in Korea A Surprise Visit and a Chance Meeting By Peter and Mairin Richmond with Fr. Sean Conneely
Part I
By Peter and Mairin Richmond
During January we stayed for a few days with Fr. Sean Conneely and the Columban Fathers in their house in Seoul. Fr. Sean hails from the same locality in Ireland as my wife Mairin, and our visit was made all the more interesting and enjoyable with help from Fr. Sean and his colleagues. Fr. Sean took us to the Gyeongbok Palace. They also introduced us to a few restaurants where we had the most delicious meals. Fr. Sean also helped orient us on the subway so that we could quickly find our own way around. However, the biggest surprise for me was seeing, hanging on the wall in the Columban house dining room was a truly superb hand painted icon of the Mother of God in the style I usually associate with orthodox churches in Europe. My own interest in icons was stimulated by a book, “The Meaning of Icons” by Lossky and Ouspensky. This book was given to my wife Mairin and me as a wedding present by our friends Ruth and Godfrey O’Donnell who live in Dublin where Godfrey is a Romanian orthodox priest. For a while I did no more than pick up the book from time to time and gaze at the fascinating images. However, my interest in them was further stimulated in 2010 WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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when a fellow physicist took me to an icon gallery in Tallin during a visit to Estonia. This led to my first acquisition of a 19th century painting of the ascent of the prophet Elijah to the fiery heavens. Since then I have
acquired other examples of Russian icons including this 19th century icon of the Mother of God Fedorovskaya’ painted by the Mstiorskya school of icon painting of Mstera, Central Russia. I now find myself actively seeking out icons in galleries, museums or churches whenever I can. In October 2014, I was in Sofia, Bulgaria, and visited the superb exhibition of Bulgarian icons in the crypt of the Alexander Nevski cathedral. A visit to
Thessiloniki in Greece in November 2014 provided another chance to see some beautiful icons in the local churches. The internet is also an excellent route to viewing icons in museums and galleries across the world. However, I never expected to see any icons on our visit to Seoul. To find one in the house of the Columban Fathers was a big surprise. But then to be told that it had been painted by one of the House administrators – well as we say back home – you could have knocked me over with a feather! A truly beautiful painting it was similar to the Novgorod icon of the Mother of God of the Sign (Икона Божией Матери “Знамение” Новгородская) but unlike any icon I had seen, now the child was within a cup located in front of the Mother of God (Theokotos) It was our last day in Seoul before we finally met Eva Byun, a modest, softly spoken, unassuming young lady who had worked in the house for five years. We met her during lunchtime and had a very interesting and enjoyable conversation, which lasted almost two hours as she explained how her icon painting activity began. CM Part II By Fr. Sean Conneely
We don’t have many foreign visitors in Korea and when we do its always a pleasant experience. Each person October 2015
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brings their own experience of life. As Peter shared above in his story the main thing that caught his eye the first time he came into our dining room was the icon on the front wall. He stood for a moment in admiration of the painting and asked me where we got it. I told him it was painted by one of our staff. He mentioned that he’d like to meet her while he was with us. As often happens with visitors with their busy sight-seeing schedules and me busy with my work, it was the morning of the last day that I had time to bring Peter and Mairin to meet Eva Byun our magazine editor in her office. For the next two hours I sat stunned as the two shared knowledge of icons they knew. Then Eva told us how she got to know more about the icon she
painted by visiting many cities and monasteries in Russia until she eventually found the original painting. The name of the icon is The Inexhaustible Cup. And there is a healing story related to it…how a poor alcoholic peasant traveled for miles to get cured because he saw the Icon in a dream. Since then many addicts have been known to be cured by praying to this icon. As a person who works with addicts the icon has taken on a new meaning and interest for me, and now I refer people to pray to the child Jesus in the cup for healing. Now if I’m alone in the dining room before going to bed for the night I take some time to pray before the icon and to take in the icon image into my heart for the night. Apart from the icons the other surprise for me in this occasion was
to see how God brought two people, Peter and Eva–so different in their backgrounds–together through their mutual interest in Orthodox Church icons and how these help them both in their spiritual awareness. Surely our God is a god of many surprises. One never knows when a messenger from God will visit our home. Thank you, Peter and Mairin, for a surprise visit. CM
Columban Fr. Sean Conneely lives and works in Seoul, South Korea.
God of Surprises Things Unfold in God’s Time By Vida Hequilan
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’ve been working among the indigenous peoples called Atayal of TaiAn Nansancun parish for nine years now. One of my goals when I started working in the parish was to revive the youth group that the first Columban priest in the parish, Fr. Tom Browning, formed. However, it proved to be very challenging for me. Some of the former members of the youth group were married and had children already when I got there, while some others were working in the lowlands. My inadequate Mandarin language also limited my ability to communicate with them to help me revive the youth group. When I returned for a second term, I fully committed myself to start a new youth group rather than reviving the old one, but then again it did not transpire. The young 18
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people in the villages that comprise the parish would not attend house prayers and Masses. Older people and little children were the regular churchgoers. When I asked the older women in the parish why, they told me that teenagers were not interested in coming to Mass and prayers. When
This experience led me to a deeper understanding that things will unfold in God’s time. I heard that, I felt hopeless. The goal I set for myself just collapsed. It was difficult to accept defeat but it was the only direction I seemed to be going. Three years ago, a group of young people came to join the summer
camp. The camp was for primary school children. These young people were already in middle school, but when they were in primary school they used to come for the parish after school program, a program that helped the students in the village with their assignments and provided special classes like arts, cooking, English language and the Atayal dialect. Because the camp was for primary school children and there was no class organized for them, a Columban priest, Fr. Andrei Paz, and I thought that we had to give them something to do so we decided to train them as altar servers. For the entire duration of the summer camp, Fr. Andrei and I explained to them the parts of the Mass, the importance and functions of an altar server and the proper decorum in serving at Mass. I taught them the WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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common prayers while Fr. Andrei asked them to memorize the responses at Mass. It was a spontaneous class, and they worked diligently for two weeks. During the end of the summer camp we held a children’s Mass and on that day they served as altar servers for the first time. Their faces lit up when they processed towards the altar and the faces of the younger kids were in awe seeing their older brother or sister dressed up as altar servers. It was a surreal moment for me to see young people at the altar serving at Mass. Later that year, they were the altar servers when the bishop presided at the Mass during the parish’s golden jubilee of foundation. Their parents and grandparents were very proud of them. They even prepared meals WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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and snacks for the altar servers during practices. This group of altar servers became the youth group of the parish. To this day, these young people are still serving, and they are not only involved in the parish as altar servers but also help us organize different parish activities. During the summer camp last year they were asked to share on the topic of service for the younger children who were preparing for the sacrament of confirmation. They shared that they find fulfillment in serving the church and that their involvement with the church has led them to have a closer relationship with God, and it also helped them face the challenges of high school life. Their presence has
encouraged other young people to join the group, and it has also been slowly motivating younger children to come to church. This experience has been one of the highlights of my ministry. It led me to a deeper understanding that things will unfold in God’s time. At the same time it was a humbling experience for me, reminding me that I was so focused on my plans and goals that I forgot that it is only by the grace of God that these plans and goals can come to fruition. Over my many years of being a Columban lay missionary, God keeps on giving surprises and creating miracles. CM Columban lay missionary Vida Hequilan lives and works in Taiwan.
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A Close Shave The Blessings of Missing a Flight By Fr. Charles Duster
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Columban Fr. Ed Quin, Bro. Jacoabo and Fr. Charles Duster in Fiji
t was a missionary’s dream vacation. During the summer of 1967, a Columban classmate of mine who was on his first sixyear tour of Korea and I on my first term in Japan decided to fly down to the Philippines and spend weeks seeing a quite different mission and visiting our Columban classmates and confreres. Little did we imagine that it would bring us within two minutes of meeting our maker! The trip began well with an exciting week in Manila followed by a wild ride on a commercial bus
Little did we imagine that [the trip] would bring us within two Fr. Charles Duster in Japan, circa 1967
Fr. Charles Duster in Japan, circa 1967
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minutes of meeting our maker! to Olongopo to visit friends in the Province of Zambales near Subic Bay, a huge U.S. Navy port in those days.The bus drivers on the Victory Line seemed to compete for passenger by racing one another and passing in what I thought were dangerous situations on the narrow two lane highway. I said more “Acts of Contrition” on that trip than I had for a long time. During the second week of our vacation, we decided to visit the
Columbans on the island of Negros, the sugar cane producing section of the Philippines. That visit was uneventful in terms of “heart in the throat” experiences in the beginning, but it didn’t conclude that way. It was on our way to the airport of Bacolod on Negros that Jim and I experienced the closest calls in our lives. A Columban friend, Father Ed Roberts, offered to take us in his jeep to the airport, about a three hour trip. On the way, we passed through Binalbagan which is a large town with a sugar cane processing mill and a regional hospital. We were told that another Columban who both Jim and I knew from our days as exchange students in our seminary in Ireland, Father Mickey Martin, was in the hospital recovering from hepatitis. Naturally we felt duty bound to visit him. That was the key to the rest of the story. Mickey, as any Columban could tell you, is “a talker.” He has perfected the Irish penchant for teling a story in colorful but in somewhat extended fashion. Consequently we stayed at the hospital far longer than expected. When we got back on the road and were approaching Bacolod it started to rain, and there was more traffic including many ox carts. Therefore, WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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we pulled up at the tiny airport at 5:32 p.m. to catch a 5:45 p.m. scheduled departing flight for the 25 minute trip to Cebu. The plane was on the runaway, just 20 or so yards from the gate, the door still open. We had our tickets in hand, but the young man at the gate refused to let us board saying the pilot wanted to leave early because of the weather. Argue as we might, he would not let us through. Somewhat disgruntled, we headed back to town and slept in a hotel that kept a dormitory-type accommodation for Columbans entering and leaving the island. The next morning at breakfast on the patio, the manager came over to our table and said “Weren’t you two priests supposed to be on the last flight to Cebu yesterday evening?” “Yes, we were” we replied. “We missed it by two minutes.” “Well thank God you did, it was a good thing you missed it because it crashed into the mountain and all aboard were killed.” At first, it was unbelievable that we were that close to being on board that flight killing 21 passengers and four members of the crew. Jim and I looked at one another and he said, “Thank the Lord Mickey Martin was a talker, or we would be having breakfast with St. Peter this morning.” WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Later that morning, on the short flight to Cebu, the plane hit a number of air pockets, and you would have been amazed to see how many rosaries came out of purses and pockets with everyone making the sign of the cross. We later learned that in addition to the two “no shows” on that fatal flight, Jim and I, there was also one last-minute cancellation. It seems that a Filipina lady passenger had seen the passenger list and saw that there were two foreign priests with the names Duster and Duffy scheduled to be on the plane. Since we didn’t appear,
“Thank the Lord Mickey Martin was a talker, or we would be having breakfast with St. Peter this morning.” she got off and cancelled. Apparently, she thought it was a bad omen that the two priests scheduled to be on the flight did not appear. Call it faith or superstition, but in fact it saved her life. This close call never would have happened in today’s world with such tight airline security and careful screening before boarding, but things were much looser and relaxed in those days.
God must have wanted us to be around for a while longer, so use the time well was one lesson. How close we came to death didn’t really strike Jim and me until later that afternoon when we were reading the accounts and pictures of the crash site in the newspapers. In a sense, it was the most effective spiritual retreat the two of us had ever made. What did I learn from this “near encounter” with the Lord? I think at least three things. God must have wanted us to be around for a while longer, so use the time well was one lesson. Another lesson was if things don’t go as I had planned or expected, maybe God has a reason. And finally, don’t run for a plane or a train or a bus. If you miss it, maybe you were not supposed to be on it–and I haven’t done so since. CM Fr. Charles Duster lives and works in St. Columbans, Nebraska. Nearly 50 years following the crash, Fr. Duster remembers those who perished in his prayers.
Editor’s Note: Philippine Airlines flight #385 crashed into a mountain on July 6, 1967, due to poor weather conditions. All passengers and crew members aboard the flight perished. October 2015
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The Mystery of Faith Our world and our lives are still filled by the wonder of mystery and there is no greater mystery than our shared faith. In his letter to Timothy, St. Paul writes:
“Undeniably great is the mystery of devotion, Who was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16) Our devotion to following Christ unites us as one Church, one family across the world. He is present for each of us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist and while we may not always understand this, the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives today is just as strong as it was in the lives of those He ministered to two thousand years ago. By continuing on the journey with Columban missionaries, you have made possible the joy of this sacred mystery to those who are in most need. We are forever grateful to you for how you have helped to bring the light of Christ to the world, how you have stood in solidarity with the poor, how you have helped to grow God’s Kingdom here on earth and how you have helped give a voice to those who have none. Please use the return envelope found within this magazine to make a gift that will ensure the Mystery of Faith continues to grow in places and times of darkness. You can also make a gift by visiting our website, www.columban.org and clicking on the donate button. Be assured of our gratitude and that we will always remember you in our Masses and prayers. For information on our gift annuity program, making a donation of stock or 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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Do You Know My Name?
H
e was another homeless man who had found himself a place to sleep alongside ten or fifteen others in the underground walkway of Fujisawa train station. After ten o’clock at night when the station had grown quiet, these men used to set out their mats and settle down for the night. Before they fell asleep, however, a small group of us, composed of members of several Christian churches, provided them with hot tea, rice cakes and warm blankets. We also used to spend a few moments chatting with each of them. One night after I had exchanged greetings with one of these men, he looked at me straight in the eye and asked, “Do you know my name?” His question surprised me. “No, I don’t,” I responded sheepishly. Then, I started wondering to myself, “As the only non-Japanese person in this group of volunteers, why is he asking me this
From the Director By Fr. Tim Mulroy
question? Why does he seem more concerned about his name than about the hot tea and rice cakes that I’m offering him?” However, he just stood there looking straight at me. Then, he said gently, “My name is Honda. Can you remember it? Please don’t forget it.” In that very moment, it was as if a window opened in my mind, and I no longer saw this man simply as another homeless person, but rather as a unique human being who longed to be recognized and called by his name: Mr. Honda. Living as a homeless man, who had
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My heart was still full of the emotion of that encounter as I returned to the church around midnight. already lost his job, his home and his family, the threat of losing even his name must have felt like the loss of his very self. He was in grave danger of becoming a “nobody.” In that moment I realized that, for Mr. Honda, being called by his name was much more important than hot tea and rice cakes! I quickly reassured him that I would remember his name, and after I said goodnight to him, I promised myself that from then on I would always greet him as Mr. Honda. My heart was still full of the emotion of that encounter as I returned to the church around midnight. The next morning, as I entered the parish office, the parish administrator looked unusually serious. “What’s up?” I inquired. His response was slow and deliberate, “Remember the homeless man with whom you had a long chat at the station last night?” ‘Yes,” I responded, “Mr. Honda.” Then, he continued, “Late last night he became ill and was rushed to the local hospital. He died there a short time ago.” As I tried to grasp this sad news, suddenly I got a glimpse of the immense joy that Mr. Honda must have felt when God called him by his name and led him home.
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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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“Lord, you know everything, You know I love you…then feed my lambs.” — John 21:17 Perhaps you are someone whose love of God is leading you to want to serve His hungry people. We are waiting to listen to your story and answer your questions about mission life.
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 2500 S. Freemont Avenue, #E Alhambra, CA 91803-4300 626-458-1869 Websites: www.columbansisters.org www.columbansistersusa.com
Japan + Korea + Peru + Hong Kong + Philippines + Pakistan + Chile + Fiji + Taiwan + North America
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