by Edward Robert Gallagher, Co-Worker

The air in the Columban Mission House was never quite still. Even in the quietest hours― when the chapel lights dimmed and the last footsteps faded into the corridors― a sense of movement lingered―as though  something were unfolding just beyond sight. It was not merely the turning of days or the passing of seasons. It was transition―deep, uncertain, and constant.

I have come to know this intimately.

As a missionary in the midst of transition, one learns to live with questions rather than answers. What will tomorrow bring for the Missionary Society of St. Columban? Will the paths we have walked for generations continue, or will they bend into something unfamiliar? These questions do not fade with time; they accompany us― like quiet companions in prayer.

And yet, we continue.

Not because we are certain, but because we are faithful.

There is a quiet strength in choosing to move forward even when the horizon is unclear. It is rooted not in strategy or numbers, but in something far deeper: the abiding presence of God’s love. In that love, we find direction. In that love, we find courage. And in that love, we discover that even in uncertainty, our mission remains firm.

As Regional Secretary, and in my nearly two years of  walking with the Columbans, I have witnessed this truth unfold in ways both simple and profound. Through regular  communication with Regional/Mission Units across the world―voices from different cultures, languages, and realities―we gather each month in what we call Synodal Tuesdays. There, across screens and time zones, something sacred happens.

We listen.

We speak.

We journey together.

And in those moments, the distance between us disappears. What remains is a shared spirit―a communion of missionaries holding onto the same thread of hope.

This hope becomes even more tangible during our Conversations in the Spirit. These are not ordinary meetings. They are spaces where hearts open, where stories are laid bare, and where silence itself becomes a form of prayer. In these encounters, I have seen vulnerability transform into strength, and uncertainty give way to clarity―not always in answers, but in conviction.

Amid all these changes, there is still hope.

And it is this hope that binds the Society together.

We are not blind to reality. Our numbers are dwindling. The once-crowded halls of formation houses are quieter now. The faces around the table are fewer. There is no denying this. Yet we do not allow this to define us.

For  our identity has never been rooted in numbers.

It has always been rooted in mission.

And mission, at its core, is sustained by faith, nourished by love, and carried forward by hope.

There are moments, of course, when the weight of transition feels heavy―when the future seems like a bridge stretching into fog, its end unseen. In those moments, the temptation is to hesitate, to wait for clarity before taking the next step.

But that is not who we are.

We are missionaries.

We cross bridges not because we see the other side, but because we trust the One who calls us forward.

And we do not cross alone.

Perhaps that is the greatest grace of all―that in this journey, we are given one another. A community bound not by certainty, but by shared faith. A mission family  that reminds us, again and again, that even in the face of change, we remain united.

Together, we carry the mission.

Together, we face the unknown.

Together, we become a living witness that the spirit of the Columbans endures.

So whatever tomorrow may bring― whether it leads us into familiar fields or uncharted territory― we step forward with conviction. Not because we are unafraid, but because we are not alone. Not because we have all the answers, but because we trust in God who walks with us.

And in that trust, we find peace.

In that trust, we find strength.

In that trust, we find the quiet, unwavering assurance that, no matter what comes our way, we will endure, not as individuals, but as a community grounded in hope, strengthened by faith, and sustained by love.

For in the midst of transition, we do not lose who we are.

We become it more fully.

Featured Image above: Columban Missionaries during the joint area meeting in March 2026.