By Evelyn Sabate, Columban Co-Worker I’m Evelyn Sabate, and for eight years now, I’ve had the privilege of serving as an animator for Columban Mission Promotion and Fundraising Ministry here in the Philippines. Alongside this, I’ve been joyfully journeying with others in promoting vocations. What began as a role has blossomed into a vocation—a …
By Lilibeth Sabado, Columban Lay Missionary In 2009, I spent a couple of months immersing myself in communities in Mindanao where families of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) lived. I felt it was important to understand the lives of those left behind so that I could more effectively accompany and pastorally support the OFWs I …
The Other Side of Migration: The Children Who Wait Read More »
By Fr. Louie Ybañez, Pakistan One of the great privileges of missionary life is the opportunity to encounter cultures profoundly different from one’s own. In interior Sindh, one immediately senses a heritage that is both ancient and intimately shaped by the land itself. This culture is not merely observed – it is felt in …
By Fr. Rex Rocamora, SSC, Columban IRD Coordinator On the 4th of May 2026, I found myself walking once again toward the Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Mosque on the island of Simunul, Tawi-Tawi—the oldest mosque in Southeast Asia. Built in 1380 by the Arab missionary Karimul Makhdum, it stands as a reminder of the …
By Fr. Erl Dylan Tabaco, SSC During my seminary years, I had several encounters with inmates whose lives were transformed by their experiences in prison. Prior to my ordination to the diaconate, I was assigned to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa, Philippines, where I gave catechesis to our brother inmates in the Medium …
Chains Cannot Bind the Soul: Reflections on True Freedom in Prison Read More »
By Bernie Durangparang, Columban Co-worker This year marks my 30th year as a Columban worker—a journey that began in 1996 and has since become more than a role; it has become a way of life. Over the years, my work has taken shape primarily as a vocation animator, accompanying young people as they listen …
By Fr. Brendan Kelly, SSC Our Columban presence in Our Lady of Lourdes Mission Station, Don Victoriano, Misamis Occidental, is ending. It has been a blessing in the lives of the faith community. A once peripheral, marginalized, and often neglected community has been regularly served, strengthening the catechetical, Eucharistic and youth ministries. Over the …
Thirteen Years of Grace and Growth in Don Victoriano Read More »
By Ana Flores, Columban Lay Missionary As a missionary in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, I came to understand in a deeply personal way how difficult life can be without something as basic as water. What I once considered ordinary, I began to recognize as a daily struggle for many. During my first years there, …
Joys and Struggles of Mission in Myanmar By Fr. Kurt Pala When people ask me, “What is mission like in Myanmar?” I often pause. Mission here is difficult and beautiful. It is broken, yet filled with hope. It is cautiously walking along a narrow path ―between the sounds of Buddhist chants and bells, …
By Fr. Jovito Dales, SSC In October 2, 2021, during an Opening Mass in Rome for the launching of the 2-year synod process, as reported by Christopher White in the National Catholic Reporter (NCR), the late Pope Francis said: “Every encounter, as we know, calls for openness, courage, and a willingness to let ourselves …
