By Fr. Darwin Bayaca, Chile In northern Chile, I learned that faith is sometimes best understood not in words but in the journeys people make together. One of the most powerful experiences for me has been the annual pilgrimage to La Tirana, a small desert village that welcomes around 250,000 to 300,000 pilgrims every …
By Dominic Lum Zawng, Columban Student from Myanmar on First Mission Assignment (FMA) in Mindanao Today, August 13, is the last day of my homestay program in Malingin, Barra Parish. Strangely, as I come to the end of this chapter, my mind keeps returning to the day I first arrived in this community on …
By Fr. Erl Dylan J. Tabaco, Peru Learning new languages has always fascinated me, and one of the languages that captured my heart was sign language. Looking back, I realize that what began as a simple desire to learn a new language gradually became God’s gentle invitation for me to serve. Many years ago, …
In Our Deafness, God´s Gentle Voice Calls us to Serve Read More »
By Fr. Vincent Busch, Philippines In April 2025, Columban Fr. Brian Gore died on the Island of Negros in the Philippines. For more than 50 years, Brian worked with families of subsistence farmers. During his wake, I watched the calloused hands of those farmers gently reach out to touch his coffin. Some farming families …
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 …
