Parish Articles Archives - Missionary Society of St. Columban

Three Years of Our Mother of Perpetual Help (OMPH)–Barra: Growing as an Ecology Parish

Leave a Comment / JPIC / MISSION PRIORITIES, News & Feature, Parish Articles / By Marivic Mercene / November 26, 2025

A collective reflection of the parishioners Our Mother of Perpetual Help (OMPH)–Barra marks its third year as a parish since its elevation in 2022 and its designation as an ecology parish. Looking back, parishioners recall how much has changed in a short span of time. A lot has been accomplished: the parish was able …

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Holiness has No Color

Leave a Comment / Mission Promotion Articles, News & Feature, Parish Articles, Uncategorized / By Marivic Mercene / September 9, 2025

By Marivic Mercene In the Philippines, fair skin is often seen as the standard of beauty. From whitening soaps and lotions to countless advertisements, the beauty industry thrives on the idea that being maputi (fair-skinned) means being more attractive or successful. This mindset traces back to our colonial past, when lighter skin was associated …

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Faith with Feet

Leave a Comment / News & Feature, Parish Articles / By Marivic Mercene / July 1, 2025

By Marivic Mercene “To be a missionary is to be with the people,” Fr. Enrique Escobar reflects. “You walk with them, you eat with them, you suffer with them, and you rejoice with them.” Looking back at his journey—from a diocesan priest in Peru shaped by the missionary spirit of the Maryknoll Missionaries to …

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Why I Became a Columban Mission Partner

Leave a Comment / Mission Promotion Articles, News & Feature, Parish Articles, Uncategorized / By Marivic Mercene / March 10, 2025

By Marge Condes Being a volunteer at Our Lady of Remedies Parish, Malate, gave me first-hand experience of how the Columban Fathers, including lay missionaries, live out their mission. Although of varied nationalities, the Columban Fathers have one thing in common — they live simply, immerse themselves in the community, and embrace our country’s history …

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THE JOURNEY NEVER ENDS

Leave a Comment / News & Feature, Parish Articles / By fuzzywuzzy / October 9, 2024

By Monica Alaisa Picayo “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:21 These are the lines that remind me how God can change my life in just a blink of an eye. My name is Monica, and I’ve been a member of …

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My Old Missionary Bag

Leave a Comment / Mission Promotion Articles, News & Feature, Parish Articles / By Marivic Mercene / June 3, 2024

A Gift of the Columban Spirit By Fr. Jude Genovia, SSC In the summer of 1995, I had to leave for Japan as part of my First Mission Assignment (FMA). This cross-cultural assignment outside the Philippines marked the realization of the next phase of my vocation discernment. A significant aspect of this cross-cultural journey occurred …

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