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
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
By Lilibeth Sabado, CLM, Philippines When I first arrived in Negros Occidental as part of a team of three Lay Missionaries, I carried with me a mixture of gratitude, hope, and uncertainty. Each of us brought varied and common experiences from overseas mission and from here in our home region. But coming to Negros
