| Missionary Society of St. Columban US

Mindful Moment

This week, I reflect on embracing uncertainty. Life is full of unknowns, and instead of fearing them, I choose to see them as opportunities for growth and exploration. I release the need to control every outcome and instead approach uncertainty with curiosity and openness. I trust that even when I don’t have all the answers, I am capable of navigating what comes my way with resilience and grace.

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Fall Flowers

Person holds a candle and crucifix during an All Souls' Day remembrance.

Remembrance, Hope and Communion

In the span of two sacred days — All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2) — the Church invites us into a beautiful rhythm of remembrance, hope, and communion.

All Saints’ Day is a celebration of the countless holy men and women — known and unknown — who now rejoice in the presence of God. It reminds us that sainthood is not reserved for the famous or flawless but is the calling of all who live lives of faith, love, and sacrifice. It’s a day of joy, hope, and inspiration as we reflect on the great cloud …

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Stories from Columban Missions

Scenic landscape of rainforest in Mindanao, Philippines

A Glimpse of the Past

I began my active participation in the Laudato Siʹ Movement last year (2024) when I attended the Laudato SiʹAnimator’s Course. Since then, I have…

Nouméa, New Calidonia

A New Archbishop for New Caledonia

Bishop Susitino Sionepoe SM was installed as the new Archbishop of Nouméa in New Caledonia, in the French Pacific on Saturday, April 12, 2025.…

A river cuts through a forest surrounded by mountains.

Fatima to Macroom to Saliadrau

It is some four years since I last visited Saliadrau. When I left, some asked me to get them a statue of Our Lady of Fatima. This past summer when…

The hand of an artist painting on a canvas.

Painting Preaching

What happens when the pulpit disappears, and all you’re left with is silence, canvas, and the Word? During Holy Week 2022 — still marked by the…

Columban Fr. Bill Brunner

Arts and Culture

Columban Fr. Bill Brunner keeps his eyes open for seashells, which are plentiful in the Ocean State, Rhode Island, where he lives. The Columban…

School children hanging their artwork on the wall.

Inherent Worth

In Pakistan, I work at three shelters, referred to as “hostels,” which provide food, lodging and education to over 100 girls aged seven to twenty…

From the Director

Fr. Al Utzig, U.S. Director

Art and Culture

Art and culture and faith – what a broad topic. And it’s a beautiful topic! As Columban missionaries all of us get to leave our homes and go somewhere else to work, to in some way, share our sense of who Jesus Christ is for us and maybe for those people too. And I have to tell you without exaggeration that whether they mean to or not, they share so very much of their faith through their culture with us too. It reminds me of a New Zealand Columban who was assigned to a small parish on the east coast of Korea in the 1970’s. Being freshly …

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Mission News

Students at the Learning Resource Center

Be a Sponsor of Hope

Despite the risks, Columban Fr. Kurt Zion Pala continues his work with students in war-torn Myanmar (formerly Burma). He is desperately seeking…

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Pope Leo XIV

Columban Missionaries Rejoice in Election of Pope Leo XIV

With gratitude to God, we, the Columban Missionaries, rejoice in the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the 267th Pope, greet him with…

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Pope Frances

In Gratitude and Hope

We, the Columban Missionaries, join our voices with people around the world in expressing our deep gratitude for Pope Francis and the Gospel…

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