that drove the powerful and wealthy

among the Jews absolutely bonkers,

it was:  Show Me,

how you treat the prostitutes,

other than by stoning them to death;

how you treat the illiterates,

other than by despising them;

how you treat the economic poor,

other than by squeezing taxes out of them;

how you treat the darker skinned

peasant farmers other than by regarding them

simply as ostracized sinners outside of the pail,

how you treat the sick, the infirm, the crippled,

the mentally ill, the poor wretches in gaol;

how you treat the “nobodies”,  and all of those

whom you regard as such, and I shall quote

my own mother, a domestic servant as a child of 12

until at 22 she married a gardener:

Show me how you treat the people who serve you,

and I´ll tell you the person you are.

Columban Fr. Leo Donnelly lives and works in Peru.

Catholic priesthood does not lift you out of or above human life, human nature, and for this we can thank God.

In my book people are the most fascinating aspect of all creation. Relating to people in everyday life you are guaranteed never a dull moment. You will have some great moments, just as you will also have some most miserable ones, but you´ll never know a dull moment in your life.

My own experience as a priest working with and for people who were mostly at the bottom of the social and economic scale has been a tremendously enriching experience. I know scores of clergy, faithful to their people, who would say, “Amen,” to that.

The ordinary, pastoral priest has always stood with his people, and it is out of this that there derived the mutual love and respect that fostered vocations. It is also true that such priests felt, feel, the same frustration that so many lay people are today feeling.

Again as one who grew up in this ambiance, lived through it and is now retired in it I weep for my people. So long a priest, I have never regarded other vocations and professions as damnable no matter how many instances of recalcitrant there are in any profession, and I have come across my share, yet there are many, many more, good people out there fulfilling their role in life.

They allow each profession to stand well above the scrum.

Fr. Leo Donnelly lives and works in Lima, Peru.

Not too long ago, Fr. Don contacted me about the desire to add a chapel to the Center. He envisioned the chapel as a quiet place for prayer and reflection, both individually and in small groups, and for celebration of the Eucharist. The chapel would help promote devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and be easily accessible to the people who are there on formation.

Once again, you responded so generously and abundantly, that Fr. Don recently completed the construction of the chapel which is dedicated to St. Joseph and the Holy Family. Fr. Don composed the following prayer for the dedication of the chapel:

“You are called to be God´s Temple, and the Spirit of God is living among you.” (l Cor. 3:l6)

We thank you, Lord, and all those who have  helped us to build a chapel where we can celebrate together, share our faith in community or just sit in silence contemplating the presence of God within us. May your Spirit grow within all of us so that your Kingdom of peace, justice and unity become a reality in our world full of violence, division and suffering. May the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph bless and guide us to live in their grace and peace. Amen.”

Many miles separate us from the chapel in Peru and the people whom Fr. Don serves, but we are united, all of us Kingdom people, working together, pursuing peace and sharing generously with one another all that has been given to us. We are deeply and ever grateful for the gifts you bestow upon us which allow us to continue preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ– yesterday, today and tomorrow.

For more information about this and other Columban projects, please visit www.columban.org

Mission Exposure in Lima, Peru

You are invited to experience Columban mission first hand by joining the upcoming mission exposure trip to Lima, Peru.

• Experience community life in Lima
• Visit parish ministries: schools, economic projects, environmental programs and more
• Participate in a home stay with a Peruvian family

Apply today in English or Spanish

Mission Exposure in Lima, Peru

Take this chance to gain a new understanding of what St. Columban meant when he said “a life unlike your own can be your teacher!”

“We experienced the warmth and hospitality of the entire Columban community throughout our time in Lima. Our eyes were opened by the cross-cultural encounter with the people of Peru and Creation.” -Eileen L., past trip participant

Program fee is $750 plus airfare to and from Lima, Peru.

Knowledge of Spanish is not necessary to participate in this trip.

Contact Brian Radziwill for more information: 301-565-4547 or ccaoprograms@columban.org

Fr. Arturo Aguilar

Several years ago, we asked you to support Columban Fr. Ed O’Connell’s projects in San Benito township in Lima, Peru. San Benito is one of the poorest townships in Lima, and in this case, where there is poverty, there is malnutrition and family violence.  Your generous support allowed Fr. Ed to start two projects, The Nutrition Project for Young Children and The Prevention of Family Violence Project. Now, both projects are well known in San Benito and have earned the confidence of both the people and the town leaders.

Nonviolence workshop

In 2010, the Nutrition Project Consultancy Program served 322 mothers of children under the age of five years, provided 122 home visits, held nine nutrition workshops, screened 188 children for anemia and parasites, participated in World Food Day activities at three schools and worked with many teachers to help them detect and monitor the signs of malnutrition in their students. It was a busy year!

The demand created by the nutrition project pushed the health ministry to provide a nutritionist four days a week instead of only twice a month. The network of mothers and kindergarten teachers to detect and monitor cases of malnutrition and those children at risk of malnutrition, grew and is functioning well as are our workshops demonstrating the use of nutritive food in our center’s kitchen. The biggest gain has been the formation of the township health committee in coordination with the local medical clinic. The committee provides a channel of communication with the local hospital and will eventually increase the services in the medical clinic according to the demands from the local health committee. We are educating and mentoring the mothers who participate in our program so that they can take their rightful place on the committee.

Vanessa the nutrtionist

The Prevention of Family Violence Project has developed two networks to raise awareness about family violence. The primary network is made up of mothers who participate in the nutrition program and mothers of children who attend the local schools. The secondary network is comprised of teachers from the local schools, government agencies and local authorities. Both of these networks raise awareness about family violence and that it is not normal even though it frequently occurs. In 2010, they held ten awareness raising workshops, three public events with videos and theater presentations, and six activities that provided training to our volunteers. In all, 351 people benefited from the activities and 42 volunteers were trained who will help the program’s outreach into the community continue to grow.

These projects continue improve the quality of life of the people of San Benito, especially the children. They also help to change attitudes regarding family violence which is sadly much more difficult to prevent than malnutrition. However, we continue to work toward the goal of healthy children in violence free homes. With your support, many positive changes in the community have occurred, and the groundwork is there upon which to build in the future.

It is with deep gratitude that we thank you for your continued support as we further the work of the Kingdom. Columban missionaries worldwide will remember you and your intentions during our prayers and Masses in June.

Gratefully yours in Christ,

Fr. Arturo Aguilar

Would you or your group like to join a short-term mission trip to Peru or China?

All you need is 10 days to two weeks for an encounter that will change your life.

Testimony: “As a result of the trip, I look at the world and the people in it differently.” – Pam S.

Request Info | Apply in English or Spanish

If you are interested in…

• Experiencing Columban mission first-hand
• Discerning long-term mission service
• Organizing a trip for your group at a university, parish, or other community
• Meeting Columban missionaries and the communities in which they live and work
• Experiencing your faith in a world different from your own
• Learning new ways to ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ _{Mk 12:31}

… Then you should learn more about our Mission Exposure trips!

• The cost of the exposure trip to Peru is $750 plus travel to Lima, Peru.

• The cost of the exposure trip to China is $2,000 plus travel to and from China.

• Knowledge of a foreign language is not necessary, and a Columban guide will accompany the group at all times of the exposure trip.

Request Info | Apply Here

Or contact Brian Radziwill for more information: 301-565-4547 or ccaoprograms@columban.org

Fr. Colin McLean

Fr. Colin McLean lives and works in Brazil.

In Brazil one such injustice is the racial discrimination towards indigenous and Afro-Brazilians that is still strong in many areas, despite the government’s much touted image as a multi-racial democracy.
More recently, with encouragement, suggestions, and financial help from friends, I helped to form and register a non-government organization (NGO), Espaço Cultural Cena Um, (A Cultural Scene) whose two
principal aims are to strengthen self-esteem and to raise awareness of social injustices. For almost five years we operated from the second floor of a warehouse that we rented.

Eventually, we applied for an international grant to help us buy a small property on the periphery of the city of Salvador, not far from the parish where most of our young participants and I live. Its location should help us attract more youth from neighboring peripheral communities to participate in one of our three performance companies: Scene One Theatre Company; Dance Company Levante dos Malês (named after a strong urban slave uprising in Salvador in 1835); and Scene One Acrobatic Quartet. The name “Scene One” refers to the theater as our medium of expression (Scene) and the first step in raising social awareness—provoking a questioning of our reality (One).

Cena Um dancers

In 2005, two young men from our dance company went to Australia, where they participated for two months in classes at the NAISDA Aboriginal and Islander Dance School. People working in justice education with the Columban Fathers in Australia were impressed by their Afro-Brazilian dance performances. As a result, they invited seven members of our dance company to participate in World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney, Australia. Five young men and two young women from Brazil participated in an event titled “Columban Youth Theatre of the Oppressed,” with the group AKBAY (from the Columban founded and run PREDA
foundation in the Philippines) and youth from St. Peter’s College in Tuggerah, New South Wales.

After returning from that enriching and enjoyable experience, we applied for the deed to the property we purchased, endured months of waiting and now are in the happy position of preparing the plans to get the necessary permit for the construction of a modest theater that will seat an audience of 80 people. Hopefully, construction will begin by March 2011. We are not yet certain we have sufficient funds left from the grant, after the property’s purchase, to cover the total cost of construction, but we will jump that hurdle as we come to it. We are blessed with a variety of instructors skilled in drama, Afro dance, and more recently, circus arts. Our theater administrator, Marcelo Batista dos Santos, a married deacon from our parish of Santo Antônio das Malvinas, brings administrative experience to his job.
However, we are still hoping to find someone with a theatre background who could assist in publicity and marketing. So the vision is now a dream on the verge of becoming a reality. If we can really get up and running, I believe we can attract a lot of young people from impoverished communities in the vicinity of our soon-to-be-constructed theater, help them grow as people, and hopefully, become catalysts for change in our society. I see the talent in the youth with whom I am in immediate contact, and I believe that is only the tip of the iceberg of talent that lies hidden in these marginalized communities, just waiting for the right opportunity to be able to show it. Our Scene One Theatre has begun to give them this opportunity.

I was happy to learn that Cirque d’ Soleil began with a staff of eight and now has 800 people working around the world. The vision has now become the dream. It is my hope that both the vision and the dream become a reality.

The article originally appears in the December 2010 issue of Columban Mission.

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Part 1 | Part 3

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