Four Filipinas in Korea share their reasons for becoming Columban lay missionaries.

I’ve heard it said, “You don’t have to be rich in order to give. All you have to do is to be good; the person who is good can always find something to give.”

When I remember these words, which became the inspiration of my vocation as a Columban lay missionary, I also remember other lay people, catechists and parish workers whom I have been privileged to help, working in the Catholic Church.

I have seen their dedication and the simplicity of their lives, and I admire them very much.

I have a passion to work with young people. They have given me the capacity to learn many things about life and love. I believe in the capacity of young people to be the agents of love, peace and transformation in the society and the Church.

When working with them, I realized that I, too, wanted to be a missionary. It was hard for me to leave my family, friends and community and to join the Columban Lay Missionary Program. But I will be glad to share my experience of the Risen Lord with a new culture, new tradition, new friends and a new family.

—Cristina B. Simpron

It all started with a dream. The attraction of mission work remained in my heart as a desire and in my mind as a dream for such a long time.

I tried listening to it and responding in my own way. Apart from my job in a bank and teaching part time in the university, I made myself available with great joy to help in retreats, seminars and spiritual direction.

I was happy with my life, but I still felt called to something deeper, so I decided to join the Columban Lay Missionary Program.

The detachment needed to leave my family has been difficult. But the mysterious and unconditional love I’ve received from God through my family, friends and the Columbans have encouraged me to share with others what I have so abundantly received.

—Arlenne B. Villahermosa

It was 1996 when I first met some Columban missionaries, a priest and a Sister. I was asked to help sell copies of the Columbans’ Misyon magazine in different Manila parishes. I found the stories of missionaries in the magazine both fascinating and inspiring, so it was easy for me to encourage others to read them too.

Much later, after a long period of discernment, I realized that I also had a missionary vocation, and I was accepted for the Columban Lay Mission Program. I met various missionaries who shared their own experiences of mission. They fanned the flame that was already kindled within me, and I knew from that time that one day I, too, would have my own story to tell.

I felt the whole community was solidly behind me. With God within me, I know I am already a missionary story.

—Tina M. Comacho

A call is a journey, a response to the innermost depths of longing for a presence and meaning within. It was from this mystery of longing that the biggest steps in my life began. I remember when I was first accepted to join the Columban Lay Mission Program. I struggled through the process of formation, but I found it to be an experience of growth toward the fullness of life.

It was difficult for me to go beyond the limits of my boundaries and offer myself for cross-cultural mission, yet I still chose to go. In spite of the joy and warmth, the love and security that I had always experienced as an only child, I still chose to be a missionary.

I realize that as a missionary in Korea, the important thing will be not so much what I do as who I am. It is the gift of myself that will give meaning to my vocation.

—Necita A. Fetalvero