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January 2007
| Our Donors Help Filipino Fire Victims Rebuild |
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When we asked last year for help for a Filipino neighborhood devastated by electrical fire, we received a tremendous response from Columban donors like you.
In May 2007, fire ravaged the Barangay Tinago neighborhood in Ozamiz City, the Philippines, a city of about 200,000 in northwest Mindanao, the island nation’s largest, most-southern island. Victims in this poor area of the city watched helplessly as fire destroyed their seaside homes, forcing many to live for weeks in a city gymnasium in the sweltering summer heat.
Columban Father Oliver McCrossan and others in Ozamiz City wanted to help, so we turned to you in one of our fundraising appeals.
As a result, 18 households have benefited from your generosity. These families are in the process of rebuilding their homes, and they and other families have received funds to build toilets for the proper disposal of their waste. The lack of proper sewage has been a continual problem as the neighborhood rebuilds itself.
In addition, your donations will go to help children affected by the fire by school uniforms and supplies, many of which were destroyed. Plus, families have received funds to supplement their livelihoods as tricycle-taxi (pedicab) and ambulance drivers as they seek to rebuild their sources of income.
Fr. McCrossan and other Columbans involved in this project extend a sincere thank you on behalf of Barangay Tinago residents for your life-saving help. Columbans everywhere will remember you in their prayers for what you have done for the poorest of God’s children.
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December 2007
| Pope Benedict Addresses Columbans |
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Pope Benedict XVI Addressed Columbans & Other Missionaries In November
Columban Superior General Fr. Tommy Murphy and Columban Father Eamon Sheridan attended in November a historic gathering of Superiors General and Counselors from more than 20 Catholic missionary institutes. They were invited by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples for a three-day meeting in Rome.
A highlight of the occasion was a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. The following are extracts from the address the pope gave to the Superiors General and Counselors:
"This gathering bears eloquent witness to the continuing vitality of the missionary impulse in the Church. Your meeting is also a concrete sign of the historic relationship between Missionary Institutes of Societies of Apostolic Life and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
"One of the promising indications of renewal in the Church's Missionary consciousness in recent decades is the growing desire of many lay men and women, whether single or married, to cooperate generously in the mission Ad gentes.
"Dear friends, our meeting today gives me a welcome opportunity to express my gratitude to you and all the members of your Societies past and present, for your enduring commitment to the Church's mission. Today, as in the past, missionaries continue to leave their families and homes, often at great sacrifice, for the sole purpose of proclaiming the Good News of Christ and serving him in their brothers and sisters. Many of them, also in our time, have heroically confirmed their preaching by the shedding of their blood, and contributed to establishing the Church in distant lands.
"While conscious of the challenges you face, I encourage you to follow faithfully in the footsteps of your founders, and to stir into flame the charisms and apostolic zeal which you have inherited from them, confident that Christ will continue to work with you and to confirm your preaching with signs of his presence and power (Mark 16:29). To all of you I willingly impart my Apostolic blessing as a pledge of wisdom, strength and peace in the Lord."
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November 2007
| Pakistan's State Of Emergency |
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Columban Missionaries' Response To Pakistan's State of Emergency
Columban missionaries have had a presence in Pakistan for more than 25 years, so it is with great concern that we monitor the current political unrest as a result of the state of emergency and suspension of the Pakistani Constitution declared by President General Pervez Musharraf on November 7.
The growing militancy, extremism and number of terrorist attacks were cited as the reason for imposing emergency rule on the country, but no attention has been given to these issues so far. On the contrary, the government is making every effort to suppress the voice of civil society.
According to a press release issued in response to the declaration by the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), a human rights body of the Catholic Church in Pakistan, “the imposition of emergency as [is] a most unfortunate and misdirected step and impressed upon [the government the need for] respecting the constitution and restoration of civilian rule in the country.”
A joint statement issued by Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha and Mr. Peter Jacob, the chairperson and the executive secretary of NCJP, condemned the suspension of fundamental rights, dislodging of the superior courts, arrests of civil society members, including lawyers, and political and human rights activists, the use of brute force against peaceful protestors and curbs on the media. The statement further said that the challenges faced by the country cannot be dealt with by imposition of a state of emergency. Only respect for rule of law, independence of the judiciary and the restoration of fundamental rights can bring Pakistan to the path of democracy.
The statement demanded the following:
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Restoration of the constitution and fundamental rights
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Immediate return to the civilian rule
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Immediate and unconditional release of the detainees throughout the country
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Restoration of judges and independent judiciary
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Restoration of the freedom of press and electronic media
The latest reports say that Gen. Musharraf has refused to give a date for lifting the state of emergency and said it would continue at least through the general elections in January to reinforce Pakistan’s fight against terrorism and ensure transparent polls. He also made it clear that he would not step down as army chief until a new Supreme Court validated his presidency.
Despite the government’s efforts to achieve its set goals during the state of emergency and control all state institutions, Pakistani people are opposed to rule by whims and are demanding the immediate restoration of democracy. We stand in solidarity with the Pakistani people’s struggle for peace and justice.
We offer our prayers for an immediate and peaceful end to the current state of emergency.
For more information, visit the Asian Center for the Progress of Peoples website at www.acpp.org. The Missionary Society of St. Columban is not responsible for the contents of this website. Or, contact Amy Woolam Echeverria, U.S. Columban JPIC coordinator, at
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