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Stories from Columban Missions

Scenic image of snowcapped mountains protecting a clear blue lake
Encountering the Cross

Weekly, I make it a habit to visit randomly the nine chapels of the Columban parish of San Mathias in Bajos de Mena, Santiago, Chile, where I have…

Diary - In So Many Words
A Benediction for the New Year

The old year folds its weary wings
And drift s into the dusk of time,
Its laughter, tears, forgotten things

The Holy Family in Traditional Korean Dress
Consoling Presence

Even though the celebration of morning Mass for the Columban community in our house chapel seemed like a burden for Fr. Jack, he continued to add…

Rings sit on a table in preparations for the Pakistani couple's wedding.
Wedding Ceremony in Pakistan

In an Islamic country like Pakistan, Christmas doesn’t cause much of a stir for the majority of people. However, it does matter to many Christians…

Street scene in the Tsukiji neighborhood of Tokyo, Japan
A Visit to the Tsukiji Church

August 15, 1549, when St. Francis Xavier stepped onto Japanese soil at Kagoshima. He spent less than two years in Japan but had a major impact.…

Painting of the Holy Family in a manger visited by two men.
The Birth of Jesus

Let us increase our thanks and pray for courage as we think about Joseph and Mary setting out in trust into the unfamiliar and unknown. I pause at…