Stories written by historian Mariead O'Brien about Columban missionaries martyred in the Philippines and Korea have been compiled in a digital collection titled The Korean and Malate Columban Martyrs.
The publication marks the 75th anniversary of the death of one of the Korean martyrs, Columban Fr. Frank Canavan, on December 6, 1950. O'Brien wrote several stories in local newspapers and the Far East magazine during 2025 to honor both the Columbans who died in the Philippines in 1945 and Korea in 1950.
She put most of her stories on the Columban Martyrs together into a digital booklet at https://online.fliphtml5.com/trshl/Front-page/#p=1
Fr. Canavan was one of 800 prisoners in Korea forced to march more than 90 miles across freezing, mountainous terrain in what became known as the Tiger Death March.
Although Fr. Canavan survived the Death March, he developed pneumonia and died on December 6, the feast of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of Galway City in Ireland, to whom he was deeply devoted.
Fr. Canavan is one of the seven Columban missionaries martyred in Korea whose beatification is being promoted by the Korean Church. In 2014, they were declared Servents of God, which is at the first stage of canonisation.
