From the Director
I was thinking a little about the relation between Columban missionaries and the communities where we serve. It is so different in each case depending on our own personalities and on what is happening in the community. We’ve recently had a number of visitors to the Columban house in Omaha—a Korean priest who works in Fiji, a Filipino priest who works in Chile, and a married couple who both were lay missionaries with us in Taiwan, she a Korean and he an American. As we sit around the table talking all kinds of little incidents come up. One priest was saying how his language wasn’t that good yet and he was trying to say at a Mass “and Mary kept all these things in her heart,” but he actually said, “and Mary kept all these things in her cat.” The folks in the pews were too polite to burst out laughing but he could see their shoulders rocking up and down trying to hold it in. These are common experiences for missionaries.
On a more serious note, to work in Fiji means we have to be willing to drink kava at every meeting even if it is not easy. Kava is made from the dried root of a plant, beaten to a powder, and mixed with water. Fijians love it and it is very significant that everyone participating in any ritual or meeting drink it. We drink it to be part of the community.
In Korea (and Japan) it is common to drink a lot of soju after a meeting, especially if someone’s feelings might have gotten hurt. That gives everyone a chance to let it out and celebrate being together. For some of us who are not big drinkers, that can be hard. But again, we do it for the community.
At first many of the ministries were working in competition with each other, but by the end we were working together, helping each other.
Until last summer, I was a pastor of a church in Southern California. For most of the thirteen years I was there, we were raising funds to build a new church. Because it is my style and because my Spanish isn’t that good, I usually tried to not be too directive or dictatorial about how we proceeded with anything. We talked things over and moved after discussion. It took more time, but we moved smoothly. Even though they wanted me to make decisions, I wanted to hear them out first. They were very patient with me and I think they were able to see me as someone struggling with issues just like they were. We got the church built after a lot of work, taco sales, raffles, bingo games, dances, etc. At first many of the ministries were working in competition with each other, but by the end we were working together, helping each other. In the end, having a non-directive form of leadership turned out to be a blessing. I’m not a “soft and cuddly” kind of guy but there seem to be a lot of folks there that genuinely miss me after more than a year away. I certainly do appreciate that and I pray for them.
It’s a great thing for a priest to work with a community. We form each other. Sometimes, I have had to be a loving prophet too. That has been painful. But more on that some other time. God bless all who are so faithful to Columban missionaries. May the loving Lord always hold you close to himself.
