December 2012

The Magazine of the Missionary Society of St. Columban December 2012

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The Christmas Gift of Orange Cordial

It was the week before Christmas, and I was visiting the mission station of Lakeba, which is part of the

parish of Labasa on the island of Vanua Levu in Fiji. In this area, there were many Indian sugar cane farmers

who financially lived from one season to the next. When they received their payment for their sugar cane,

they would pay off what they had borrowed from the local store owners during the year. Then they would start all

over again borrowing from the store owner to provide for their families.

I was walking up this dirt road with sugar cane towering on either side of the road

when I met a small Indian girl. She was about nine years old. She wore a simple dress and

had no shoes on, not even flip flops, which are the normal footwear for Fiji. I greeted

her with a friendly hello and asked, “What is your name?” She told me her name was

Vinita. Then she said, “Father could you give me fifty cents? I want to buy some orange

cordial for our Christmas dinner.” I gave her a dollar. She thanked me and went slipping

down the road.

For this little girl, Christmas was having orange cordial

to drink. In their poverty this was the only special treat

the family could afford for their Christmas dinner. As I

continued up the road, I couldn’t help but think how many of my nieces and nephews would not be satisfied with

just orange cordial for their Christmas dinner. They leave each Christmas celebration with more presents than

they can carry. Yet Vinita’s request was extremely simple, fifty cents for orange cordial. How far removed we are

from those who face poverty on a day to day basis.

This is why Jesus chose to be born in a stable in the hills outside of Bethlehem. He wanted to be in solidarity

with the poorest of the poor, little girls like Vinita. The poor

of this world have a special place in the compassion of God.

They are extremely close to the heart of God. They are

always in His love. I believe that afternoon God placed Vinita

in my path to make her Christmas just a little bit more joyful.

As we celebrate Christmas this year, we need to remember

all of the Vinitas in the world. All the children of Fiji,

Pakistan, Peru and those here in the United States living in

our cities whose parents are unemployed or unable to work,

whose Christmas will be very frugal.

Fr. Otto Imholte lives and works in St. Columbans, Nebraska.

www.columban.org December 2012 3

In So Many WordS

By Fr. Otto Imholte

The poor of this world

have a special place

in the compassion

of God.

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4 December 2012 www.columban.org

Recently a Korean clerical colleague and I took a trip through Kangwon Do

circling Chunchon Diocese which criss-crosses the 38 parallel and the infamous demilitarized zone (DMZ). The DMZ is the rigid four kilometer wide border with North Korea which was established in 1953.

On arriving in Chunchon my friend remarked about the Sacred Heart Cathedral standing on the hillock, “What a beautiful sight.” I fully agreed and thought, “How beautiful on the mountainside are the feet of those who bring the Good News,” as the Psalmist wrote centuries ago.

This Church stands as a symbol of suffering and unity, rocked and razed as it was eight times during the 1950s in the Korean war, long before its completion. It bears lasting tribute to the many martyrs who lie at rest under its shade in the priests’ burial plot at its rear. The plot is the final resting place for many Columbans—Bishop Thomas Quinlan, Fr. Tony Collier, Fr. Timothy Leahy, Fr. Patrick Reilly, Fr. James Maginn, Fr. John

From the 38’ to the Yalu and Back

by Fr. Patrick Smyth

Bells Ring Where Canons Roared

Lynch and more recently Bishop Thomas Stewart.

One Columban missionary, Fr. Phil Crosbie, whose footsteps we were about to trace, is laid to rest in his native Melbourne, Australia, although he worked tirelessly and suffered much during his time in Korea. For it was Bishop Quinlan, Fr. Phil Crosbie, Fr. Tony

Collier and Fr. Frank Canavan who witnessed this magnificent church reduced to ruins in June 1950 before being dragged on the “Death March” up along the Yalu River, bordering Manchuria. By the grace of God, two of them survived the torture and inhumane treatment

on the march to tell the story and to help build the Kingdom of God among God’s people.

Next our journey took us to Hongchon County where Fr. Phil Crosbie worked and ministered for more than 60 years, mostly around and along the 38’ in the parish and the many parish outstations. In Hongchon town we heard of the miraculous work Fr. Phil had done and the many, many families he helped in so many ways during the difficult years of the Japanese occupation followed by the even more difficult and destitute years immediately following the Korean war.

Among the countless people Fr. Phil saved from starvation in his war torn parish was the Pai family which had seven family members. The father had just returned from army service with little or no hope of supplying sustenance for the family. The mother was sick and weak. One son, now Fr. Cyriacus Pai of the Chunchon diocese, said about Fr. Phil, “When we were very poor and there was nobody around to help us, Fr. Phil always came to help; when my father was

At dawn we would see this tall

figure dressed in soutane and

Roman collar walking briskly

towards the Church. The bells

would ring out across the town

to call the people to morning

Mass and prayer.

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sick and not strong enough to go to the mountain to make wood fuel for the ondol fire, Fr. Phil came with his Russian truck and dropped off enough fuel for a month. When we were hungry he supplied flour, corn and beans to our village to tide us over the lean spring season when rice ran scarce; in essence he supplied us with food for life and clothed us as well for the very severe cold winter winds, all the while giving us the Bread of Life.”

“As a child with my friends we literally lived and played around the parish church which was Fr. Phil’s pride and joy, a beautiful cut- stone building built and designed by himself. At dawn we would see this tall figure dressed in soutane and Roman collar walking briskly

towards the Church. The bells would ring out across the town to call the people to morning Mass and prayer. My friend and I were soon to become altar servers. It was a great privilege to serve Mass and while not knowing then this same priest was to give me my First Communion and lead me to the altar to serve also in the same priesthood with him, even succeeding him here in the Garden Gethsemane.”

Of his own sufferings during the war and especially the death

Gethsemane

This Church stands as a symbol of suffering and unity, rocked and

razed as it was eight times during the 1950s in the Korean war,

long before its completion.

march, Fr. Phil never spoke very much about it. However, in his book, Pencilling Prisoner, he wrote, “I have returned to begin life again. All this I prize, but I have gained a still greater and more precious freedom. It is the freedom to believe in God and openly profess my faith; and the freedom to tell others who travel with me in life’s marches of the City of God that lies ahead and of Him whose love awaits us, to give our hearts their rest. I hope that those who did not live to share this freedom have


while listening to the beautiful singing that the Korean people do so well. They may even take a small boat on the lake and relive the experience of the Apostles on the Lake of Kinaseret. It usually all culminates with the Celebration of the Eucharist in thanksgiving for it all. Truly, the Kingdom of God is alive among His People and Fr. Phil’s prayers from his home in Heaven are with them still.

After many years in South Korea, Columban Fr. Patrick Smyth now lives in Ireland.


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Fr. Philip Crosbie

already found that rest. And I hope and pray that all of us shall one day be with Him; we who survived and they who did not; captives and captors; their guards, their mystery man, their Tiger. May there be none of us who will not find Him at the end.”(cf. “March till they die” p. 221) And Fr. Phil certainly lived this to the full, embracing all the people he encountered in the counties of Hongchon and Inje and further afield.

Fr. Phil had the dream and vision to found and establish the Prayer House and Retreat Center at “Gethsemane.” No sooner had the Korean Army 3rd Division and the United States Military Advisory Group, known as KMAG numbering some 20,000 soldiers moved east and nearer to the DMZ than Fr. Phil acquired the hilltop property overlooking the Sogang Lake and the 38’. For the ten acre plus site he had the master plan for a place of prayer; first the “Via Dolorosa” of the fourteen stations trailing through the woodland and ending on “Calvary” at the huge cross on the highest spot.

Fr. Phil’s devotion to Mary found expression in the rosary walk trailing through the trees and finally reaching the tall statue of Our Lady looking towards the cross. The Presbytery Convent Chapel and Conference Hall and huge kitchen with parking at the lower level are all wrapped around the entrance. “What a beautiful sight,” as Fr. Cyriacus Pai, now resident priest, first remarked. And so it is, with the Bells of the Angelus ringing out across the 38’, calling the people to prayer. “Everything here is thanks to Fr.

Philip Crosbie and his prayers,” Fr. Cyriacus says in his own humble way, living by organic farming on the plot set apart and worked by the Basic Christian Community working here. “I am only trying to implement what Fr. Phil began,” says Fr. Cyriacus who continues the work in his own wonderful way.

The people come in droves, and on the bigger feast days, especially the feast day of Korean Martyrs, the numbers has exceeded 1,000. They can sit around on the grass, wander through the woods, pray the Rosary or Stations of the Cross

“It is the freedom to believe in God and openly profess my faith;

and the freedom to tell others who travel with me in life’s marches

of the City of God that lies ahead and of Him whose love awaits

us, to give our hearts their rest.”~ Fr. Philip Crosbie

Fr. Pai with a bust of Fr. Crosbie


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It was December 21, 2007 when Joseph and Mary were visiting one of their relatives who

had been hospitalized. Following their visit, as they were leaving the hospital, two women were standing at the main exit. One of them called out for Mary and asked her to come into a corner to talk in private. She hesitated but followed the women to an isolated corner.

The air was still fi lled with doubt about what the women wanted to talk about. They opened a basket to reveal a newborn baby girl whom they wanted to pass on to some couple with no kids. They asked Mary if she knew any family

A Christmas Gift from GodAdopting a Baby Girl by Emmanuel neno as told to columban Fr. Peter woodruff

who would be willing to adopt the baby.

Mary was confused about the reason why they wanted to give the baby away and asked, “Where are her parents?” They said, “My dear sister, what are you going to get out of knowing her parents? Just take a moment to think that if she had her parents, would we be hanging around here in public with her?” That did not clear things up for Mary. The women continued, “We want to give this baby away to some family that can look after her. If no one takes her then we would just have to dump her somewhere.” Mary soon worked her thoughts

into the bottom of all this. She asked the women to wait while she went and spoke to her husband.

Upon discussing things with Joseph, they both started pondering about how to deal with the situation at hand. Joseph recalled that a young couple that he knew was having diffi culty conceiving. Hoping that they might want to adopt the baby, he gave them a call and told them the good news. But he was soon disappointed with their reply that they didn’t want to raise someone else’s baby. He kept trying other people in his phone book, but no one agreed to the idea of adopting a baby that was


Yet, people still expressed their concerns about the child. They told Joseph and Mary that she was too young, and when she grows up, her education and marriage will be a heavy burden. Joseph and Mary put their feet down and insisted upon their decision. They said, “Education and marriage will be a responsibility later. For now, the child does not have those needs. Our responsibility at the moment is to look after her and give her the love she needs. The rest we leave to God’s providence.”

The above is a true story, and the true identity of Mary and Joseph are Emmanuel Neno (left) and his wife. Columban Fr. Peter Woodruff interviewed Emmanuel in Lahore, Pakistan.


When a brother of a Columban priest who was visiting Chicago,

Illinois, a few years ago asked me what particular challenges I faced in mentoring Columban seminarians, I responded that since all of our young men had come from other countries I wanted to help them make friends, learn more about the way of life of this country, and practice English conversation with native speakers. He quickly reassured me that such things were possible through the help of Serra


No Greater GiftA Family for Christmas

by Fr. Timothy mulroy

Club, of which he was a member in another state.

Since I had only a vague knowledge about the Serra Club, I looked it up online and learned that it has as its apostolate the fostering and promotion of vocations to religious life within the Catholic Church. There and then I wrote a letter asking if some members in the Chicago area would consider inviting Columban seminarians to their homes for Thanksgiving two months later. Knowing the limitations that

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not from their own blood. Joseph and Mary were deeply puzzled about what to do. They wondered whether they should walk past this situation like the priest and the Levite or be the good Samaritan and help the women out. The situation was testing Joseph and Mary’s faith. While the clock kept ticking, they were lost deep in thought about what they could do. The hospital had a canal running by its side; they were afraid that the women might put the baby in the canal.

Joseph and Mary decided that they would take the baby home and as soon as they could find someone to adopt her, they would pass her on. It was bitterly cold outside and there was nothing to wrap the baby in. Joseph went to the market to buy a blanket, but due to Muslim Eid, the shops were closed. He came back empty handed. He asked his wife to take off her long scarf

and wrap it around the baby. And so, they took the baby home.

Three days passed, and the baby was still with Joseph and Mary. Visitors to their home would ask questions about her and offered unsolicited suggestions about the baby’s future. The newborn was lying in Mary’s lap looking up at her. It seemed as if she was carefully listening to the conversation about her future. Joseph and Mary looked down at the baby’s face that showed her innocence and anxiousness. They felt as if her eyes were questioning them, asking “Does this house have no place for me?” Since it was Christmas time, they decided that they would take the baby as a Christmas gift from God and keep her. If anyone were to ask about her, Joseph and Mary decided that they would tell them that the baby was their own and part of the family.

voluntary organizations face, I wasn’t surprised not to receive a response, even though I did feel some disappointment. However, a year later, just after the beginning of the academic year, I decided to contact Serra Club again with the same request. This second letter


Henry and Salustino have fond memories of learning to bake all sorts of Christmas treats under Joanne’s guidance. However, Salustino quickly adds, “Of course, the biggest treat of all was the patience and kindness they showered on me as I struggled to communicate in English.” The seminarians found that the frustration and stress that they had endured during the previous nine months of language studies began to melt away beneath the warm glow of Christmas festivities with their new-found family. Conversation and laughter, wine and music helped to thaw those parts of their hearts that had become frozen with the loneliness, insecurity and anxiety they had experienced as migrants in this country. “After nine months of struggle to find myself in this strange country, I felt my spirit was reborn during my stay with George and Joanne,” recalls Henry.

Coming to a strange country, learning a new language and adapting to a different way of life demands a kind of rebirth for both migrants and missionaries. As in the case of the birth of a baby, having caring parents who are ready to share their life with a new arrival in a foreign land enables a new life to blossom. “George and Joanne treated me like a son. Thanks to them I could experience and learn so much about life in this country,” Gonzalo now confidently states. He knows that there was no greater gift that he could have received that Christmas than the joy of belonging in the Carr family. And that the Serra Club was in fact Santa, who faithfully delivered such a delightful present!

Columban Fr. Timothy Mulroy lives and works in the United States.


will prompt a response, I reasoned, but though I waited expectantly, one never came. Still, when the next academic year came around I made up my mind to try one more time – maybe the third time I’ll be lucky! However, just before I put pen to paper I received an unexpected phone call from Ron Beaumont, who was the chairman at that time of the Serra Club of DuPage County, Illinois.

He hadn’t read my letters of the previous years, but as I listened to him it felt that he had read my mind! A member of the club had read an article that I wrote in this magazine about my ministry with Columban seminarians, which prompted the club to invite me to speak at their next monthly meeting about the vocation of a Columban missionary. A few weeks later I had the privilege of addressing about sixty members over evening meal in the hall of St. Petronille Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, outside Chicago. During the course of the evening I chatted with several members, the last of whom greeted me as I was on my way to the car park.

Some weeks later, after we had settled into the new academic year, I began planning for the students’ winter vacation and decided to ask Ron Beaumont if any member of the club would be willing to accept a seminarian into their home for two weeks. Soon afterwards I received an email from George Carr, who introduced himself as the man who had met me as I was heading for the car park. Some time later George and his wife Joanne visited the Columban International Seminary and met the seminarians from various countries.

Since then George and Joanne have opened their home and their hearts to several Columban seminarians, among them being Gonzalo Borquez Dias from Chile, and Henry Servan Vallejos and Salustino Villalobos Mondragon from Peru.

“Spending Christmas with George and Joanne, and meeting their family and friends, made me feel like I was receiving a bundle of gifts,” recalls Gonzalo. “Because they shared freely their daily life with me, I quickly felt like I was a member of their family.”

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WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG December 2012 11

Ordination AnnouncementThe Missionary Society of St. Columban is pleased to announce the ordination of Fr. Taaermon Matauea who

was ordained on August 9, 2012, on the island of Rabi, Fiji.A large shed was built for the ordination, and ominous clouds gave way to brilliant sunshine as the Archbishop

of Suva ordained Taaermon. Hymns were sung in i-Kiribati, Fijian, Hindi and Spanish, a refl ection of Taaermon’s missionary journey to date. Celebrations only came to an end when the diesel generator had to be turned off at 1 a.m. to preserve fuel!

Fr. Taaermon returns to mission in Taiwan in February 2013.

December 2012 11

Fr. Taaermon returns to mission in Taiwan in February 2013.

Ordination AnnouncementThe Missionary Society of St. Columban is pleased to announce the ordination of Fr. Taaermon Matauea who


12 December 2012 WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG

While stories about fl ight delays in the lead up to Christmas

differ in the details, they generally have the familiar ingredients of disappointment and frustration because of a forced change of plans. However, it is possible that such unexpected delays might also present one with an opportunity for a welcome encounter, as happened to me on one occasion.

I was at the airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on my way back to Chicago, Illinois, after having spent a month learning Spanish. Feeling relieved that I had made it to the airport on time through heavy and chaotic traffi c, I sat there reading a novel, only vaguely conscious of the stream of public announcements and the crowds milling around me. At some point, however, when I looked around I realized that most of the people had moved off, leaving me sitting there quite alone. However, just as I began wondering what to do, a woman who was moving off also, turned and came toward me. After inquiring if I was going to Chicago, she proceeded to tell me that there had been an announcement of a delay to our fl ight as well as a change of departure gate. I thanked her, picked up my hand luggage, and then we headed off together to another section of the airport terminal.

As we walked along our conversation revolved around

Going According to Plan May Involve a Delay!A Welcome Surprise

By Fr. Timothy Mulroy

the usual topics among travelers at airports. I learned that her name was Carol and that she was returning to Chicago with her husband, Harold, and one of her grandsons, Peter, after having visited an orphanage outside Cuernavaca City. Coincidentally, I had visited the same orphanage with my classmates the previous week, as an extra-curricular activity of the language school. There was no need to tell her where I was from since she picked up on my Irish accent right away, but I did tell I her that I was a Columban missionary priest living and working with seminarians

in Chicago. She admitted that she had never heard about the Columbans, but she shared with me her support of seminarians from other countries who live and study in Chicago in preparation for becoming diocesan priests in the U.S. church. At this point in our conversation we had reached the departure gate for our fl ight, and she moved off to connect with her husband and grandson.

After fi nding my seat on the plane I settled into my novel again. Then Carol came down the aisle and stopped next to me; unbelievably, we were seated next to one another. As we traveled back together to Chicago, we continued our conversation about many things. Given her devotion to her Catholic faith and her support for seminarians from other countries, she told me how her husband was greatly amused when she related to him that the stranger she had talked to was a missionary priest. I told her how the seminarians I lived with were from various countries – Chile, Fiji, Korea, Peru and the Philippines – and how they came to the U.S. in order to learn English and then study for a degree in theology at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. We talked about the challenges faced by seminarians from other parts of the world who were living in the U.S.—coping with loneliness and homesickness, desiring to be accepted into a family and form new friendships, Carol and Columban seminarian Rafael


inconvenience as I grapple with the unexpected. However, as I wait wearily at a train station, or trudge from one gate to another at an airport, I might also be blessed with the welcome surprise of encountering new friends like Carol and Harold who open their heart and their home to me and my Columban family.

(Both Euikyun and Rafael, as well as several other Columban seminarians who stayed with the Davis’ family, have left Chicago. Euikyun is presently in Fiji, living and working as a seminarian alongside experienced Columban missionaries there. Rafael is studying in his home country of Chile as he continues his path toward missionary priesthood.)

Columban Fr. Timothy Mulroy lives and works in the United States.

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wanting to practice English with native speakers and learn about their everyday life. Before disembarking in Chicago, we exchanged email addresses and phone numbers with the promise to continue our conversation.

Over the next year we exchanged an occasional email and phone call. Then, one fall day as I was thinking about how two of our seminarians might spend their long winter vacation, I began to wonder if I could engage Carol and Harold in some way. I decided to ask them if they would consider taking these two seminarians into their home for two weeks. They responded enthusiastically to my request, and over the next few years opened their home and welcomed several of our seminarians into their family.

Among those seminarians were Euikyun Jung from South Korea and Rafael Ramirez from Chile. Both young men have fond memories of the welcome and the warmth they received from the Davis’ family that made them feel as if they had found a home away from home. “Carol and Harold were very patient with me as I struggled to converse with them in English. They became like a Mom and Dad to me” recalls Euikyun. Both students found that Carol and Harold were interested in learning about their countries of origin, their vocations as Columban seminarians, and their families. Experiencing ordinary, everyday

life with the Davis family enabled them to improve their English conversation skills and gain a better understanding of family life in this country. Rafael recalls the fun he had in the lead up to Christmas, especially the two days he spent helping Harold to decorate both the inside and the outside of their home, “Working side by side to bring the Christmas spirit alive drew us close to each other. I can’t forget how hard I laughed at the funny stories he shared about his experiences.” Helping Harold and Carol with the Christmas preparations made Rafael marvel also at the deep faith, love and joy that they as husband and wife shared with their extended family, neighbors and friends.

This Christmas, as I set out to join friends I’m hoping that my faith, love and joy will be deepened during our celebrations together. However, it may also happen that I will encounter disruptions to my plans. Like those travelers on that fi rst Christmas night, I might face great uncertainty and

Carol, Harold and family



One of our mission regions that I had promised myself to visit for years

was Myanmar, Burma as it was called when I was young. When the Columban Sisters were newly assigned there from Korea over ten years ago I promised them I would visit them in a few years—“it’s only down the road a few hours from Seoul by plane, be sure to come. A promise made is a debt unpaid...”

Unless I slot in a schedule in my diary a few months before hand it doesn’t happen. So I decided to make the trip to Myanmar after Christmas. “Take at least ten days to two weeks if you want to visit everybody and see their work places,” I was told. January and February are the best months because of the cooler weather. With pressure of work and the difficulty of email connections at times with Myanmar, I left things late.

Because it was the end of the year the migrant workers from Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar were returning home, and I was on a waiting list for a ticket for a week. The Embassy would not issue a visa until a week before leaving which caused anxiety until I had both the ticket and visa in my hand. In the end there was no problem, and both the travel agency and Embassy were very obliging.

The Sisters in Myanmar advised me on the route to take, where to stay with Myanmar priests and the best way to travel. Two of our lay missionaries and a Myanmar

Mission in MyanmarA Post-Christmas Visit

by Fr. Sean conneely

priest welcomed me at the airport. I spent a day in Yangon and visited their beautiful golden Shwedagon Pagoda Temple where thousands of people walked around bare footed in the courtyard bowing, praying and giving homage to various statues of the Buddha.

This is surely a Buddhist country, and the Buddhist culture was obvious. The Temple is an international tourist attraction. In contrast very few were praying at the time, mid-afternoon, in the Catholic Cathedral nearby, but their services were in the early morning.

The next day, I flew to Mandalay to visit Fr. Neil and two Columban Sisters. I was impressed by Fr. Neil’s involvement with the poor of the city as well as his involvement in teaching in the seminary and running a boarding school of higher education for teenagers who never got the chance to go to school beyond primary school. His support, encouragement and guidance to a young couple in a really poor slum area was edifying. In their two room wicker bamboo house, they provide a corner for teaching basics to young kids. When the house is full, they run a school on the street outside— all for free. Such dedication!

On New Year’s Eve, we were invited to a meal and party by a family friend of Fr. Neil who runs a one year boarding school finishing course for 500 youths that they provide 50% of the tuition. The

food was magnificent, but we had to leave as the disco dancing started to have midnight Mass with the seminarians. We then partied with the students until 3:30 a.m.

Srs. Cathleen Murphy and Teresa Kim showed me around to their missionary workplaces and over the next few days, I was introduced to Buddhist monasteries and a school where the Sisters are involved in interreligious dialogue and teaching English. I was invited to teach a 90 minute English class. Some of the students spoke very good English. One of the most interesting parts of the class was discussing various issues and subjects with the Buddhist monks before, during and after the class.

Sr. Margaret then brought me to a one room class hall where young people whom she sponsors were practicing their music. It was voice training day, and they performed a few local choral pieces in harmony for us that were magnificent. It brought tears from my eyes, though I could not understand a word.

The little house the Sisters are staying in seems to be the local gathering place for people


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passing through especially from the Katchin area up north. Archbishop Paul Gwang was a regular visitor most nights, and with his quiet soft spoken manner and casual dress, he seemed to be the local granddad for all there.

The local priests were most welcoming and one of them Fr. George brought us to his local village, an old Catholic farming village deep in the countryside where he and Fr. Neil sponsor a little orphanage for the poor, abandoned kids who sang Christmas carols for us.

I next went to Myitkyina and stayed in the Diocesan Center with the Bishop and priests where there was great welcome and hospitality. All priests and the Bishop were more Columban than the Columbans themselves since all of the older priests were baptized by and sent to the seminary by Columbans. Most of the younger priests grew up in parishes that were set up by Columbans. Most of the buildings around us were built or sponsored by the Columbans. In all my years I never heard such respect and praise of any missionaries as I heard from them

about the Columbans. Many of the priests were in for a day’s reflection and retreat. Some had traveled in old jeeps up to ten hours from mountain villages. Some had to take a detour to avoid army check points and avoid roads that may be mined by either the government or the Katchin army.

They sat around the table after meals sharing stories, and because I was there, memories and yarns about “The Columban Days of Old,” before the Columbans had to leave because of new government policy for foreigners in the 1960s and 1970s.

The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, but an air of anxiety, fear, and anger was underneath as they related the ongoing war between the Katchin Army and the constant attacks on the villages by the government army. Some expressed a lack of hope for the future—some villages were burned down, crops set afire, women raped, many women and children left home for the refugee camps near the cities and across the border to China and Thailand. Bishop Philip of Lasio told me many of the young Katchins were losing hope

and were immigrating to Thailand, Singapore and Malasyia in order to have a better life.

Before I left there was talk of peace. International emissaries were putting pressure on the government to sit down and negotiate with the Katchin people. The Katchin lands are rich in gold, jade, teak and many other minerals. The Myanmar government and army need it to finance their war and to run the country. The Katchins think they are being deprived of their lands and not given a fair chance to negotiate about their demands at the table.

It has been a long on-going struggle for years and as often happens in such cases those with the power are controlling the issues and solutions to suit their plans. There is no easy answer, and the Katchins at the time of my visit were afraid of mass genocide of their people.

At the entrance to the diocesan compound stands the Cathedral of St. Columban. The Church gets fairly full for the daily 6:30 a.m. Mass and on Sunday the Church was full for the three Masses. As I walked down the road on my left


vibrant Mass sung all the way through by the choir and all those present. The Church was filled to the brim with three rows of people sitting up in front of the altar rails. The Archbishop was eager to introduce me to the people as a Columban priest. I was asked to say a few words, and the Archbishop translated. I thanked them for their help to the Columbans of old and their care and interest in our lives and work always.

I took the afternoon off to reflect on my visit. I felt sad I could not get to Banwah/Bhamo, the next Diocese where the Columbans started mission work first in 1936, because of the ongoing conflict.

I recalled my own memory of Bishop Howe, Paddy Connealy, Jim Cloonan, Kieran Collier and others who have gone to their eternal rest, and Colm Murphy, Owen O’Leary, Davy Wall, Bob O’Rourke and Mick Healy who are still with us.

To have seen and visited some of the places where they worked, met people who knew them, heard words of praise about them makes their lives and persons more meaningful and personal to me.

Burma is no longer a far away place, a dream land. It is a place I visited and walked the land if only for a few weeks. But as I leave, I carry not just the memory of Burma and the Columbans who worked there but their energy, faith and enthusiasm to return to Korea to do whatever God calls me to do.

Columban Fr. Sean Conneely lives and works in South Korea.


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was the boarding school set up and run by the Columban Sisters in the 1960s. It was taken over by the government, and it is still run by them. Behind the school the old convent still stands and is used as part of the school these days. In the back of the compound the old minor seminary set up by the Columbans still stands and is staffed by diocesan priests. The building looks run down from use, lack of repairs and the very hot, humid and rainy weather of the summer season can play havoc with the upkeep of any building.

The Columban Sisters are staying in a house on the outskirts of town and are involved in various ministries. Sr. Mary Dillon’s project for AIDS patients must be as good as you can get anywhere. With little material, a big heart, and more energy than a 20 year old she runs the center, spotlessly clean, co-operation all around, recovering patients doing some of the work, some with full time work, the place is humming. Sr. Mary visits homes in a wide area and knows every house with a patient, their name and their history. To add to her work now, people are crowding in to the refugee camps nearby. She is ably assisted by Lucy, a local nurse and social worker.

Sr. Susanna Choi in her health care program was busy preparing her workers to visit the refugee camps to help in whatever way

they could be needed. Her post-Christmas Health Care program for the hill country villages had to be cancelled because of the ongoing strife in the hills.

When we visited Sr. Ashweenah in the Youth Center they had a youth leaders training and planning program going on. These leaders would later go out to the various parishes and barrios to run programs for various youth groups. Later on they were to have youth retreats and seminars in the youth center.

On the Saturday before I left Fr. Peter Aung brought me to visit the graves of the Columban Sisters and Fathers who died in Burma.

Sr. Celestine was only 29 years old, just a few years in the country, when she died from cerebral malaria. Fourteen French missionaries died of malaria in the late 1800s. It was so serious at that time that the French had to close down their work in the area. It must have been quite a shock and a blow for the Sisters at the time, only starting off on a new mission to lose one of their pioneering Sisters.

Fr. John Walsh was killed on the side of the road as he was returning on his motorbike from a mission station in 1964. No one was ever accused of the murder, but the locals say they know who did it.

On Sunday Archbishop Francis invited me to concelebrate Mass with him. It was a beautiful and


At this special time of year, we are often reminded that the Gospel calls us to give to others. Christ reminds us in an often printed verse that God knows giving very well…

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)

The story of Christ’s birth is the ultimate story of sacrifi ce and giving to others. The Columban Fathers have dedicated their entire lives to mission around the world, crossing boundaries of nations, language and culture to establish the Catholic Church among people who have not heard the Good News of the Gospel. Columban Fathers live in solidarity with the poorest of

our brothers and sisters, helping them with their earthly lives and preparing them for their lives in God’s Kingdom.

The Columban Fathers cannot complete the very important work of sharing the Gospel, fi ghting poverty, advocating for the marginalized, and protecting our earth without your help.

This Christmas, please refl ect on what God has called us all to do through the special gift of Christ Himself and consider this invitation to mission by making a personal gift to the Missionary Society of St. Columban. Please know that we are deeply grateful for your generosity and partnership.

You may use the envelope in this magazine to make your gift or visit us online to make a donation at www.columban.org.

For information regarding membership in our Legacy Society, obtaining our legal title or for a handy booklet on how to prepare a will, please contact Fr. Michael Dodd at:

The Columban FathersP.O. Box 10St. Columbans, NE 68056

Phone: (402) 291-1290Fax: (402) 291-4984Toll free: (877) 299-1920

www.columban.org • [email protected]

WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG December 2012 17

We All Share in the Best Christmas Gift Ever!



Gertrudes C. Samson, a Filipina lay missionary based in Birmingham, United Kingdom, shares her experience of a “Recycled Craft” Session with asylum seekers and refugees. The session which was offered as part of a holiday program at St. Chad Sanctuary as an opportunity to integrate creative work with simple advocacy for the Integrity of Creation.

Recently I had an opportunity to share about craft making with

a group of asylum seekers at my ministry in St. Chad’s Sanctuary. When our manager, Sr. Margaret Walsh, asked me if I would like to lead a craft session, I responded with a resounding “yes,” since I enjoy craft work. But another message was clear to me – we were on a tight budget. So I decided to do a “Recycled Craft” session. As a Columban lay missionary, it was also an opportunity for me to advocate for the integrity of creation dimension of our justice and peace mission.

At the recent annual Justice and Peace Network Conference in Swanwick, I found two cloth bags at the Fair Trade Exhibit with prints that captured the simple messages I wanted to use as introduction to my “Recycled Craft” session, so I bought them. One of the cloth bags carried the message, “Recycling is Fun,” with a picture conveying the importance

United through the Gift of ArtIntegrating Advocacy

by gertrudes c. Samson

of segregating our waste into different categories so it would still be useful. The message of the other bag was a complaint. It carried the picture of one of the fish in the ocean saying “PLASTIC BAGS – Plastic bags on the shore, plastic bags on my door, plastic bags in the sea, plastic bags – THEY HURT ME!” Though the English language skills of my participants are limited, with the help of the two cloth bags, and a little additional explanation, I think I got the message across as I saw them nodding their heads.

I believe that craft making is fun, it is a great hobby, and it can

also keep the mind rested and from thinking about problems. As I experienced in our session, it is also a good bonding activity and an opportunity for people to talk while doing it. People smile as they are making things and when they realize that they have artistic talent.

The session also touched my heart, as I heard one of my participants saying, “Thank you God for my new knowledge.” I felt blessed to hear that. In addition, homemade crafts could give people

the opportunity for extra income if they sell items, and it could also save them money as they wouldn’t need to buy gifts. It could also put smiles on the faces of people who would receive the items as gifts, knowing that they are personally made with love. As one of my participants said, “I will bring it home to my wife; she wanted to attend too, but she got sick.” Then he asked me to help him cut letters N and R to stick to the two crafts he made. He said it was the initials of their first names. I am sure his wife was happy to receive what he had made.

Sometimes people resist trying craft making, thinking that it might cost a lot to buy the materials. But then if we use recycled materials, the cost would be very minimal, and at the same time we are helping in the preservation of the integrity of creation through the reduction of waste being dumped in the environment. In the craft session I led, attended by six people, I spent less than $3.00. And there are still around 75 percent of those materials left for a possible repeat session in the

As a Columban lay missionary, it was also an opportunity for me to advocate for the integrity of creation dimension of our justice and peace mission.


and justice. Hopefully, groups of asylum seekers and refugees will experience a glimpse of justice and peace here. And when the time comes that they will be able to return to their own country, they can share and spread that experience of peace and justice too, even in the midst of diversity. These are like small ripples in the ocean that will hopefully create a big tide someday.

Columban lay missionary Gertrudes C. Samson lives and works in the United Kingdom.

www.columban.org December 2012 1918 December 2012 www.columban.org

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future. What did I buy? Only a pack of 20 pipe cleaners and a small roll of double sided tape. All the rest were recycled materials such as plastic cover caps (from liquid laundry soap, shampoo, spray cans, vitamins containers, etc.), empty cleaned plastic milk containers, used cleaned plastic bags, used Christmas crackers, used ribbons from cakes and former gifts, cardboard from boxes of cereals, plus some other materials and simple tools that are usually found in our homes.

Most of my ministry in Birmingham involves work with asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants. As I journey with these people, who are people in need in this first world country, I realize

that most of them are victims of war, violence, and injustice from various countries in different parts of the world. Being given asylum is a human right, according to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. For me, it is part of giving them justice so that they enjoy that human right to seek asylum after all the traumatic experiences they have been through. What we are trying to do here also is to make them feel at peace in this new found country which is now their home.

I believe that everything that we do here in England as lay missionaries, no matter how simple or small it might be – like leading a “Recycled Craft” session – is a contribution towards world peace



Christmas in Japan has caused me to dive into depths of pondering into

which I would never have plunged had I not left my own culture. A Japanese Christmas is so “Jingle Bells” and “Santa Claus!” Many would not even connect the festivities with Christ. My first reaction as a young priest was to become critical of the gross commercialization. In reaction to it, I emphasized a spiritual Christmas.

But just a minute! This is where I started to ponder. This is when, I feel, a spot of wisdom came with age. There is no such thing as a purely spiritual Christmas. Our God took on real human flesh. He did not become a pure spirit angel. The birth of Jesus in a drafty stable is not a purely spiritual event. That is the meaning of John 1:14, “The word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” In Japanese, the word for “flesh” is “niku,” which is the common word for meat. Now that is thought provoking!

In the third century, the Gnostics said that the spirit and soul are good, but the body and material things are bad. Threads of this insidious heresy were revived in 18th century Jansenism, traces of which still persist today. We should not belittle the body and material things as if they distract us from the spiritual. On the contrary, the material is the normal gateway to the spirit. The Incarnation means that we humans meet God through the human Jesus. His human heart shows us divine love.

Christmas in JapanA New Meaning

by Fr. barry cairns

Jesus came for the whole human person. Christmas shows us that there is a mysterious but real unity between the human and the divine, between the spiritual and the secular, between the body and the soul. So let us rejoice in our humanity and in the material. That is the hidden message of Christmas.

I live in Yokohama, a city of 3.7 million people. Even in the suburbs, private houses are bedecked with blinking colored lights at Christmas. Santa Claus is everywhere too. For example, a half-marathon is run by all wearing red hats! Railing against the

absence of Christ in Christmas gets us nowhere. I can’t beat them, so I join them! I too have lights around the Church, but they surround a life-size crib for the manger scene. After our Christmas Masses, I take off the vestments and don a Santa Claus outfit! From October, my white beard is untrimmed and is at genuine Santa length by December 25. Crowds of children from the local kindergartens and grade schools line up and receive a small gift from Santa Claus Barry Cairns! I tell them about the real Saint Nicholas who was noted for his kindness. I ask the children to

do one act of kindness to others. Kindness is essential to Christmas.

I see the surface celebration of Christmas a modern expression of “there was no room at the inn.” Two thousand years ago, people did not receive Jesus, but still He came. He still comes today. We know the true meaning of Christmas, so let us prepare a manger for him in the stable of our hearts. And let us really share with others the material joys of Christmas. Our warmth can transmit the true message of Christmas to the world.

Fr. Barry Cairns lives and works in Japan.

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Two thousand years ago, people did not receive Jesus, but still He came. He still comes today.


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If their statistics are anything to go by it would seem that an amazing number of people

read magazines devoted to the cult of celebrities. Who’s in and who’s out. What they wear. Their fabulous houses. Their dietary habits. Their lifestyle and their achievements—if any. A plethora of glossy high definition photos add to the glamour. The beautiful people strut across the pages and feed the dreams, or evoke the envy, of lesser mortals. If you want to know who is considered important in our world today look no further than the latest issues of these expensive productions.

If people around the time of Jesus’ birth had been asked who was the most important person in their world they would most probably have named Caesar Augustus. Indeed this Roman emperor was a great man who had successfully battled through the civil wars and the turmoil that followed the assassination of his great-uncle Julius Caesar. An able administrator, he ruled the empire with a firm hand and brought a measure of peace. He was a weighty celebrity in his time and no doubt most would have considered him the most important person in the world.

But, they would have been wrong. Amazingly, the most important person alive at that time was a young woman living in an unremarkable town who had come to Bethlehem on the orders of the great emperor Augustus to be enrolled in the census with her

Truly Important PeopleSeeing Beyond the Surface

by Sr. redempta Twomey

husband. She was about to give birth in circumstances far removed from the luxury and grandeur of the imperial throne. Her child was born in a stable because, “there was no room for them at the inn.” The great Roman empire would decline and fall in a few hundred years, but this woman’s child, born in such poverty, would have a Kingdom that would last forever.

What story do we listen to today? The public celebrity headline grabber or the hidden spiritual story of the little ones? Christmas is an invitation to recognize God’s hidden presence in our world. Mary’s faith and her humility enabled her to see beyond the surface and to welcome the Son of God in those poor surroundings. Faith gives us that inner eye so that we can see more clearly and focus our energies on what is real. The closer we are to the Lord the clearer our vision, the less chance there is of us being taken in or seduced by the passing attractions of our time.

The real celebrities of our day never appear in up-market magazines. They are people like Mary, who intuit the presence of God even in the most adverse circumstances. People who welcome those who come their way and reach out in love and compassion to people in need. People who are grateful and who, believing themselves to be greatly loved, commit themselves to help others to be their best selves. Christmas is their special celebration, the Crib their true home as they kneel in love and adoration before the Child.

Let us spend time with Mary, this gentle woman, at Christmas. With her let us ponder on this great mystery and rejoice greatly in the inexpressible love of God come to us in Jesus. And, with her, let us then reach out and serve others with love and kindness.

Sr. Redempta Twomey lives and works in Ireland.


22 December 2012 WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG

Utterly central to our faith, the Eucharist gets fi ve linesrepeated, but not so in John.Only one of the three defi ne the cup He chose to reach out for:the cup of Elijah, the cup reserved,untouchably so in the Paschal meal,“the” Messiah´s cup, and He picked it up Lk. 22:19and said: This in mine !This is me ! This is who I am, what I am !This is why I came ! A gesture that, had they understood,blew the apostles out of the mists.A gesture way too much to cope with or to make sense of that side of the resurrection.Bread for all ! And this in recognition ofour need of Him in our lives,not as saints, but as the sinners we are.

Columban Fr. Leo Donnelly lives and works in Peru.

&Christmas

Eucharist


For the past six years in my ministry as the Director of the U.S. Region of Columban missionaries, I have been blessed to see

the abundance of God’s grace. My ministry has brought me to every corner of the U.S., and in all places I have been met with generous and faithful Columban friends and supporters who share with us in God’s mission. I am grateful for the many sacrifices made in His name so that we may respond to the needs of our time.

In September of this year the Society held our 13th General Assembly in Los Angeles, California. It was a blessed gathering where as a Society we discerned the voice of the Spirit, articulating our vision and leadership for the next six years. We believe that we are being called to communion, to be in relationships that cross boundaries and to reveal the face of God in the other.

I have been invited by the Society to serve on our General Council as the

From the Director

By Fr. Arturo Aguilar

Vicar General for the next six years. I see this new ministry as an opportunity to continue to serve the Society in much the same way that I have served the U.S. Region. That is, in a spirit of collaboration, to seek ways to build relationships and to invite others to join us in mission.

I want to thank you for the many ways we have journeyed together over these past six years, and I ask for your continued support and prayers. Soon you will be introduced to the new U.S. Regional Director, and I am confident that you will welcome him with the same love and generosity you have shared with me.

With God, all things are possible. In closing, I share with you an excerpt of a

popular song which is sung during the month of December and the festivities of Our Lady of Guadalupe which has marked my mission spirituality of hope.

Adios, oh Virgen madre querida. Eres mi encanto, eres mi vida. Dulce esperanza,

Dulce esperanza, en mi dolor. Adios, oh Madre, la mas amable. Aqui te dejo mi Corazon. Adios oh Virgen incomparable Dame, Senora, dame, senora tu bendicion.

Farewell, oh mother Virgin. You are my delight, you are my life. You are my sweet hope, You are my sweet hope in my struggles and my strife.

Farewell oh beloved Mother. I give you my heart.Farewell oh Virgin beyond compare Bless me, Our Lady, Bless me. I invite you to reflect on the ways your cultural

roots have shaped your faith and how mission invites us to find God both in our own cultural heritage and in the experience of Christ revealed in others. Our journey of hope continues together. May this Christmas season bring you and your loved ones the joy of Jesus’ birth, a birth which reveals that with God all things are possible.

God bless.


Columban Fathers

Po box 10st. Columbans, ne 68056

NON PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE PAID

COLUMBANFATHERS

We invite you to join this new generation by becoming a Columban Father or Columban Sister.

If you are interested in the missionary priesthood, write or call…

Fr. Bill MortonNational Vocation Director

Columban FathersSt. Columbans, NE 68056

877-299-1920Email: [email protected]

Website: www.columban.org

If you are interested in becoming a Columban Sister, write or call…

Sister Virginia MozoNational Vocation Director

Columban Sisters 2546 Lake Road

Silver Creek, NY 14136626-458-1869

Email: [email protected]: www.columbansisters.org

www.columbansistersusa.com

Japan + Korea + Peru + Hong Kong + Philippines + Pakistan + Chile + Fiji + Taiwan + North America

An Invitation Calls for a ResponseWe are but clay, formed and fashioned by the hand of God.

That is to say, we are weak and vulnerable but with God’s grace we are capable of great generosity and idealism.

Is God calling you to spread the good news? To a life of ministry among those who are less fortunate and more vulnerable than you are?

Always we give thanks for you

As you finalize your charitable contributions for 2012, we ask you to renew your partnership with us today. We pledge to use your gift wisely in our work with the poor and marginalized in mission lands.

In gratitude for all you do, Columban priests will remember our benefactors in special Masses throughout this Christmas season. Thank you!

Missionary Society of St. ColumbanP.O. Box 10 St. Columbans, NE 68056Toll Free: 877.299.1920E-mail: [email protected]/donate


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