During this time of the virus so many are suffering
in so many different ways.
Lord, I am tempted to wonder if you are really
listening to my pleas and prayers.
Then I realize that you are so firmly present
in my life that you always offer me
your joy and peace if I am listening.
Yes it is tough to wait and wonder.
Yes it is tough to persevere.
February 4, 2021
February 3, 2021
O glorious Saint Blaise,
who by your martyrdom
has left to the Church
a precious witness to the faith,
obtain for us the grace to
preserve within ourselves this divine gift,
and to defend, the truth of that same faith,
which is so wickedly attacked
and slandered in these our times.
You miraculously cured a little child
February 2, 2021
All-powerful Father,
Christ your Son became man for us
and was presented in the temple.
May he free our hearts from sin
and bring us into your presence.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
February 1, 2021
On April 25, 1921 St., Mary’s Catholic Church, Bellevue, Nebraska, was established as a parish by Archbishop Jeremiah J. Harty Bishop of Omaha. Three years later, in March 1927, Bishop Beckman of the Omaha Diocese “committed the parish to the direction of the Columban Fathers.” Rev. E. J. McCarthy, rector of the St. Columban’s Mission Society, was appointed pastor of what was then called St.
February 1, 2021
The Columban Missionary Society which was originally founded for mission in China finally ordained its first Chinese Columban at the beginning of 2020. This was a truly significant event and a moment of special blessing for the Society that had just wrapped up its centenary celebrations.
February 1, 2021
Resilience and Hope
This video production by Preda Foundation shows the life and recovery of the teenagers who were rescued from human traffickers and the horrors of abuse and sexual exploitation. They live in a happy, therapeutic community having fun and discover their dignity and grow in self-confidence with resilience and hope for a better, happier life.
February 1, 2021
In 1970 I was a theology student at our Columban seminary in Ireland and worked in our book store. I was one of the shop assistants, and one afternoon Bishop John Howe came and asked me to send some theology books every three months to a Paul Grawng in Myitkyina. That was 51 years ago and the first time I heard the name of Fr. Paul Grawng.
February 1, 2021
O Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church,
to you we entrust our life.
We are your children
and in your hands we place all our needs.
To you, Virgin of Nazareth,
we humbly offer our desire to follow Jesus
on the path of love with fidelity and perseverance,
so that we may serve Him
with an undivided and generous heart.
February 1, 2021
I suspect that in future years rather than BC and AD we will have BC and PC (Before-COVID and Post- COVID) as this “experience” has had immense effects on all aspects of our lives. To be honest, living in Jeju (Jeju Island is the largest island in South Korea, located in the Jeju Province) has meant that I have had to put up with little disruption of my daily life.
January 31, 2021
Sometimes Lord I simply get tired of waiting
for things to get back to normal.
How long more?
Then I remember the well-known plea
in the words of psalm 13.
How long O Lord?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
The Columbans are a society of missionaries, including priests and lay people, who minister to people of various cultures as a way of witnessing to the universal love of God.