It was a personal joy for me to attend the ordination of Pat Roland Visanti in Suva on St. Columban's Day 2017. It coincided with the opening of the Society's Centennial Year.
July 9, 2018
Blood of Jesus, inebriate me!
O Jesus, my Beloved Savior,
ever present in the Tabernacle,
to be the strength,
the joy and the food of souls,
I come to consecrate myself to Your Precious Blood,
and to pledge You my sincere love and fidelity.
Pierced with sorrow at the remembrance of Your sufferings,
the contemplation of the Cross,
July 8, 2018
O Most Sweet Savior, Jesus Christ,
how great was Your love,
which drew You from the bosom of the Father
to this vale of tears,
to take our flesh and endure infinite miseries and wrongs,
even the death of the Cross,
and that only for us miserable sinners
and for our salvation.
O how great was Your love!
Your mightiest have condemned us,
July 7, 2018
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses,
I offer myself soul and body to You,
Eternal Spirit of God.
I adore the brightness of Your purity,
the unerring keenness of Your justice,
and the might of Your love.
You are the Strength and Light of my soul.
In You I live and move and am.
July 6, 2018
My Queen and my Mother,
I give myself entirely to you;
and to show my devotion to you,
I consecrate to you this day my eyes,
my ears, my mouth, my heart,
my whole being without reserve.
Wherefore, good Mother,
as I am your own,
keep me, guard me,
as your property and possession.
Amen.
July 5, 2018
In You, O God, I put my trust.
In you, O God, I have experienced Your grace.
My trust and confidence come from knowing You, O Lord.
It is the reason I have confidence in Your goodness, O Lord.
July 5, 2018
Sanjeong Dong in Mokpo was both a parish and also the headquarters of the Columban mission in the southwest province of Chollanamdo in Korea in the 1940s. The pastor was Columban Fr. Tom Cusack and his assistant Columban Fr. John O'Brien. Monsignor Patrick Brennan was the superior, a big humorous man and a natural leader.
July 4, 2018
Eternal God, stir our minds
and stimulate our hearts
with a high sense of patriotism
on this Fourth of July.
May all that this day symbolizes
renew our faith in freedom,
our devotion to democracy,
and redouble our efforts to keep
a government of the people,
by the people,
and for the people
truly alive in our world.
July 3, 2018
Loving God, on the eve of our Nation’s birthday,
grant that we may renew our resolve
to dedicate ourselves to ushering in
an era when good will shall live
in the hearts of a free people,
justice shall be the light to guide their feet,
and peace shall be the goal of humankind:
to the glory of your holy name
July 3, 2018
God calls us in unique and different ways. Before I became a Columban lay missionary, I was happy working in my diocese for nine years. But somehow, I had this feeling that God was calling me for something more. Through prayer, God lead me to where I am now, a Columban lay missionary, living in Taiwan, and working in the migrant ministry to witness and experience God's love.
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.