I am Mary Ann T. Guial, the youngest and only girl in our family. I have five brothers and the eldest died when he was in grade three. I was not yet born when he died. My mother has many stories about him. And my mother said that my nickname was his own name. My mother is Lanie Turla. She is a single parent, and she raised all of us ...
June 21, 2020
Lord, please bless our fathers,
these men who mean so much to us,
who are greatly responsible
for who we are and who we are becoming.
Bless them for having the courage
to do what's necessary to keep us out of trouble,
for making us do the right thing,
for helping us build our character,
even when it makes us angry;
June 20, 2020
O Most Blessed Mother,
heart of love, heart of mercy,
ever listening, caring, consoling,
hear my prayer.
As your child, I implore your intercession
with Jesus your Son.
Receive with understanding and compassion
the petitions I place before you today.
June 19, 2020
O God, who mercifully bestowed upon us
infinite treasures of love in the Heart of Your Son,
which was wounded for our sins;
grant, we beseech You,
that we who pay Him the devout homage of our piety,
may in like manner show You
our due of worthy satisfaction.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
June 18, 2020
As I write this article, I am safely sheltered in the U.S. Columban headquarters in Bellevue, Nebraska. Since I am approaching the celebration of fifty years as a missionary priest, I decided to leave Chile for a few months and do a sabbatical program at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. Unfortunately, the program was interrupted because of the coronavirus pandemic.
June 18, 2020
O Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to you.
Holy Mary, pray for us!
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
pray for us now and at the hour of our death.
Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation!
Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us!
June 17, 2020
Lord, during this time of anxiety and distress
our patience can run thin.
Yet deep within us we know
that we can place our trust in you.
You provide us with the strength we need.
You do not burden us with any force
that we cannot overcome.
Sustain us Lord with your overwhelming kindness.
Amen.
– By a Columban Missionary
June 16, 2020
Loving mother of the Redeemer,
gate of heaven, star of the sea,
assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,
Yet remained a virgin after as before.
You who received Gabriel's joyful greeting,
have pity on us poor sinners.
June 15, 2020
Fr. Teakare Betero was ordained a Columban priest on Saturday November 30, 2019, the Feast of St. Andrew. He was ordained on his island home of Rabi by Fiji’s Archbishop, the most Rev. Peter Loy Chong. A week prior to the ordination Fiji merged with Australia and New Zealand to create the new Region of Oceania on the feast of St. Columban!
June 15, 2020
Lord, I need new energy for life,
to meet all its challenges again.
I need Your help, Your strength,
to overcome all the tiredness I feel.
When I see others in full flight,
see them glide through life
with effortless ease and elation,
I sometimes wonder why.
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.