Columban Mission Magazine March/April

The Magazine of the Missionary Society of St. Columban March/April 2013

Mission at Home

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P u b l i s h e rREV. TimOTHY mulROY, SSC

[email protected]

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[email protected]

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[email protected]

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Volume 96 - number 2- march/april 2013

ColumbanMission

Published by The Columban FaThers

Columban mission (issn 0095-4438) is published eight times a year. a minimum donation of $10 a year is required to receive a subscription. Send address and other contact information changes by calling our toll-free number, by sending the information to our mailing address or by e-mailing us at [email protected].

mailing address:Columban missionPO box 10St. Columbans, nE 68056-0010

Toll-Free Phone: 877/299-1920Website: WWW.COlumban.ORgCopyright © 2013, The Columban fathers (legal Title)

The missionary Society of St. Columban was founded in 1918 to proclaim and witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.

The Society seeks to establish the Catholic Church where the gospel has not been preached, help local churches evangelize their laity, promote dialogue with other faiths, and foster among all baptized people an awareness of their missionary responsibility.

C o n t e n t sIssue Theme – Mission at Home

4 a Wanderer for Christ From Peru to Belize to the U.S. to Mexcio

5 la monja Struggle Against Police Abuse

15 Where is God in all this? Sharing Life’s Struggles

16 mission: a Constant opportunity Turning New Ground

18 behind the sCenes St. Columbans, Nebraska

20 overfloWinG With opportunity Peacemakers, Justice-seekers, and Reconcilers

22 ChanGinG plaCes

departments

3 in so many Words

23 from the direCtor

lessons from anapra 8

in honor of the God of life 12

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www.columban.org March/April 2013 3

Mission Today

We don’t have to travel to faraway lands to learn exotic languages, or adjust to strange foods, unfamiliar music and unusual clothes to be on mission. We can be on mission right here in the United States and other nearby locations.

We may think that “mission” is for the experts, the chosen few called to cross vast physical distances, but the 50th anniversary of Vatican Council II (1962-1965) reminds us today that Christ’s mission is continued by all Christians, wherever they are, and not just by those called to leave their homelands. The “Pilgrim People of God,” on fire with the Spirit of Christ, lives out the mission to bring Good News to the poor in many ways, crossing boundaries that are not necessarily the international borders between peoples, but include the cultural, economic and social divisions within and near our own land.

The frontiers we overcome are those separating ethnic and racial divides, but also include the breach we have irresponsibly allowed to appear between humanity and our natural environment. We are sent to break down even the walls we have sadly built up inside of us, between how we want to live our lives and what we end up doing instead, deeply personal walls that are healed by God’s forgiveness, preparing us for the task of sharing our joy with the many others trapped in such

interior darkness. All believers find deep within themselves not

only the natural curiosity and compassion that move human beings to leave the familiar and the comfortable, to cross over into the unfamiliar in search of truth and justice, but, much more intensely, the stirring of hearts that partnership with Christ in the coming of a New Creation, a Reign of lasting peace, provokes. His words, His example and His living Presence arouse and sustain the commitment of all the Church, both at home and abroad.

Here are a few stories of people on mission close to their homeland.

Columban Fr. Robert Mosher lives and works in El Paso, Texas.

In So Many WordSBy Fr. Robert Mosher

“...Christ’s mission

is continued by all

Christians, wherever

they are, and not just

by those called to leave

their homelands.”


4 March/April 2013 www.columban.org

Columban Fr. Peter Woodruff interviews Fr. Michael Donnelly who tells a story that begins in Peru and for now ends in Juárez, Mexico.

Michael, I was working in a parish in Lima at the time you left Huasahuasi. Would you remind me of the details of your departure from Peru?

Columban Fr. Bob O’Rourke and I were in our seventh year in Huasahuasi, located on the eastern side of the Andes mountains about an hour’s drive downhill from Tarma, the provincial capital. We had been in turmoil for the past three years due to the violence perpetrated on the local population by the Shining Path, the Maoist guerilla insurgent organization in Peru that launched its internal campaign of conflict and terror in 1980. Bob and I had received a series of death threats, the most recent being via a friend of Bob,

whom he had helped get medical treatment for a handicapped son. Bob’s friend, who at that time was living in Tarma, had a friend in the Shining Path who had told her that Bob and I were soon to be executed. She came in disguise to Huasahuasi to inform us of the threat. We decided to leave immediately for Lima where we took a flight out of Peru. That was in 1987 and neither Bob nor I returned to Peru.

What came next for you?For a year I worked in a working

class parish in Ballymun, Dublin. I was then appointed to our mission in Belize where I worked for five years. There I worked mostly with the Garifina people in the city of Dangriga. They were of African descent, but their ancestors had never known slavery. Rather they had arrived in that part of the Caribbean as religious refugees.

When our Belize mission was closed, I was appointed to the U.S. where I went to work in a bilingual parish in El Paso, Texas. However I was not there long when I was asked to help run our Columban retirement facility in Bristol, Rhode Island. Despite a vigorous protest from the bishop of El Paso, I ended up in Bristol where I remained for ten years.

What was your reaction to the Bristol appointment?

At the time I was 60 years of age and thought to myself that I might just begin my life there on the staff and continue on as a resident retiree – a seamless transition, so to speak! I was to begin on the outside looking in and in due course my situation would inevitably be reversed. But it was not to be.

So, how did you negotiate an appointment to our Juárez parish?

A Wanderer for ChristFrom Peru to Belize to the U.S. to Mexico

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I did not negotiate anything. Our director at the time, Fr. Arturo Aguilar, informed me that he would like me to take up an appointment across the border, so in 2009 I was appointed to our parish in Rancho Anapra, a suburb on the western side of Juárez. At that time Juárez had the fame of being the most violent city on earth with up to ten murders daily. Then and now most killings in Juárez are drug related.

How did you feel about the Juárez appointment?

Even though I was not being asked to be parish priest I was surprised to be asked to take on this mission at my age. But, the fact is that I have never been happier. I feel lucky and blessed to be able to work with a people who are deeply spiritual. Our Church community is lively, with good participation, particularly in the Sunday liturgy, by

young and not so young members. The people here love to sing, play music and dance. They come to Mass early to chat and remain to visit after Mass. I see community happening and feel very much a part of it.

Would you just list some major elements of the tragedy of this city?

The drug wars of the past four years have obliged many to leave the city. They fear for their lives; they do not want to bring up their children in this environment; they can no longer get work here.

Previously, the city lived largely from tourism. The hotels, bars, restaurants and dance halls drew thousands of tourists, especially from across the U.S. border, and gave employment to many locals. The drug wars killed tourism.

There is no effective police protection for citizens, so the gangs

oblige businesses to pay protection money, and kidnapping is rife.

Within families, family members often do not know who among them is mixed up in the drug trade. Once a person gets into a drug gang there is no way to leave. Life expectancy among gang members is short.

Has the memory of your Huasahuasi experience affected you negatively in your mission in Juárez?

I don’t think so. I came here with an open mind. Since coming here I have never felt any threat or fear. In fact, I like to stay here; I go across the border to El Paso as little as possible. I find getting through all the checkpoints so annoying. I feel at home here.

Columban Fr. Michael Donnelly lives and works in Anapra, Mexico.

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by guadalupe Perez

Two months ago Los Federales (the Federal Police) broke into our house and arrested

my youngest brother. First, they accused him of stealing an auto, then later of exporting arms and finally of importing arms. Instead of protecting us, the federal police do us harm. This was the third time Los Federales had broken into our home at night. On the first and second occasions, they simply came to rob and destroy.

They came by night and forced in the door, entered without a

La Monja Struggle Against Police Abuse

warrant, destroyed much of our furniture, physically attacked the men of our family and insulted the women. Then they took what they thought they might use or sell. They act this way in many parts of Juárez, and residents are afraid to protest. The police abuse their authority with impunity, and no officer admits to being in charge of the operation.

After the second police incursion into our homes (our extended family lives in seven adjacent houses on one block of

our barrio; other neighbors were treated the same way) I denounced publicly and judicially what they had done. After that the police came and took my brother away.

My brother was in prison for three days where he was tortured with electricity and other methods that left him traumatized. He is afraid to open the door of the house when someone knocks and has an incredible fear of the police. Yet he is determined to meet them face to face and say what they did to him. Despite their intimidation he will not give in; he is only 18 years of age.

Our initial reaction to the police abuse was fear. Some neighbors left the area. We also thought of leaving. We did not know how we might effectively protest against the state. We know that the police and other state institutions, such as the judiciary, are together in this.


our community and in our Church. I really feel that God is with us.

I don’t have any special qualifications, nor does my husband. As well as driving a truck he can fix anything, so he is always ready to give a hand around the house and also in our chapel of San Juan Bautista. We have four children and one granddaughter. I look after the home while my husband earns the money necessary to keep our family. I have always been very religious, but only since we have had this trouble with the police abuse have other family members begun to take an interest in our Catholic faith. They ask me about the rosary, the Bible and many other things as they find ways of making our faith their own. My family has nicknamed me la monja, the nun!

Guadalupe Perez is a friend of the Columbans living and working in Juárez, Mexico.


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They look out for the well-being of each other, not that of the citizens.

Initially we made no progress with our case against the police. We were merely forced to deal with more abuse as they arrested, accused and tortured my young brother. So, we organized a public protest with placards outside the law courts. I have a large extended family and a few neighbors also joined us even though many were afraid to join with us. Still it was an important step, and we got coverage in the press.

I suppose the police never expected us to push ahead with the protest and, even though we live in hope, have much faith in God and find lots of support in our Church community, we cannot be sure that our protest will prosper. The matter is being dealt with by the judiciary.

The police case hinges on their assertion that they arrested my brother with a gang in another part of town. We maintain that they took him from our home. Each side must present evidence to the court, which is due to hear our case soon.

I feel that God is with me in this struggle in a variety of ways. My husband, Juan, is like a rock.

He does not talk much, but I feel such strength knowing that he is with me. After the second police incursion into our home Columban Fr. Kevin Mullins sent me to a diocesan human rights course where I learned about our rights and what we might do to protect them. In fact, while I was participating in the workshop on human rights, I decided to organize the public protest in front of the law courts. I also met men and women from other parishes in Juárez who encouraged me and promised support in our struggle.

When I was afraid I talked with Fr. Miguel and he encouraged me and helped me continue. He also helped me pay the lawyer who is looking after our case. Economically our family has suffered; my father lost his job as he was frequently absent from work attending to my young brother’s case. However, as time has passed we have found ever more support in

Juan, Guadalupe and Columban Fr. Michael Donnelly

I have always been very religious, but only since we have had this trouble with the police abuse have other family members begun to take an interest in our Catholic faith.


Columban Mission Center at the U.S./Mexico Border

Visit us and get involved!

who we areColumban missionaries live and serve the people of God in both Juárez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas. We stand with the poor, the migrant and the victim of violence, living out our faith in the practice of ecological and social justice.

the place to beAt the Columban Mission Center in El Paso, Texas, we offer exposure programs to visiting groups and facilitate their contact with organizations and institutions related to U.S./Mexico border issues — poverty, migration and human rights. In addition, the Center is a venue for talks, courses and workshops for the local community.

program overviewLife-giving and graced opportunities for personal growth and clarity

• Learn about human rights and sustainable living;

• Visit institutions that assist the migrant population;

• Pray and reflect on your experience;

• Stay in an eco-friendly center.

what our visitors had to say“The stories we heard will have forever changed the way I think about the reality at the U.S./Mexico border.”

~ Creighton University student

“My experience was enlightening and life changing. I learned to open myself to God and to open my mind and try to understand the situation of immigrants.”

~ Korean youth group participant

To learn more about the Columban Mission Center, contact: Fr. Robert Mosher • [email protected] • 915-351-1153

816 Magoffin Ave., El Paso, Texas 79901 please visit: www.columban.org/get-involved



Learning can happen at strange times, and our teachers can truly come

in unexpected forms. A peculiar thing happened to me on my trip to our mission in Rancho Anapra, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, this past holiday season; I suppose one might describe it as an epiphany or awakening. I had no expectations for my trip to Rancho Anapra beyond the notions I held that were fueled and formed by news from the border I had heard over the past few years.

Former Mexican president Felipe Calderon’s increased pressure on the drug cartels has left Mexico spinning from the violence with its people caught in the deadly crossfire of violence with thousands of innocents perishing over the past six years in the war with the cartels. The BBC reported this past December that the most violent city in Mexico in 2010 was Ciudad Juárez, with some 3,100 people killed that year. The same article acknowledges the significant decrease in killings for

2012, but with the rate of murder in Juárez still at 1.3 per day for most of the year, we may still see close to 500 lives lost in 2012 when the reports are finalized. Juárez is still a very violent place, and I expected to find a people whose spirit had been broken and whose faith had been shaken from the years of killing. Imagine my surprise when I did not. Even more so, imagine my incredulity when I realized that the people of Rancho Anapra had taught me and nurtured me more

than I could ever do so for them, even if I had a lifetime to devote to it!

Admittedly, I was not ready for the extreme poverty in Rancho Anapra. I have been to some very poor places in the world, including the Middle and the Far East, but the poverty in Anapra is both profound and abject. Thousands live in the shanty town, most in one room homes thrown together from junk wood, tarpaulins, bits of metal and the more fortunate with

Lessons from AnapraTrue Faith, True Comfort

by chris Hochstetler



concrete blocks. The streets are almost all dirt and those that have power get it through lines lying on the ground held together with common electrical tape. Thousands of hungry, mangy and diseased dogs wander the streets in search of food. The desert climate is cruel to the people of Anapra with oppressive summer heat and cold winter nights, especially for those who do not know the luxuries of air conditioning or furnaces.

Many of the families in Anapra are destitute migrant workers who come to the city looking for work in the foreign-owned factories known as maquiladora. They work for as little as $10 per day and try to support their families. The ticket out of poverty for the people of Anapra is education, but it’s a ticket that often seems out of reach. School for the children is a luxury for these hard working people and often an afterthought to basic necessities. Thankfully the Columban Fathers fund and operate a school in Anapra. Cristina Estrada, a wonderful Columban volunteer, operates the school. I visited with this special woman and the children at the school several days during my trip. What started

out as reading lessons in Cristina’s back yard has evolved into an actual building where reading, math, science, and history are taught and more importantly, learned!

I waited outside the school prior to the start of class with Cristina and Columban Fr. Bill Morton and watched the groups of children ranging from three years old to pre-teen walk up the hill to the school through the sandy streets of Rancho Anapra. They flocked to the school like bees to honey, some holding hands and all with smiles on their faces. For a moment I thought that they must be smiling just for the chance to go and play somewhere safe that resembled a structure, a place or a home that someone from the U.S. might even recognize, but when the learning started, I realized the smiles were because of a strong faith and trust in Christ and a genuine God given love of learning that is gracing Rancho Anapra’s children.

It was the most well-disciplined learning environment that I have ever seen. The students were quickly divided into age and ability groups, and Cristina and her volunteers took the children through their paces with a diligent,

patient, but no nonsense approach that left me wondering how some of our own U.S. schools could learn from her methods. At the end of the day, the students line up at Cristina’s door and in a polite and formal way they address Cristina and ask her for items that they need to continue their homework. Some need a pencil, some need a couple pieces of paper, some need a crayon; all must ask her in the same fashion. “Miss Cristina, may I please have two pieces of paper to practice my math?” After Cristina quizzes them on their plans, the item is delivered, and the deal is sealed with the student’s “Gracias, Miss Cristina.” For the children of Anapra, school is quite obviously a blessing and the students treat it as such.

Late one afternoon, Fr. Bill and I were walking down a dirt street very close to the school when a woman approached us. She had a brief conversation with Fr. Bill, and I was able to catch only bits and pieces as my Spanish is rudimentary at best. I did hear her repeat the name Jessica several times, and I gathered that she was inquiring about her daughter. At one point, towards the end of the


and celebration. The music and voices that were lifted in praise to our Lord and Savior touched my very being. These weren’t people praying for something. These were people praying true thanks and giving praise for all that they had been given, true faith, true comfort in knowing that Christ is at life’s helm. I left wishing that Sunday Mass at my own church was as well attended, meaningful, and full of joy.

I have considered myself a learned man, well educated, philosophical and spiritual. I visited Anapra hoping that I could bring some of who I thought I was and some of the lessons that I thought I had to bear on Rancho Anapra Ciudad Juárez’s struggle. Instead, the people of Anapra were the teachers, they taught me with the open, honest, and true earnestness of faith and understanding. They also filled me with the hope that comes with Christ’s love for all of us. I always thought that I knew what St. Thomas Aquinas meant when he said “I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it. I would hope to act with compassion without thinking of personal gain.” I am forever grateful to the people of Anapra Ciudad Juárez for revealing to me what St. Thomas Aquinas truly meant.

Chris Hochstetler is the Director of Fund Development for the Society and works in St. Columbans, Nebraska.


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of the volunteers at the clinic is also named Cristina. Cristina had but a few short weeks ago undergone a radical mastectomy for breast cancer, yet she was at the clinic and working through her own pain to give much needed therapeutic relief to Anapra’s afflicted children. At one point Cristina asked Fr. Bill and me if we would go with her on a house call to another breast cancer survivor who had had a mastectomy some months back but was struggling with her physical therapy and mobility. We agreed to go and found ourselves standing in her home, a one room 12 x 12 junk wood shanty that housed a family of five. Cristina spent nearly forty minutes conducting physical therapy exercises with the woman, working through her own pain and the patient’s pain to help her with her mobility. As we left, Fr. Bill prayed over the patient for healing. As he did, I thanked God for a woman like Cristina, who would make a house call in one of the most violent places on earth to bring relief and comfort. I also prayed that our own breast cancer efforts in the U.S. could know such compassion and courage.

Columban Fr. Kevin Mullins celebrated Sunday morning Mass at the Columban Corpus Christi Parish. I anticipated a solemn ceremony full of prayers to end the violence, to break the binds of poverty and for ultimate relief. Once again, the people of Anapra took me to school. I found the Mass to be standing room only. People lovingly embraced one another and shared in the Eucharist with passion, with joy, with smiles

conversation, her eyes teared, but she quickly chased them away with a deep breath and a smile. She clasped our hands and left us. As she walked away, Fr. Bill asked me “Chris did you catch what she said.” I replied, “No Fr. Bill, I did not.” The woman, Maria, had stopped Fr. Bill to inquire if he had seen her daughter, Jessica. Jessica would be 16 years old this year, the same age as my own daughter, but she was either killed in the drug violence or abducted and sold into sexual slavery a year ago. Maria asked Fr. Bill if he had seen or heard any news of her daughter’s whereabouts by chance. When Fr. Bill told her that he was sorry he had not, her tears came. Her parting comments to us were that she knew her daughter was o.k., because she has strong faith and believes that wherever Jessica is, God is with her. We all could learn from Maria’s faith.

That same afternoon Fr. Bill and I spent some time at the clinic in Anapra that is a shared project with the Sisters of Charity and the Columban Fathers. The clinic was full of mothers helping to deliver physical therapy to some of the many children there who suffer from multiple sclerosis. The clinic is staffed with loving volunteers all under the watchful and trained eye and hands of Sr. Janet Gildea. One

“I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it. I would hope to act with compassion without thinking of personal gain.”

~ St. Thomas Aquinas


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In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI reaffi rmed that call, when he said “For this reason, today too, in a world that has become ‘small,’ but where many have not yet met the Lord Jesus, the Jubilee of St. Paul invites all Christians to be missionaries of the Gospel, this missionary dimension must always be accompanied by that of unity, represented by St. Peter, the ‘rock’ on which Jesus Christ built his Church.”

Columban Benefactor Lillian Trillo has lived the missionary spirit for most of her life. Lillian, a public health nurse, began with trips to Honduras and Mexico to provide much needed comfort and aid to some of the poorest places in the world. Later, in the early 1990s she began her own foundation, the Latin America Community Assistance Foundation, dedicated to improving the lives of the rural poor in Latin America. Always, Lillian has found ways to be a part of and give to the missions. When asked why, Lillian humbly says “I thought about my life and where it was going, I could speak Spanish and I am a nurse. God led me and spoke to me; don’t be complacent, use your talents!”

Lillian has recently retired, but the term retired must be used loosely. Lillian still volunteers her time, and she continues to fi nd ways to give to the missions. As a Columban Benefactor and Legacy

Society Member, Lillian has ensured that her calling will endure. “Giving to the missions is a way that anyone can answer God’s call and be a part of the missions, in Spirit.”

The Columban Fathers are profoundly grateful for benefactors like Lillian who ensure that God’s work continues in places where it is most needed, with those who are bound by poverty, those who are sick, those who are hungry, and those who seek the comfort that only Christ’s boundless love can bring.

Please consider answering the call and joining us in our mission. For more information on Columban eff orts around the world or to make a donation to the Columban Fathers, visit www.columban.org.

We are all We are all We are all called to be called to be called to be missionaries! missionaries! missionaries! missionaries! missionaries! missionaries! missionaries! missionaries! missionaries!

For information on planned giving including estate gifts, charitable gift annuities or legacy gifts, please contact

Fr. Michael Dodd or Chris Hochstetler at (877) 299-1920 or [email protected].

called to be called to be called to be missionaries! missionaries! missionaries!



an Interview with columban Fr. Kevin mullins by columban Fr. Peter woodruff

Fr. Kevin, you have now been in this parish for 11 years. What is the story behind your coming to this part of the world?

I had been in Britain for 18 months doing mission appeals and was on my way back to Chile where I had been working for the previous 17 years. Columban Frs. Arturo Aguilar and Bill Morton invited me to stop off in El Paso where they were stationed.

While they lived and worked in El Paso, Fr. Bill was also looking for an opportunity to work with poor families across the border in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Through a Mexican priest Fr. Bill had entered into a working relationship with residents of Rancho Anapra, a poor suburb on the northwest edge of

Ciudad Juárez. Fr. Bill had devised a project to help home owners with roofing and sanitary facilities. Part of my visit to El Paso was a trip across the border to Rancho Anapra.

Frs. Bill and Arturo invited me to stay, but I returned to Chile where I continued to work for two more years. However I could not get Rancho Anapra out of my mind.

So, how did you resolve that?I emailed the Society’s

headquarters requesting an appointment to the U.S. so that I might work in Rancho Anapra. My initial request was turned down, but I was asked to present the reasons why I had discerned that this might be my future as a Columban missionary. I did this and soon after was appointed to the U.S. and then to El Paso.

Following negotiation with the bishop of Ciudad Juárez, Rancho Anapra was made a parish, and I was appointed parish priest. Two other Columbans, Frs. Bill and John, were also appointed to the parish. And so we began our ministry here with about 35 Catholics coming to Sunday Mass. There were nearly 20,000 residents

within the jurisdiction of our new parish and most were Catholics, so clearly we had much to do to help them feel that they belonged to the Church.

Could you say something about your dreams for what was then a new parish?

We realized that we were working with a stable, poor and marginalized population. Even now the main ring road of the city excludes our small suburb from the urban sprawl of the city, and this road was only completed a few years ago. We did not see ourselves as saviors or problem solvers. Rather we set out to help Catholics feel that this Church is theirs; we aimed to help them feel that they belonged; we wanted their belonging to the Church to be a life giving experience for them — joyous and empowering.

I have seen that you now have hundreds participating in the life of this parish. Have you found support from local Church leadership for your ministry?

I always go to the weekly priests’ meetings, and I feel that we understand and appreciate each

In Honor of the God of Life How a parish community in a poor suburb of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico becomes a source of life for the broader civic community



other. Our bishop seemed a little aloof when I first came but, in recent years, he has become more hands on and sensitive pastorally.

We also feel significant support from the national Church leadership, especially since the Latin American Bishops’ meeting in Aparecida, Brazil in 2007. A couple of years ago, the Mexican Bishops issued a statement titled, “May Mexico Achieve Life with Dignity in Christ Our Peace.” It is a long pastoral statement, based largely on the conclusions of the Aparecida meeting, and aims to encourage and inspire the local Church at grassroots level. I found a brief section on parish life most affirming.

Would you like to highlight some of the points the bishops make in their statement?

Yes, I will touch on just a few that are taken from section

197 of the Bishops’ statement. The following points (not a full translation of the text) have inspired and continue to inspire me in my commitment in this parish.

Community life is where people shape and strengthen the social fabric—the sense of belonging.

We [the Catholic Bishops of Mexico] are committed to renewing our parishes, making them a network of groups and communities whose members share their lives as disciples and missionaries of Jesus Christ. The bread of the Word and of the Eucharist and the service of charity urges parish community members to achieve reconciliation and justice for the life of the world.

We are committed to making the communal aspect of parish life more dynamic so that, in the midst of a fragmented society, the parish might provide opportunities for strengthening community life, and

so help the community rediscover the security necessary for living together in peace.

We are committed to making all parishes a place and sign of reconciliation, which is the best antidote for the poison of hate and the desire for revenge.

We urge the small communities and groups that constitute our parishes to contribute to the recovery of communal spaces and to develop projects that strengthen the social fabric.

What have you found in this parish that nourishes your own life?

I have seen so much drug related violence and killing and yet families seem to be so resilient. It’s as if they grieve “on the run.” They quickly get back into life with a dogged determination. They do not let violence perpetrated by others destroy their lives. It seems


progress of the liturgical calendar, with its seasons and cycles, supports and steadies people as they take on the stuff of their lives.

I have found that men, women and youth want to participate; they want to do things together; they are also ready to try new things. We

get on well. I feel easy with them and them with me. Someone said to me recently, “You are not a bossy priest; you enjoy us.”

They can also laugh in the midst of tragedy and at times show a rather dark humor, which I enjoy. Even though we do experience fear and see our hands trembling after being close to dangerous violence, we then find a way to joke and laugh about it. It’s inexpensive therapy, I guess.

To sum up—I feel so accepted here, by the eight Columbans with whom I have shared this mission over the past eleven years, by my neighbors, by the parish community, by fellow diocesan priests, by the bishop. I could not want for a better place to be a missionary priest.

Originally from Australia, Columban Fr. Kevin Mullins lives and works in Anapra, Mexico.


that everyone knows about the violence in Ciudad Juárez but I see and hear the untold story of creativity, commitment to family, to work and to parish.

The rhythm of parish life seems to support families in their daily lives. It is as if the relentless

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Twice a week the mothers bring their disabled children to the clinic

for therapy; some also come on Saturdays. If their children cannot walk, the mothers must carry them. Even if the mothers did have wheelchairs for their children, it would be extremely difficult to push the chairs along the sandy roads of Rancho Anapra, located in the desert sands on the northwest edge of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

While I am originally from Fiji, prior to coming to Anapra, I spent nine years as a Columban lay missionary in Chile, but I had never had the opportunity to work with disabled kids. I worked with youth in Chile and that continues to be my main commitment in the Columban mission in Rancho Anapra.

When I saw the struggle of the mothers with their disabled children, I wanted to support them in some way. However, since I have no special medical skills, I decided to simply be with them, to accompany them.

At the clinic I got to know Martin and his mother, Martha. Martin is about nine years of age, and he is unable to walk, swallow or talk. He is fed through a tube inserted through the wall of his stomach. However, he can understand when people speak, and he laughs and smiles when we are together at the clinic.


It really hit me that these are the forgotten people, especially the mothers. Martha has five kids to look after so what can she expect to do for Martin? One day she asked me, “Where is God in all this?” I just looked at her; I had no experience of such a situation. I did not know what to say. I thought for a while and then began to speak in the hope that what I said might mean something to Martha.

I believe that in and through the struggles of our lives God speaks to us. I said to Martha, “People have come into your life through your disabled son – the Sisters who

run the clinic, me and others.” Martha thought for a moment and responded, “Yes, it is true that if I just stayed at home I would not know so many people. Also, even among the mothers who bring their children for therapy we share and I feel encouraged watching and listening to them. I find strength in knowing that I am not the only one who struggles to bring up a disabled child.”

Originally from Fiji, Columban lay missionary Monika Lewatikana lives and works in Anapra, Mexico.

Monika and friends at the clinic

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“Where is God in all this?”Sharing Life’s Struggles

By Monika Lewatikana



My life as a missionary began and grew where new ground was being

broken, as I worked within the familiar structures of parishes but took on the principal missionary challenges of other contexts. Let me explain.

In Chile where I was missioned for many years, the parish constituted the backbone of the local Church, even though, during the military dictatorship of 1973 to 1990, the Church in the western zone of Santiago came up with a four-stage plan of evangelization, titled “working class apostolate.” This plan proposed a new way of being a church, not in opposition to the parish but as a complementary alternative. It sought to establish Christian communities where the

Gospel was generally unknown and had not taken root in people’s lives.

The first stage consisted of a friendly presence. Another Columban and I moved into a small house in a local población, or neighborhood, and we joined community organizations, gradually becoming accepted by the community. Neighbors would regularly drop in for a cup of tea and a conversation in the afternoon. Often in the course of the years we spent there, they would wait for us to return from a Mass, wedding or baptism in the neighboring parish before beginning a local community activity or celebration. Such was life for us once we were accepted as part of the local community. We had no chapel in the area, nor

did we yet attempt to form any Christian communities.

The second stage blossomed as the neighbors began to wonder why we were there. They would ask us about our decision to live among them, and about our intentions or plans. Such questions provided us with the opportunity to talk about Christ, and the faith, and of our experiences of God’s presence and work in the lives of those who lived the Gospel. In the context of the brutal dictatorship Chile suffered under in those days, our dialogues ran deep into the night as we explored the implications of living as Christians in dark times of violence, torture, secret police surveillance and death.

From that period of dialogue emerged a third stage, in which

Mission: A Constant OpportunityTurning New Ground

by Fr. robert mosher



we offered interested parties the chance to get to know more about our way of life. We offered meetings for formal instruction in the faith, looking at what the Bible or Church documents had to reveal about the real-life situations of unemployment or sickness that people lived through. We invited them to form a community that met regularly to share, pray and search.

Finally, the community would arrive at a mature state, and develop into a full-fledged Catholic community enjoying a sacramental celebration of their faith. In this way, we put the sacraments at the end of the process rather than at the beginning. We did not use them as a way to get people interested in our Catholic faith. Rather, our communities learned to experience the sacraments as a source of spiritual sustenance for their daily lives.

During this time I also worked as a house painter for a few months, and met other men and women who never came near any churches or Christian communities. Yet they knew well how to form communities, and trade unions, of which Chile has a long history. I found myself learning many skills from them, both as a painter and as a member of their vibrant community. On one occasion I was arrested by police for participating in a peaceful street protest against torture, and then had trouble explaining to the investigating officer that this Catholic priest was also a painter. No, I said, not a painter of portraits or landscapes, but a painter of walls and ceilings. He angrily dismissed me, not quite ready to believe that the Church could be that close to the lives of the working poor.

In 1987 I was asked to suspend this apostolate and work in our program for preparing young

Chilean men for the Columban missionary priesthood. It was a new venture in Chile, which was part of our changing missionary emphasis around the world. For years since our foundation in 1918 we had dedicated our human and material resources to establishing and building up parishes, putting down the basis of the diocesan Church. We then decided to prioritize helping the local churches in which we worked to become more missionary. Inviting Chileans to join us as Columban missionary priests has been one response to that priority.

In 1990 I went to Rome, Italy, for further studies, which equipped me well for the next stage of my missionary journey. I became director of the formation program in Chile as well as the Director of the National Commission for Ecumenical and Interfaith Dialogue. Each year we centered our activities on the Week of Christian Unity that ended on Pentecost Sunday.

At an interfaith level we had significant dialogue with Muslims (both Shia and Sunni), Jews (Sephardic) and Buddhists (Tibetan). All had been in Chile for a long time, even several generations in some cases, and had adapted to Chilean ways. We allowed a variety of religious traditions to gain some appreciation of each other and demonstrated that there are Catholics who are open to discovering the religious riches of other faiths.

Ecumenically, our primary aim was to establish a commission with similar objectives in each of the 28 dioceses of Chile. However, perhaps our major achievement was an agreement about Baptism with a number of other Christian churches, which took two years of debate and agreement to

compose. Since the signing of the Chilean agreement at least a dozen countries have achieved a similar coming together of various Christian Churches.

Chilean Christians (Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist and some Pentecostal Churches) recognized the validity of each other’s Baptism, an agreement that was fundamental for the cause of Christian unity. How could we hope to effectively proclaim our faith to others while doing nothing about the sad divisions among us? The Chilean cardinal in charge of the Vatican’s Congregation for Liturgy in Rome backed us, and so did the vast majority of the Chilean bishops, led by Cardinal Errázuriz of Santiago. We celebrated the signing of the agreement during the Jubilee Year 2000. This agreement about Baptism brought together two currents of ecumenical work, one based on dialogue about doctrine and another based on doing things together pastorally, resolving tensions regarding the enrollment of children in Catholic schools, or in the process of marriage preparation of Christians from different traditions. In order to reach agreement we stipulated two conditions: the use of water, and the words of the Trinitarian formula to impart the sacrament.

Before leaving Chile in 2009 I was involved in setting up a mission center to help the local Church become more missionary. The idea behind that center has inspired us to develop something similar in El Paso, Texas, considering the needs and challenges of this part of North America. Please visit our Facebook page at “Columban Mission Center” and see the latest new ground the Columbans are turning!

Columban Fr. Robert Mosher lives and works in El Paso, Texas.

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For those of us working in the U.S. region headquarters of the Missionary Society

of St. Columban, mission is top of mind! We are fortunate to live and work in St. Columbans (Omaha), Nebraska. The campus is beautiful, and we have many woodland friends – deer, wild turkeys and more – to watch from our windows.

However, we are not living in a bubble. Poverty exists here, like everywhere, and for those who cannot be sure where their next meal is coming from, life is hard. Throughout the year, we have several events to help those most in need in our local community. We collect for the local food bank on an ongoing basis. We keep the collection box in our break room to make it easy for employees to drop off donations. And, we have partnered with a local non-profit that collects all of our recyclables.

In September 2012, we determined that our Christmas campaign would be collecting for “Toys for Tots.” Run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, the program collects new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and

distributes those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community where the campaign is conducted. We started collecting toys on October 1 and concluded on October 31. On October 31, we invited three local Marine Corps reservists to join us for a lunch of chili and desserts and collect the

toys. We collected several large boxes of toys and were thrilled to have the opportunity to hear about the work of the Marines in the local community and thank them for their service both here and abroad.

Following our successful toy drive, we began a food drive contest which ran from November 1-30, 2012. We divided the office

employees into four teams – East, North, South and Central – to see which team could collect the most non-perishable food. Our goal was 500 pounds of food, or 125 pounds for each team. With a small office staff, 500 pounds seemed like an aggressive goal. However, the competitive spirit took off, and we collected just over 1,300 pounds of food! And, it should be noted that Central “won” the competition with the largest number of pounds of food collected. The Central team has bragging rights until the next competition. Of course, we’re going to increase the goal for this year! The food went to families in need in the local community.

The needs of the poor and marginalized know no boundaries. They exist here at home as well as in mission lands. We are honored to help those here at home as well as around the world.

Kate Kenny is the Communications Director for the Missionary Society of St. Columban in St. Columbans, Nebraska.

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Behind the ScenesSt. Columbans, Nebraska

by Kate Kenny

The needs of the poor

and marginalized know

no boundaries. They

exist here at home as

well as in mission lands.

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When I was assigned here at the border, I knew it would be tough but

was happy to do God’s will; I was confident that God would show me the way and walk with me.

I felt afraid when I heard of all the violence and killing in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Last year there were nearly 200 murders a month in the city, most of them related to drug cartel wars. Still, there was something in me that urged me to come and trust in God.

A short piece of advice from St. Columban has helped a lot, “A life unlike your own can be your own teacher.” I have found this to be true as the faith of the people of Rancho Anapra, in the midst of violence and hardship, has moved and strengthened me.

Many of my neighbors asked me, “Are you not afraid to be here?” I said, “No, God sent me here and is with me every day.” I also feel that God is with me in the faith and courage of those who live here. One woman whose husband wanted to leave because of the all the violence insisted on staying; she said to me, “What keeps me here is the faith of my neighbors; we have got to know each other in our troubles and many of us meet in the chapel.”

I can see that many have come to know and support each other. It is true that there is much suffering, but there is also much care for others and solidarity with those who are suffering. All this has

strengthened my faith that God is accompanying us in this mission.

I was taught a certain way in Fiji and here I find so much is different – the food, the way people relate to each other, religious practice, family customs and so on. My Mexican friends realize that I have come from a different way of life, and they welcome me into their lives, especially when they see that I make an effort to adapt to their ways.

Learning a new language and adapting to the customs of another people are demanding and tiring, but I understand this as simply part of my way in life, what God has called me to. While this first year in Rancho Anapra has challenged me, it has also been a very happy time for me.

Having been on this mission for only one year the challenges that I have had to face are not what others with longer experience here might mention. I still feel that I have a way to go before I can say that I am fluent in Spanish; it’s a slow business learning a new language. Then there is the violence, which, even though it is less this year than last, continues to strike fear into the residents of our suburb.

In March two men were killed in our barrio. I had been with the confirmation group in our chapel a few blocks away, and I returned to see two men lying dead on the sandy road a few meters from the

front of my house. Both had been shot by police; for a while I was afraid to go out.

Also, crossing the bridge from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, is at times a major problem. One time I had to wait in line for five hours to be processed by U.S. immigration officials. Passing from the U.S. to Mexico is no problem.

Now, whenever I go out I pray that God will guide, protect and lead me always.

Originally from Fiji, Columban lay missionary Sainiana Tamatawale lives and works in Anapra, Mexico.

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Trusting in GodMy First Year on Mission

by Sainiana Tamatawale


zone and into relationship with the suffering of the human and natural world. These encounters become the Way of the Cross. We become Simon who helps Jesus carry his cross. We become Veronica who wipes Jesus’ face. We become the women and children of Jerusalem who offer their support. We become Mary and John and Mary Magdalene at the foot of the Cross.

In just a few weeks time, we will celebrate with wonder and awe, just as Mary did on that third day in front of the tomb, the power of God’s love to overcome death. May we have the courage to hear Him call our names and take our place as co-creators of the Kingdom.

Amy Woolam Echeverria is the Director of the Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach in Washington, D.C.


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I can remember as a child visiting church one afternoon with my mom and brother when I was probably about six or seven years old. It was during the week; maybe we were dropping something off or my mom wanted to go in for a quick prayer. The air was cool inside the sanctuary, the sunlight streaming through the stained glass catching Jesus’ face as he hung on the cross. Silence was the only sound. I was not used to being in church without the bustle of Sunday Mass but that didn’t stop me from shouting out cheerfully as we walked out, “Good-bye God!” To which God, a.k.a. my mother in her best baritone boomed, “Good-bye Amy!”

Wow, I couldn’t believe it, God had spoken my name! I was giddy with excitement, jumping around the parking lot, “Did you hear that?! Did you hear God say my name?!” As we get older and our ears become deafened to the sweet sound of God’s voice, we forget that God indeed speaks our name, and in fact we are written on the palms of His hands. (Isaiah 49:16)

As we approach Easter, we remember the intimacy with which God invites us to be co-creators of the Kingdom. (1 Cor 3:9) What does that mean, practically? In

Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells us blessed are the peacemakers, those who hunger and thirst for justice, the merciful, and persecuted. Our world today is over-flowing with opportunities to be peacemakers, justice-seekers, and reconcilers.

In his 2013 World Day of Peace message, Pope Benedict XVI lifts up the Beatitudes as a tangible path to building the Kingdom when he says, “Peace is not a dream or something utopian; it is possible. Our gaze needs to go deeper, beneath superficial appearances and phenomena, to discern a positive reality which exists in human hearts, since every man and woman has been created in the image of God and is called to grow and contribute to the building of a new world.”

From migrants living in the shadows, to Creation under threat from over-consumption, to wars around the globe, God calls us by name to move beyond our comfort

Overflowing with Opportunity Peacemakers, Justice-seekers, and Reconcilers

by amy woolam Echeverria


WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG March/April 2013 21

Let us wish you a happy birthday!

In addition to the many Masses we off er for all of our benefactors each

year, we would like to show you an extra token of our gratitude for your

generous support of our mission work by off ering a special Mass for you as

a birthday gift.

Please go to www.columban.org/birthday and fi ll out the information. Or,

you may fi ll out the form below and send it to us in the envelope in this

magazine.

Dear Father,

Please off er the Holy Sacrifi ce of the Mass for my birthday.

Date of Birth: Month Day Year

Mr./Mrs./Miss:

Street:

City: State: Zip:

Email:

Please off er the Holy Sacrifi ce of the Mass for on the birthday of my spouse or other loved ones.

Date of Birth: Month Day Year

Mr./Mrs./Miss:

Street:

City: State: Zip:

Email:



leprosy — that dreadful wordcausing terror in the heartbad enough to live with rotting fleshbut even worse to be among the living deadcut off from relatives, friends, community

one man made bold by hope broke the taboo,sought out Jesus ministering in a townpassed shocked bystanders and pleaded on his knees“if you want to, you can cure me”

Jesus moved by pity or anger at his plightin turn broke the taboo reached out and touched him“of course I want to, be healed!”

healed, restored to communion with fellow men and womenfree to tell his amazing story beforethose anxious incredulous eyes that searchedhis face, his skin and found no blemish

after which Luke remarks that Jesus“could no longer go openly into any townbut had to stay outside where nobody lived”an improbable kind of changing places

but not an inappropriate outcome

that one so frequently foundamong the poor, the ostracized, the outcastswho would himself die outside the city wallsmust henceforth be sought on the margins

hardly surprising thenthat in such places, among such peoplewe find the clearest traces of his living presenceeven in our own day

Columban Fr. Cyril Lovett is the editor of The Far East magazine and lives and works in Dalgan, Ireland.

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Changing PlacesMark 1:40-45


While the desert is an image that has strong associations with Lent, I had no direct experience

of such a place until a year ago when I spent the season helping out in the parish of St. Pius X in El Paso, Texas. The exceptionally low rainfall meant that the nearby Franklin Mountains retained their stark brown color even as the rise in temperatures indicated the arrival of spring, while strong winds occasionally created gloomy clouds of swirling sand that encompassed everything and forced one to stay indoors. These were moments when the desert seemed to invite me to stand still and recognize the barrenness and darkness within, so that I might welcome Christ the Light with joy at Easter.

After leaving El Paso,

FROM THE DIRECTOR

By Fr. Tim Mulroy

I went to Japan in order to visit colleagues and friends with whom I had lived and worked several years previously. A few of those friends invited me to join them in going to the region that was still suffering the devastating consequences of the earthquake and tsunami, which had struck during the Lenten season of the previous year. The powerful earthquake, followed by waves seventy feet hig h, roared through coastal towns and villages, fl attened

Welcoming the Light

Their dreams had been

blighted; the spring of their

lives had been turned into

a desert.

everything, leaving a wilderness of rubble in its wake. There was no sand, but this was indeed a desert of another kind. It invited me to ponder the vanity of so many human endeavors and my own mortality so that I might appreciate more fully the gift of immortality offered in the celebration of Easter.

Later I met a few young farmers who lived in the region near the Fukushima nuclear power plant that had been impacted by the earthquake. Since the soil and water had been contaminated with radiation, they found it almost impossible to sell their vegetables. Their dreams had been blighted; the spring of their lives had been turned into a desert. They wondered if they too should move out like so many others had already done, leaving their houses shuttered, their fi elds abandoned, and the streets deserted. This desert invited me to heed anew the command of the risen Christ, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation.” (Mk 16:15)


COLUMBAN FATHERS

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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?

Visit our Columban Website

We encourage you to visit us online at www.columban.org.

Through our website, you can join in our mission as together we help those who need it most.

Learn more about:

• making a donation to the Society or a specifi c project

• our Mission Education programs

• our gift annuity program

• current projects and programs.

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Columban Mission Magazine March/April