Our Motivation
The early missionaries of the Church, especially from Ireland, referred to themselves as "Peregrinari pro Christo" - Wanderers or Exiles for Christ. This title was adopted by the founders of St. Columbans Missionary Society to describe the members of the Society. Those young men who gave themselves for service often worked in foreign countries for many, many years.
Called by Jesus
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus commands his disciples to "Go, make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:19). It is this command that is the basis of the missionary activity of the Church. The good news of the Kingdom of God is for all people and all Christians are called by Jesus to make that message known to the world in whatever way is available to them.
Also in Matthew, Jesus instructs the disciples concerning the place where he can be found, among those who thirst and are hungry, among those who are naked and imprisoned, among the stranger and the sick (25:35-45). We are challenged to discover Christ in our brothers and sisters, especially the poor and hungry. It is because of this call to discover Jesus in the poor of the world that the Columbans have opted to work in developing nations, to seek justice for the thirsty and hungry, the imprisoned and the sick.
Called by the Church
The Church has always seen itself as having responsibility for spreading the good news, as directed by Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the early missions of the Church to preach the gospel to all nations and the story of some of the missionaries who carried out that task in the early Church. Over the centuries, this task of mission has been continued.
In 1990, Pope John Paul II restated the missionary role of the Church in his Encyclical letter, Redemptoris Missio, On the Permanent Validity of the Church’s Missionary Mandate. In this document, the Pope confirms that: "Today missionary activity still represents the greatest challenge for the Church" (#40) and that all believers are called to be active in the mission of the Church by virtue of their baptism (#71).
Called by the spirit of St Columban
St. Columban was a sixth century missionary to the nations of Europe and is the patron of the Society. The motto Columban lived by was "Christi simus non nostri" which means "We belong to Christ not ourselves". Columbans try to imitate this spirit of their patron in their work overseas.
The early missionaries of the Church, especially from Ireland, referred to themselves as "Peregrinari pro Christo" - Wanderers or Exiles for Christ. This title was adopted by the founders of St. Columbans Missionary Society to describe the members of the Society. Those young men who gave themselves for service often worked in foreign countries for many, many years.
Columban Education Kit: