E-News - Vol.7 No.10

From the Director - Who will pray for me?
"I know I am dying and I don't think I will be here when you come back to work. But there is one thing I can do for you - when I meet Jesus I will give him your name." (more)
Pope trusts in new Synod process
He has always believed that time is greater than space, that the important things brew slowly over time, and that it is important to initiate processes rather than force decisions. And that these, at the right time, will produce good fruit. (more)
Pilgrim Pat
I have been grieved by the violence unleashed in Israel-Palestine after I left. I am appalled by the atrocities committed in Iraq in recent weeks by the self-styled “Islamic State”. I am dismayed by the ongoing civil conflict in Syria. (more)
Taiwan's desperate migrant mothers
When the marriages don’t work out, the country’s foreign brides often face desperate circumstances. This month we take a look at Columban Fr Peter Nguyen Van Hung's work with Vietnamese migrant mothers in Taiwan. (more)
Advent - Turning impatience into joy
I’ve been called impatient many times in my life. My family jokes that I was so impatient at birth that I arrived two months early. Advent, a liturgical time of waiting for the birth of Jesus Christ, is one of the few times that I embrace the beauty of anticipation. (more)
Reflection - Good grief
Grief made me its captive; I was hi-jacked and had to pay the ransom demanded before I could gain my freedom. I learned that there are degrees of grief, but you cannot weaken its vice grip by paying in instalments. (more)
Christmas Appeal 2014
As we approach Christmas we are reminded of how Christ came into our world. His message of hope calls us to continue our mission with those who suffer the social stigma attached to being poor. (more)

   
Feast Day of St Columban - November 23
St Columban, our patron, is recognized as one of the great pioneers in western European civilization. Amid hardship and persecution, Columban and his followers founded monasteries throughout France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. To mark the 1400th anniversary of the death of St Columban in 2015, Columbans have commissioned a brilliant, new hymn that calls to mind our contemporary concerns for justice and peace, care for the earth and reconciliation between peoples.
> LISTEN: High is the Heaven, Deep is the Sea