Towards the end of February this year, the Pacific island nation of Fiji suffered widespread devastation, as a result of Tropical Cyclone Winston which included the strongest winds ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere.
Soon after the cyclone, Columban Fr Frank Hoare who has ministered in Fiji for many years in the region of Ba describes the effects of this cyclone across the nation. His story is one of many in this April issue of The Far East, which offers a whole range of diverse stories and articles from across the world where Columbans work.
Irish Columban Sister Abbie O’Sullivan shares with us her ministry amongst the poor in Dublin. Columban Fr Tony Coney writes of the support for victims of domestic violence offered by St Bernadette’s Children’s Centre in Peru. From the island of Negros in the Philippines, Columban Fr Brian Gore works to organize the human rights of widows and widowers, who are often amongst the most neglected.
Louis Ybanez, a Columban seminarian from the Philippines, writes of his experience of offering colouring-in materials dealing with biblical themes, for the illiterate children of Catholic families of bonded labourers living in conditions of semi-slavery.
Korean Columban Lay Missionary Catharina Son describes the joys of learning the Burmese language, after having to learn English, Tagalog and Spanish since becoming a Columban Lay Missionary. Columban Sister Mary Dillon also shares with us another story from Myanmar, that of a most special family there.
On a more pleasant note, Columban brothers, Frs Peter and Kevin O’Neill, both received important awards for the work they do. In December 2015, Fr Peter received “Hsinchu City Hero Award 2015”, for his work in promoting the rights of foreign migrant workers. Also in December 2015, St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Ireland, conferred on Fr Kevin the Doctor of Philosophy honor. Fr Kevin is the Superior General of the Missionary Society of
St Columban.
During January 2016, Columban Fr Robert McCulloch accompanied the head of the crozier belonging to St Gregory the Great from Rome to Canterbury Cathedral, England, for display during January. It was Pope St Gregory who sent St Augustine to England in 597AD on a mission to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. It was Fr Robert’s idea to send his relic to Canterbury before the meeting in January of the Anglican Primates from around the world.
We hope you enjoy reading this diverse range of stories in this April issue. They offer a broad picture of the work of Columbans across the globe.
Fr Daniel Harding
tfe@columban.org.au
Read more from The Far East, April 2016