MAGAZINE OF THE COLUMBAN MISSIONARIES04 Thank You Far East Readers! Fr John Boles relates some good news about brothers José and David Ayala in Peru who featured in the article 'A

AGRANDFATHER'S

LEGACYGuidance from an

illegal migrant

A SEED

IS SOWN Hong Kong's marginalised sex workers

MAGAZINE OF THE COLUMBAN MISSIONARIES

recovery is possibleAnywhere

A life-giving programme for addicts in Myanmar

04 Thank You Far East Readers! Fr John Boles relates some good news

about brothers José and David Ayala in Peru who featured in the article 'A Tale of Two Brothers' (July/August 2018).

06 Columban Pioneers:A Seed is Sown

Columban missionary Sr Ann Gray recalls her pioneering work with Hong Kong's marginalised sex workers.

08 A Grandfather's Legacy Fr Chris Saenz notes how polarised American society has become on the issue of immigration and wonders how his grandfather, an illegal migrant from Mexico, would have fared today.

10 A Quiet Home Virgenia O. Vidad recounts how

'Pedalling to Live' in the Philippines, a project founded by Columban Fr Oliver McCrossan, has helped members of the deaf community.

12 Recovery is Possible Anywhere Fr Eamon Sheridan writes about a

life-giving support programme which the Church offers drug addicts in Myanmar's Kachin State.

14 Cherish the Young Lay missionary Bae Sihyeon Teresa

highlights some of the challenges Taiwan's indigenous Atayal girls face over their desire to further their education.

16 Interfaith Dialogue:"Do Not Be Afraid" Fr Seamus Cullen recalls how he, a Catholic priest, came to give the eulogy at the funeral of a Shinto priest in a Buddhist temple.

20 It Was a Beauty-full Day! Sherryl Lou Capili explains how a seven-year-old taught her a lesson about a child's capacity to pray the Rosary.

18 Refl ection19 Obituaries 21 Stories from the Bible22 Children's Section 23 Nature: The Yellow Farmer Ant

04 08

1210

1614

CONTENTS

06

1918 - 2019 OVER 100 YEARS OF PUBLICATION FAR EAST - MARCH/APRIL 2019 3

In the old world of European empires, the mission of the Church travelled with the expansive energy of empire as it did

previously in the age of trade routes and great migrations by land and sea.

Today we live in a de-territorialised world of nation states each having its local church commissioned to witness the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The question is: how does the Christian Church, the Christian community, the individual Christian, carry out mission in an urbanising, migrating and, many would add, fragmenting world of great wealth and great want, powerlessness and unmet expectations?

Firstly, the role of the Church is to be in the witness box, not on the judge's bench. The fi rst stage of mission is engagement in a spirit of welcoming dialogue with those whose lives are diminished by obstacles in the external or internal landscapes of their lives.

Secondly, witness has to be visible in relevant service to enhance the quality of life in the political, social, economic and cultural networks of people's lives.

Thirdly, witness demands standing with people, not as a spectator, but walking with them in active commitment, confronting issues that are wounding their souls on their journey of hope. Migrants should be reminders that our hearts are on a journey of hope. God is present in the hope of human faces. Agents of mission are challenges to match that hope.

Fourthly, authentic Christian mission activity must be asking why people are homeless, why migrants are on the margins, afraid, exploited, unwanted, ignored and not respected. Anyone picking up victims on the road to Jericho has a moral obligation to ask why there are victims if the road is to be safer.

Fifthly, authentic Christian witness must enable people to be subjects of their

own destiny not objects of a promoter's gratifi cation. Equality is indexed to respect for others. Inequality is indexed to indifference to the plight of others.

Generally, mission exists wherever there is affi rmation of the quality of life in all its aspects, an experience of community offering a sense of belonging, being at home, giving an awareness of and celebrating transcendence.

In the present world such communities will be inter-religious, people of different beliefs, ideologies, races, and cultures in a common struggle to experience the fullness of life both in the material landscape of economic, political and social networks and particularly in the spiritual landscapes of the human spirit.

To be a Christian is to live dangerously, honestly, to step freely in the name of love as if you may land on nothing, yet to keep on stepping because the something that sustains you, no empire can give and no empire can take away. (Cornel West, Democracy Matters)

My colleague Tony Ryan, (Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly) on his way to an appointment at Westminster Cathedral sat on a bench in the Cathedral plaza. A homeless man sat beside him. They got talking. The man was from Tipperary. So they had a lot to talk about. As Tony got up to leave he offered the man money. The homeless man took out a handful of money from his pocket. Showing it to Tony, he said, "These are the people that passed by. Thanks for your time."

God is present in small things! •Fr Bobby Gilmore writes and campaigns on migrant issues. He was on mission in the Philippines and Jamaica and has extensive experience on chaplaincy work with migrants in Ireland and Britain.

Above: Members of the Columban Centre and the Dublin Interfaith Forum at a prayer service to mark World Refugee Day. Photo: Michael O’Sullivan.

editorial

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Front CoverHong Kong City skyline with tourist sailboat at night. (Photo: Shutterstock)

THE FAR EASTPublished seven times yearly by the Missionary Society of St Columban (Maynooth Mission to China).

THE PURPOSE OF THE FAR EAST ISTo promote an awareness of the missionary dimension of the Church among readers; to report on the work of Columban priests, Sisters and lay missionaries; and to seek spiritual and material support for missionaries.

4 1918 - 2019 OVER 100 YEARS OF PUBLICATION

Fr John Boles updates readers on brothers José and David Ayala in Lima, Peru who were featured in the article 'A Tale of Two Brothers' in the July/August 2018 issue of the Far East magazine.

Y ou might recall how the article described how José Ayala dedicated much of his time to

caring for his severely disabled brother David.

To the surprise of us all, this resulted in an outpouring of generosity from many readers in Ireland, Britain, Australia and the US. This allowed us to put together a scheme to help José and David, and their parents Apolonio and Yolanda.

I wish to thank all of you for your generous support and explain how the money was used.

Up to my leaving Peru, donations received and promised had totalled some USD$27,000. We used the bulk of this (almost USD$20,000) on the new house complete with two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, bathroom, laundry area and retaining walls front and back.

Of the rest, we put aside USD$5,000 to subsidise José's five-year teacher training programme at university. This covers half the cost, and the other half is

provided by a government scholarship.The remainder of the money was spent on

incidentals such as an orthopaedic bed for David, adult nappies and a new wheelchair.

I think it is important to take every opportunity to say 'Thank you' to our friends and supporters.

I am also hopeful that if people see evidence of their donations being well spent, maybe they will be encouraged to continue supporting us in the future! •Fr John Boles is a Columban missionary from Britain who has worked in South America since 1994.

provided by a government scholarship.

Lima, Peru who were featured in the article 'A Tale of Two Brothers' in the

ou might recall how the article

dedicated much of his time to caring for his severely disabled brother

To the surprise of us all, this resulted in an outpouring of generosity from many readers in Ireland, Britain, Australia and the US. This allowed us to put together a scheme to help José and David, and their

provided by a government scholarship.provided by a government scholarship.

4 FAR EAST - MARCH/APRIL 2019 1918 - 2019 1918 - 2019 OVER 100 YEARS OF OVER 100 YEARS OF PUBLICATIONPUBLICATION

university. This covers half the cost, and the other half is

thank you Far East Readers!

thank you PERU

5 FAR EAST - MARCH/APRIL 20191918 - 2019 OVER 100 YEARS OF PUBLICATION

01. xxxx02. xxx

01. Columban missionary Fr Ed O’Connell outside the newly built Ayala family home in Lima.

02. David sits in his new wheelchair watched by his mother Yolanda in their new kitchen.

03. Fr Ed O’Connell and José, who can now begin his fi ve-year teacher training programme at university, thanks to money raised by Far East readers.

01

02

03

To make a comment on this article go to:facebook.com/fareastmagazine @fareastmagazine

MAKING YOUR

WILL?Make a Difference!

Please remember the needs of Columban missionaries and their missions.

Without your help we cannot continue our work.Your gift could help some of the most

marginalised and neediest.

Missionary Society of St Columban, Widney Manor Road, Knowle, Solihull, West Midlands, B93 9AB.

Columban missionary Sr Ann Gray recalls her pioneering work with Hong Kong's marginalised sex workers.

I n1986, when I was in the process of learning Cantonese, a Hong Kong friend took me to Mong Kok on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong where, for the fi rst time, I saw sex workers waiting on the streets for clients. It was clear that the residents in this area preferred not to

acknowledge the existence of this group of women in their midst. To the men, these women were obviously no more than objects to be stared at and commodities to be used for pleasure. For some reason, I realised that this was the group of women that I wanted to work with.

Research into the prevalent needs in Hong Kong society consequently showed that women who worked in the sex industry were being sadly neglected and this became our

focus. It was clear that nobody wanted to know women who worked in this industry or make contact with them, they were considered to be the lowest of the low and there were no services at all specifi cally designed with their needs in mind.

I volunteered for this project, with the aim of endeavouring to give women involved in Hong Kong's sex industry an experience of being treated as persons and, in particular, as women. I began by walking around the areas which were known as unoffi cial 'Red Light' districts. As a Westerner in a predominantly Chinese area, I seemed to be considered a tourist and no

attention was paid to me. After many weeks of wandering around and no sight of any 'working women',

it seemed that this was the wrong place until one night I happened to be there during a police raid. Many young women of various Asian nationalities had been arrested and were being herded into the police truck. While the pimps used their mobile phones to warn the minders to move other girls from the area, I walked up and down and listened in to the telephone conversations. None of the pimps suspected I understood what was being said. It was clear that many women were working in this area but invisibly and obviously under the control of this group of pimps.

The Hong Kong Women's Christian Council soon began to express interest in working with me and a Concern for Prostitutes group was set

up. Gradually another team was formed and the services of REACH OUT (an acronym for Rights of Entertainers in Asia to Combat

Human Oppression and Unjust Treatment) came into being. A Chinese name was chosen from a Chinese legend in which

there was a little bird named Ching Liao. According to the legend, this bird was very close to the

columban pioneers

A Seed is sown

gods who looked down benevolently on the people of the earth below. It was her responsibility to act as a messenger and to fl y down to earth from place to place and share the blessings of the gods with all whom she met. Ching Liao became not only our Chinese name, she was also our inspiration.

The service thus originated as an ecumenical expression of the concern of Christian women for women working in the entertainment industry and other related services in Hong Kong and in particular those coming from other countries in South East Asia. At a later stage, it became offi cially known as Action for REACH OUT (AFRO). We started off with nothing – no money, no premises, no staff and no experience of this kind of work, but like the Good Samaritan who came upon a traveller in need, one far from home, Action for REACH OUT aimed to respond to women's immediate needs, referring them to where they could receive help and, in a spirit of sisterhood, accompanying them in their time of crisis.

With the long-term goals of educating public attitudes, forming a South East Asian network, setting up a House of Refuge and empowering and encouraging the women themselves to form a support group, we soon became aware of the victimization of women in the commercial sex industry through abuse of human rights and coercion into sex work. We saw how women coming from overseas were often recruited by Triad contacts in their own countries who supplied them with passports (often false) or arranged marriages with Hong Kong men and then sent them to Hong Kong. The majority knew what they were coming to Hong Kong for but some came, having signed a contract to work as a domestic helper or waitress, and discovered that sex work was expected of them. At the same time, there were also many local women who

become involved in the sex industry through their own choice – the main motive being an economic one.

Hong Kong at that time was also seeing an increase in the number of juveniles and women from overseas involved in prostitution. A local feature of the Hong Kong sex scene was a growth of karaoke lounges that served as

fronts for gangs to offer sex with underage girls. These tended to be school students or recent school

leavers who did this kind of work part-time, usually without their parents' knowledge. There was also a need for HIV/AIDS education because of ignorance of the fact that sex workers were a vulnerable group and a high risk for contracting AIDS. All of this gradually

led to the offering of a set of integrated services, which continue today.I was with Action for REACH OUT at its birth

– when it was still a tiny seed in my heart. Today the organisation continues to fl ourish and it is as if the seed has grown into a strong and steady tree bearing lots of fruit. It is now an organisation that is very well known and respected by sex workers, government departments and international organisations. Many of the staff involved and the women availing of the services are different but the vision remains the same – 'that for the advancement of society, every individual's personal freedom, dignity and basic human rights should be protected and promoted'. •Sr Ann Gray is from West Lothian, Scotland. After training as a teacher she went to Africa as a lay missionary before joining the Columban Sisters in 1977. Her fi rst assignment was to Hong Kong. She served as Congregational Leader on the central leadership from 2011 to 2017.

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8 FAR EAST - MARCH/APRIL 2019 1918 - 2019 OVER 100 YEARS OF PUBLICATION

Fr Chris Saenz writes about the polarisation of American society over the issue of immigration and wonders how his grandfather, an illegal migrant from Mexico, would have fared today.

W hen I was ordained in the year 2000 I envisioned myself serving on the foreign missions for my entire life eventually dying

"with my boots on." However, last year I found myself returning home after 17 years in Chile, South America. It was hard to leave a land and people that I had come to consider as my own. Yet, a sense of urgency came over me as I entered into my home mission.

I was confronted by a nation that had completely changed since I left it in 2000. The social and political climate has become very polarised. And one of the central issues of the polarisation is immigration. I found myself looking to the past and fi nding guidance from my deceased grandfather, Augustine Ramirez. Auggie, as many called him, was born in Leon de Mexico and came to the USA illegally when he was an adolescent. He was a migrant worker for many years. Eventually, he settled in Topeka, Kansas, where he became a city bus driver. There he married my grandmother Maria de Jesus (Jesse)

and began a family. In time, he began his own janitorial business and worked in the business until he was 92. He passed away in January 2011 at the age of 96.

At his funeral an elderly gentleman, Billy Gomez, came forward to tell me a story about riding my grandfather's bus route to and from school as a young boy. One day Billy was very sick and on the way home he lost consciousness. When he woke up, Billy was at the front door of his house. My grandfather, breaking city regulations and risking being fi red, had driven off his bus route several blocks on the side streets to deliver Billy into the arms of his mother. It was similar to Jesus healing the crippled man on the Sabbath (Matthew 12: 10-15) violating the Sabbath laws. Like Jesus, my grandfather believed compassion was not limited by law.

Today, my grandfather's experience would describe the reality of the many DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) "dreamers" living in the USA. Although blessed with a long and healthy life, for many years he lived in fear of being deported. He had come to consider the United States his home. He was an avid Kansas State Wildcat football fan and wore the purple and grey (K State's colours) with pride. He paid taxes and social security for decades knowing that as an illegal he would never receive those benefi ts. What terrifi ed him most was the possibility of being separated from his family.

A grandfather'slegacy

01

USA


Therefore, after being more than 60 years in the country and having suffi ciently comfortable economic circumstances allow him to pay for the naturalisation process, my grandfather took the fi rst steps to become a US citizen. Finally, in 1994 at the age of 80 he was sworn in as a US citizen.

Given my grandfather's legacy, and the biblical imperative to welcome the stranger and foreigner (Exodus 22: 21; Deuteronomy 10: 19; Matthew 25: 31-46), I felt compelled to direct my pastoral efforts in my home mission to accompany our brothers and sisters from other lands. Currently, I visit Hispanics in a local jail who have been detained by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) for illegal entry into the USA. Many had escaped violent and diffi cult economic situations, looking for a better life for themselves and their families. One such example is Juan from Guatemala. Juan had witnessed his grandmother murdered by gangs as a young adolescent. The gangs tried to recruit him; "join or die" was the motto. Having no family left in Guatemala and no security, Juan left his home country to join his family in the USA where Juan found work in restaurants and construction. He committed no crime. But one day, while driving, Juan's tyre went fl at which resulted in him having a minor car accident. The police asked for documentation, and not having any, Juan was detained. He pleaded for asylum but, unfortunately, was deported back to Guatemala. I don't know what happened to Juan, but I always pray for his safety.

Juan's story is like many others I have heard. I can't ignore their plight. Bringing compassion to a diffi cult situation is my grandfather's legacy, and a Columban priority. •Fr Chris Saenz is a native of Bellevue, Nebraska in the US. He was ordained a Columban missionary priest in 2000. He spent seventeen years in Chile where he was involved in spiritual direction, retreat work, giving workshops and in the formation of Columban seminarians. In September 2017, Fr Saenz returned to the US and is currently assigned to the Hispanic Ministry of the Columbans.


Given my grandfather's legacy, and the biblical imperative to

(Exodus 22: 21; Deuteronomy 10: 19; Matthew 25: 31-46), I felt compelled to direct my pastoral efforts in my home mission to accompany our brothers and sisters from other lands.

detained by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) for illegal entry into the USA. Many had escaped violent and diffi cult economic situations, looking for a better life

was deported back to Guatemala. I don't know what happened

Juan's story is like many others I have heard. I can't ignore their plight. Bringing compassion to a diffi cult situation is my grandfather's

for themselves and their families. One such example is Juan from Guatemala. Juan had witnessed his grandmother murdered by gangs as a young adolescent. The gangs tried to

which resulted in him having a minor car accident. The police asked for documentation, and not having any, Juan was detained. He pleaded for asylum but, unfortunately,

01. Fr Chris Saenz as a young student with his grandfather Augustine (Auggie) Ramirez prior to his death in 2011 aged 96.

02. Columban missionary Fr Chris Saenz today. 03. Augustine (Auggie) and Maria de Jesus (Jesse) Ramirez on their

wedding day.

02

Clarification - Wonders of Waste Bags The Far East is happy to clarify that Helen Mitchell, who runs WOW Bags, the ecological livelihood

project in the Philippines which we reported on in the January/February 2019 issue, is a lay missionary.

“What terrifi ed him most was the possibility

of being separated

from his family.”

03

Imet a very courageous and determined girl sometime in 2005 in Ozamiz City. MaryJoy Tabuco is the eldest of four siblings. She was born in 1992 in San Jose, Mahayag,

Zamboanga del Sur. During her teenage years, MaryJoy helped with the rice seed cultivation in Tambulig and the promotion of organic agriculture. Tragically, her father was killed by her uncle in Tambulig, for no apparent reason - they had all been having fun as a family and then it just happened.

After the incident her mother decided to marry again and she went to live with her new husband. MaryJoy decided to study in Ozamiz School for the Deaf and Columban

missionary Fr Oliver McCrossan provided fi nancial support for her education.

MaryJoy continued to live in Ozamiz without any of her family until she fi nished at La-Salle college. Unable to see her mother or her brothers and sisters, life was not easy for this young girl. Living with someone she wasn't related to wasn't easy, but she did it.

When she started university, she went to Tacloban City to study for a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She had fi nancial support from another priest.

In November 2017, MaryJoy decided to go back in Ozamiz City to look for a job. She worked at Carmela's cakes and pastries for a salary of P175.00 ($3.35) per day from 9am in the morning until 5pm in the afternoon. She started renting a small room at Annex, Ozamiz City for P1,800 ($51.4) every month. MaryJoy's job is not permanent even if she had been able to fi nish her college degree.

Last month, she visited 'Pedalling to Live' and 'Green Shelter Inc' and we had a chat about some new

a quiet house

philippines

01

Virgenia O. Vidad runs 'Pedalling to Live' in the Philippines, a project founded by Columban Fr Oliver McCrossan. She recounts how they have recently been able to help members of the deaf community.

opportunities for her. We have launched a new programme for the deaf and MaryJoy decided to join it. She received a small amount of capital to build a stall for a small business selling snacks, viands, beverages and other foodstuffs. Every Monday to Friday MaryJoy with her friend Bernard, who is also deaf, sell banana toron, bihon, ice candy, pinakbit. On Saturday and Sunday they sell barbeque hanging rice at Cotta beach.

Another opportunity has also opened up for MaryJoy as one of our new housing benefi ciaries. She will pay P30 a day for the house until she has paid the whole amount of P100,000 for the house. She is now happy in her new house with her neighbours.

Since she is one of the benefi ciaries of the money donated by our project's benefactors, I decided to write about MaryJoy to let people know that thanks to their generosity she has been able to fi nd a quiet home and gain the confi dence to set up a small business on her own. Thanks to all of you who touch the lives of those less privileged. •

To make a comment on this article go to:

facebook.com/fareastmagazine

@fareastmagazine

01. MaryJoy availed of a small grant from 'Pedalling to Live' for those who are deaf which enabled her to set up a small stall selling snacks and drinks at Cotta Beach. She runs this with her friend Bernard who is also deaf.

02. Virgenia O. Vidad (1st left) who manages the 'Pedalling to Live' programme and the 'Green Shelter' farm with participants and Columban missionary Fr Oliver McCrossan.

03. MaryJoy prepares banana toron which is one of the products she sells at her stall. She has benefitted from the 'Pedalling to Live' housing programme.

opportunities for her. We have launched a new programme for the deaf and

02

03

Celebrate the Columban Centenary!

‘A Mad Thing to Do’ recalls 100 years of an extraordinary

movement – the Missionary Society of St Columban.

Be inspired by the stories of dedication, vision and

selfl essness of Columban missionaries in this fascinating

account by Fr Neil Collins. To order your copy contact: Mission Offi ce, St Columban’s, Widney Manor Road, Solihull B93 9AB

Tel: 01564 772 096 • Email: offi [email protected] • Order online at www.columbans.ie

£15+ P&P


myanmar

Every family in Kachin State in North-eastern Myanmar seems to be affected by drug/alcohol addiction. For over 60 years this area has known only war as

the Kachin Independence Army and the Burmese Military battle for control of this resource-rich state. As in all military conflicts it is the ordinary poor people who suffer most as they struggle to make a living.

People are poor and live mostly by subsistence farming or by working in the jade mines. Many people are killed each year in landslides at these unregulated mines. After the latest upsurge in the conflict in 2011, over 130,000 had to flee their villages and now live in camps for internally displaced people. This area is also the greatest source of heroin in South East Asia with many poppy plantations in remote areas. The drug and jade barons get rich while many poor young people become addicted to heroin and opium. These drugs are cheap and easily available.

I first met Zau Lat just over a year ago. He was a volunteer at the Rebirth Rehab Centre in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State. The centre was founded in 2015 by the Catholic Diocese of Myitkyina to try and respond to the drugs epidemic. Zau Lat like many young people started

experimenting with drugs and alcohol when he was a teenager. He had no work and his options were to help his family make traditional alcohol or work in the jade mines. At 26 years of age he came to the centre because he was tired of 'using', his life had become unmanageable. His family were tired of him and wanted him out of the house.

At the centre he received the medical treatment he needed and started taking the anti-retroviral drugs that he would need to deal with his HIV+ status. He ate well, attended all the sessions and he began to gain weight and strength. He relapsed shortly after finishing that first programme. He returned for the third programme and when it was over he volunteered at the centre. That is when I met him. He looked strong, however he was still 'using' secretly and his addiction still had control of him.

That first day I met him he looked at me a little suspiciously. I remember him because he ran over to take my bag but he didn't speak. I guess he was wondering who this strange big foreigner with a beard was.

I began to meet with him and six other recovering addict volunteers. Of course my language is very limited but by the grace of God one of the guys spoke good English and helped me with translation. Our meetings were in the afternoon at 2pm. It was June and it was hot and everyone struggled to stay awake, including me. Zau Lat in particular struggled. One day as I was talking his head suddenly hit my shoulder as he had fallen fast asleep. It was not very encouraging. If they were to have any

Fr Eamon Sheridan writes about a life-giving support programme which the Church offers drug addicts in Myanmar's Kachin State.

01

0202

recoveryIS possibleanywhere


chance of receiving the message the time of our meeting would have to be changed. We moved to 7am in the morning. This was much cooler and people were awake but they were not sober.

At these meetings they shared their stories of addiction and the hopeless place it had led them to. They shared their fears about the war and about feeling they had no future. There was a lot of pain and hopelessness in their sharing. Zau Lat also shared with me. "Wajau (Father) I have messed up my life; I am 27 years of age and I have been a heroin addict for more than 10 years. I have no job, my family doesn't trust me and want me out of the house, and I am HIV+. I came here because I have nowhere else to go and I am afraid I'm going to overdose and die. But I can't seem to stop," he told me. "If you are really tired and are willing to do anything to stop, then there is a solution," I told him.

I began to introduce him and the others to the spirituality of the 12-step programmes of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, to the concept of powerlessness and the need to surrender to a higher power. I told them that they only had to stay sober for these 24 hours and that tomorrow was another day. The centre offers programmes such as self-awareness,

personal leadership, and cognitive behavioural therapy. Zau Lat and some of the others started to stay sober one day at a time.

Three months ago Zau Lat celebrated one year of sobriety. His life has changed dramatically. Over the year he joined a Karate Club and has reached brown belt status. He has been employed by the centre as a staff member. He has made amends to his family. His mother was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer and he has taken leave from the centre to be at home taking care of her. In the midst of her illness his mother is so happy that her son is sober. Just last week he got married. He comes

to meetings and he is staying sober.A year ago none of this was possible for him. Now

there are over 10 people with one year or more of sobriety. Recovering addicts are helping other

recovering addicts and the message of recovery is spreading. Even in the midst of war and

hopelessness recovery is possible for those who really want it.

Financially we operate month-to-month depending on the generosity of local people who are already poor but who give from the little they have because they want to do something about the

scourge of drug addiction. •Ordained 1987, Fr Eamon Sheridan worked

in Taiwan until 2006. He served on the General Council from 2006 until 2012. He was then appointed

parish priest of St Joseph's in Ballymun from 2013 to 2016. In February 2017, he took up his appointment in Myanmar.

The centre offers programmes such as self-awareness,

personal leadership, and cognitive behavioural therapy.

0304

of addiction and the hopeless place it had

me and want me out of the house, and I am HIV+. I came here because I have nowhere else to go and I am afraid I'm going

is spreading. Even in the midst of war and hopelessness recovery is possible for those

who really want it.

Ordained 1987, Fr Eamon Sheridan worked in Taiwan until 2006. He served on the General

Council from 2006 until 2012. He was then appointed

“At 26 years of age he came

to the centre because he was

tired of using, his life had become

unmanageable.”

01. Zau Lat and his wife on their wedding day surrounded by family and friends and Columban missionary, Fr Eamon Sheridan.

02. After exchanging their vows, Zau Lat and his wife pose for a photo with the priests who concelebrated the ceremony.

03. Fr Eamon Sheridan with some of the recovering addicts who are participating Rebirth Rehab Centre in Myitkyina, Myanmar.

04. A day out for those young men seeking to recover their life and self-worth and complete their rehab from heroin addiction.

If you would like to support Fr Eamon Sheridan's work, please send your donations to the Mission Office, St Columban's, Widney Manor Rd, Solihull, West Midlands, B93 9AB. Make your cheque or draft payable to 'Columban Missionaries'.Alternatively, you can donate online at www.columbans.co.uk or call 01564 772 096.


taiwan

cherish the youngBae Sihyeon Teresa is a lay missionary working with Taiwan's indigenous Atayal people. She highlights some of the challenges young Atayal girls face if they wish to further their education.

I live and work in a mountainous area of Taiwan among the indigenous Atayal tribespeople. I am happy here and I thank God for the privilege

of such a life. The majority of the people are pomegranate and orange farmers. They also cultivate a variety of vegetables which they sell. Although husbands and wives share the work, it is women who do the most to generate an income. This may be due to the fact that from antiquity, men were mostly engaged in hunting and seldom contributed to work on the land or in the home. The men who do not work on farms go to the city for contract work or ordinary jobs. They hardly ever help out at home because they consider domestic work to be solely the domain of women.

Women take care of managing and educating the family. Often, as the children progress through school, the more advanced level of education is beyond their mothers' capabilities. Chatting to some of the mothers after Mass on a Sunday, you'll often hear them complain of being exhausted as they gripe about their husbands' lack of support and the fact that they have to take care of the children all on their own. Frequently these women are unable to attend Church on Sunday because they are so busy trying to make a living. It's a sad situation.

When these women pray, they always begin with

a prayer of thanksgiving and praise to God. This has made a big impression on me. However, I worry about how their deep faith and close connection with God can continue to grow in the present circumstances.

One night I got a telephone call from a young mother. It was her third time calling me that day. The fi rst call was an inquiry about the next day's liturgy; the second call was to ask about my personal welfare. In the third call, she didn't say a word but simply cried on the phone. Due to my defi ciency in the Chinese language I was unable to offer appropriate words of comfort to her about her situation. I am saddened by the fact that I was unable to help to her, especially since she had made the effort to get help.

In this mountainous area there is only a primary school. Those students who want to continue on to middle or high school must move to the city and get lodgings away from their families. There is, for the most part, no protection or supervision by parents or elders of the young students. As a result, they are exposed to, and fall prey to, the temptations of alcohol, smoking and sex. Many of the girls become pregnant in high school and don't get to graduate due to the demands of their pregnancy and the challenges of caring for a baby. Consequently, their long cherished hopes for their lives are severely curtailed.

Furthermore, high divorce rates, as well as unwholesome family situations, result in problems passing down from one generation to the next. During my two-year stay here, out of the scores of pupils I've met, just two female students attended university.

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151918 - 2019 OVER 100 YEARS OF PUBLICATION

I know one high school student who has three younger sisters. Her mother has been married and divorced several times and has children from all of these unions. However, the burden of supporting these children was placed on the shoulders of this high school student and her aged grandmother. Due to the lack of family resources, the student frequently missed school in order to work. An intelligent and multi-talented young woman, if she only had some family support, she could become anything she wanted to. It is really upsetting that there is nobody to help her with this burden and enable her to concentrate on her studies and realise her dream of attending university. Children and adolescents are God's gifts, our happiness and our hope. If we want them to grow up and reach their God-given potential we have a responsibility and an obligation to help them. •Bae Sihyeon Teresa is a lay missionary from South Korea who has been assignedto Taiwan.

Images: Shutterstock.com

I know one high school student who has three younger sisters. Her mother has been married and divorced several times and has children from all of these unions. However, the burden of supporting these children was placed on the shoulders of this high school student and her aged grandmother. Due to the lack of family resources, the student frequently missed school in order to work. An intelligent and multi-talented young woman, if she only had some family support, she could become anything she wanted to. It is really upsetting that there is nobody to help her with this burden and enable her to concentrate on her studies and realise her dream of attending university. Children and adolescents are God's gifts, our happiness and our hope. If we want them to grow up and reach their God-given potential we have a responsibility and an obligation to help them. •Bae Sihyeon Teresa is a lay missionary from South Korea who has been assigned

Images: Shutterstock.com

01. Organising activities for young members of the Atayal community.

02. Lay missionary Bae Sihyeon Teresa with some of Taiwan’s indigenous Atayal young women.

02

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I fi rst met Mr Ikehata when Rev Tesshu, a Buddhist priest, took Fr Bede Cleary and me to meet him on a hot summer day. The four of us were sitting

round a low table in the tatami room and in no time at all the conversation was about the Holy Spirit. I

remember marvelling at the wonder of it: a Shinto druid, a Buddhist priest and two Catholic priests

sitting around talking animatedly about the Holy Spirit.

At that time I was living in a small house in the mountains and because it hadn't rained for many weeks

I had no water. I used to go down to the river at the foot of the mountain to bathe. I quite enjoyed that but by the

time I got back up to the house I would be lathered in sweat again. One day I got word that Mr Ikehata had heard of

my plight from Rev Tesshu. He had built a place for spiritual renewal and was offering it to me.

It consisted of three huts, an ordinary dwelling house, a large tatami room for meetings, and

another two-story prefab building, in a spa-water area. He was making all of this available to

me because he considered inter-faith dialogue important. This would be the place to which I could

invite people for meditation and retreat. For me the communication or dialogue that takes place

through silence is most real.Mr Ikehata's health was not good. Indeed

that is why he had had to abandon his dream of setting up and running this renewal centre.

I used to visit him from time to time and our conversations were always of great interest to me. His illness grew worse so that he had to be confi ned to hospital. There, he once confi ded that he loved my visits because I was the only person with whom he could talk about God.

As his condition deteriorated his wife asked if I could get him into a

hospice for the dying. (There are few hospices in

Japan because they are too explicit a

recognition of death: the

interfaith dialogue

“do not be afraid"In the second of our series on interfaith dialogue, Fr Seamus Cullen recalls how he, a Catholic priest, came to give the eulogy at the funeral of a Shinto priest in a Buddhist temple.

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state-run hospices are euphemistically called Relax-Care Centres.) We succeeded in gaining Mr Ikehata a place in one such centre: after a tedious seven-hour drive and with the help of a supply of oxygen we fi nally got there. It was good to see the happiness on Mr Ikehata's face once he was installed in his room.

On the wall directly opposite his bed there was a crucifi x and I often saw him make the sign of the cross when the going was rough. My own commitments did not permit me to visit him very often until I had a message from him that he thought his remaining time was short. I spent the last four days of his life with him. How often he thanked me for getting him into the hospice. We laughed a lot too. We talked about heaven and I read from the Christian Bible for him, especially the passage from St John where Jesus says: "Do not be afraid. Believe in God and believe in me. In my Father's house there are many mansions."

The pain-control medication was increased and we all knew he might go into a deep sleep and never regain consciousness. But some hours later he would wake up and be surprised that we were still around; I think he was expecting to wake up in a different place. This happened three times and on the third time he said to me with a note of complaint in his voice, "I went up there three times and three times they turned me back."

He died peacefully shortly after midnight on Easter Thursday night. I had settled myself on a chair and was reading one of the gospels. I called his wife when I noticed a change in his breathing and shortly afterwards

he slipped away quietly. I was intrigued to notice that the fi rst thing his wife did was to open the window slightly so that his spirit would not be trapped in the room. This is one of my friend's beliefs that would not make a lot of sense to me, but these things don't matter. He would be the fi rst to say that it wasn't what the human being could verbalise that was important for unity, but rather the awareness of that which could not be expressed.

His funeral was held in a Buddhist temple and presided over by a Buddhist priest. I consider it a rare honour that I was asked by the family to speak the eulogy. Imagine a Catholic priest speaking the eulogy at the funeral of a Shinto priest in a Buddhist temple! I don't know what the congregation were thinking, but when I was giving Mr Ikehata his last cigarette, or later supplying oxygen and helping take the phlegm from his throat, I couldn't help thinking that this surely is a dialogue where God is also involved. •Fr Seamus Cullen was ordained in 1966 and has lived in Japan since 1967, apart from a short period when he was assigned to New Zealand. Over the years he has worked in a number of Catholic parishes, but his passion is interfaith dialogue.

02

“This surely is a dialogue where God is also involved.”

01. Japanese Pagoda with cherry blossom. Photo: Shutterstock.

02. Fushimi Inari shrine, one of the main Shinto shrines in Kyoto, Japan. Photo: Shutterstock.



Reflection

We can be very grateful to the Apostle Thomas. Often known

throughout history as 'Doubting Thomas', he refused to believe that the Rabbi he had followed for over three years, the one he had seen cruelly tortured and crucifi ed, who was undoubtedly stone cold dead, could now be risen, could be alive. The other apostles, his companions, may be suffering from delusions, but he certainly wasn't. No way! "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my fi nger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe" (Jn 20:24).

Eight days passed and once again when the apostles were all together Jesus came, and this time Thomas was among them. "Peace." He turned to the doubter, but far from rebuking him, he invited Thomas to feel his wounds. "Do not be faithless, but believing." And the apostle, no doubt reeling at the sight of his beloved living Lord, cried out one of the greatest prayers ever said, "My Lord and my God!" In that single instant all his doubts fell away and he believed; here before him was Jesus, risen from the dead.

"Blessed are those," Jesus said, "who have not seen and yet believe." All those innumerable, nameless followers of the Lord

who down the centuries day in, day out, in good times and in diffi cult soul-searing, body-breaking times, believed in him, and loved him. And all of us today who live by faith, and love the One we never see.

Even now, when he is in glory, seated at the right hand of the Father, Jesus bears the signs of his suffering. The risen Lord did not come to the apostles shining in glory, but bearing the wounds of his agony. These wounds are signs of his great love, of his solidarity with us, with our broken world, with all humanity. We are a sinful people, members of a sinful Church. But we are not alone in these dark times of war, disease, destruction, of scandals in our Church. Jesus, risen, glorifi ed and bearing the wounds of his passion, journeys with us 'even in the valley and shadow of death' (Ps 23). He is with us every step of the way saying to us, as he said to Thomas, "Do not be faithless but believing."

We can only endure the sometimes unbearable pain in our life by staying close to the Lord. 'Within thy wounds, hide and shelter me.' And that day will come when like Thomas, our joy too will overfl ow and we will cry out to the Risen Lord, "My Lord and my God!" •

Sr Redempta Twomey

Image: Shutterstock.com

191918 - 2019 OVER 100 YEARS OF PUBLICATION 19 FAR EAST - MARCH/APRIL 20191918 - 2019 1918 - 2019 OVER 100 YEARS OF OVER 100 YEARS OF PUBLICATIONPUBLICATION

Fr Gerard Dunn was born on 15 December 1937 to a well-known Catholic family in Glasgow which had a mineral water business. After his early education, he followed his father into medicine. Having qualifi ed and practiced as a doctor in Glasgow for a short time, he decided to embark on a different kind of healing ministry – as a Columban missionary priest. He came to Dalgan in 1962 and was ordained on 21 December 1967. Because of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Ireland that year, ordinations did not take place in Dalgan. Gerry became the fi rst and only Columban to be ordained on Scottish soil. After ordination Gerry was assigned to Korea. Within a few years he returned home in poor health and spent the remainder of his ministry in Scotland. He was involved in mission awareness but gradually focused more on other ministries, such as promoting the Legion of Mary, leading pilgrimages to various shrines, and ministering to the small Chinese Catholic community in Glasgow. When the Columban house in Glasgow closed in 2005, Gerry, along with Declan McNaughton, moved into St Gregory's presbytery in Glasgow. Gerry will be remembered as a lively conversationalist, witty storyteller and entertaining singer. He was a wounded healer who courageously coped with poor health for many years in a spirit of great faith. His nephew, Fr Stephen, was the principal concelebrant at his funeral Mass at the nursing home on 28 September 2018 and he was joined by some twenty priests, including fi ve Columbans.

Fr Seán F Doherty was born on 22 March 1935 at Knockagulla, Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare. He came to St Columban's, Dalgan Park in September 1953 and he was ordained priest on 21 December 1959. Seán was assigned to Korea and, after initial language studies, he served as assistant on Huksan Island, then in Jang Seung and later in Muan – all in the southern Diocese of Kwangju. On returning to Korea after his fi rst home visit to Ireland in 1967, he served as pastor in Shin Chang, on Cheju Island, and later in Tjang Heung in Chollanamdo Province. In May 1971 he returned to Ireland. Over the next four years he did supply work in Glengormley Parish in Belfast; in Killavil, Cloonloo; Foxford in the Diocese of Achonry, and in Castleisland in the Diocese of Kerry. Then he spent a further four years in Korea from

1975 to 1979 serving as pastor in Hwa Sun near Kwangju. Returning to Ireland, he served as chaplain to the Sisters of Charity in Donnybrook and spent periods in the Cathedral in Monaghan; in Beleek, Co Fermanagh; in the Cathedral in Newry; in Latton, Co Monaghan; in Dromard, Skryne, Killala; in Scotshouse, Co Monaghan; in Lahinch, Co Clare; and in Belcoo, Co Fermanagh. In between these many assignments he spent six months with the Irish Army at the Curragh; a summer as temporary chaplain to the US Army in Frankfurt, Germany; six months with the Irish Army in Gormanstown, Co Meath; and a two-year period with the Irish Army at Finner, Co Donegal. Seán died on Mission Sunday 21 October 2018 at St Columban's Nursing Home in Dalgan Park.

Fr Patrick ('Pat') Joseph O'Herlihy died in St Columban's Nursing Home early on 13 November 2018. Born in Berrings, Iniscarra, Co Cork on 5 August 1933, Pat came to Dalgan in 1952 and was ordained a priest on 21 December 1958. His fi rst assignment was the Philippines. He spent twelve years in Zambales, Luzon, serving in the parishes of Masinloc, Candelaria, Sta Cruz and Coto Mines. After his second home vacation, he was assigned for two years to promotion work in Ireland. This was followed by a six-year term as Director of Irish Chaplains in Britain from 1973 to 1979. In 1980 he was happy to be reassigned to the Philippines and he enjoyed working in the parishes of Novaliches and Morong. Then from 1992-1996 he worked in Tondo, Manila. There he ministered among the workers on the enormous rubbish tip known as 'Smokey Mountain'. This was a truly challenging ministry among the poorest of the poor. Pat was responsible for building a much-needed community centre where the people could meet and discuss their problems. In 1997, he returned to promotion work in Ireland and in 2001 he asked to be assigned to the Dioceses of Cork and Cloyne. From his base beside the Church of Our Lady Crowned in Mayfi eld, Cork City, and with a wonderful committee of dedicated men and women, he organised regular concerts and other events in aid of Columbans. He was a gracious host who loved to welcome visitors.

May they rest in peace.

REST IN PEACE

Fr Gerard Dunn

Fr Seán Doherty

Fr Pat O'Herlihy

OBITUARIES

Image: Shutterstock.com

20 1918 - 2019 OVER 100 YEARS OF PUBLICATION

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01. Seven-year-old Chou Ting-Yu (Beauty) learns the Rosary and surprises lay missionary Sherryl Lou Capili.

02. Chou Ting-Yu passes time by playing some chess.

01

It Was a beauty-full Day! 02

20 FAR EAST - MARCH/APRIL 2019 1918 - 2019 1918 - 2019 OVER 100 YEARS OF OVER 100 YEARS OF PUBLICATIONPUBLICATION

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surprises lay missionary Sherryl Lou Capili. 02. Chou Ting-Yu passes time by playing some chess.


Sherryl Lou Capili recalls how a seven-year-old taught her a lesson about a child's capacity to pray the Rosary.

01

It Was a beauty-full

Sherryl Lou Capili recalls how a seven-year-old taught her a lesson about a child's capacity to pray the Rosary.

W hen I was growing up, I really didn't like reciting the Rosary. I remember the elders in our barangay would visit every year in May

when it was our family's turn to welcome the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary into our home to commemorate the Flores de Mayo, a famous Catholic tradition. The statue of Mary goes from house to house each day and the hosting family welcomes people from the village to come in and recite the Rosary. Sometimes, I would go with my mother and join the group of elders and their children in visiting other houses, not because I liked reciting the Rosary but because I enjoyed being in the company of friends. At the time, I thought that praying the Rosary was boring.

It is over a year since I started serving at the Hope Worker's Centre (HWC) in Chungli City. I work as the immigrants' coordinator and catechist for their children. The group's name is Chungli Association of Immigrants and Families (CAIF). Most of the members are Filipino mothers married to Taiwanese men. In one of our monthly meetings, the mothers expressed a desire for their children to learn how to recite the Rosary. Several months passed and I still hadn't introduced the Rosary to the children. I was hesitant because I thought the kids might feel bored just like I felt when I was the same age as them. I kept on postponing it until it just happened unexpectedly.

One Sunday afternoon, the HWC organised a forum for the immigrants and their spouses. I volunteered to ‘baby sit' the smaller children so they wouldn't disturb their parents in the classroom. For almost four hours, I tried my best to entertain Chou Ting-Yu (she wants to be called Beauty). I convinced her to join the pottery workshop

with some Filipino migrant workers who also serve as volunteers in the church. When she got bored, she played some games and then, to everyone's amazement, Beauty fi nished by reciting the Rosary!

It all started with her "inspecting" the catechism books that I have on my table. She found the colouring book on how to recite the Rosary. I was surprised when she asked me if she could try praying the Rosary with me. Not without some bargaining and complaining (she wanted to give up after saying the fi rst mystery and asked if we could have some snacks fi rst after saying the fourth mystery) we were able to fi nish reciting it, both feeling very accomplished! Everyone in the offi ce clapped their hands and affi rmed Beauty.

I felt so inspired and blessed to have witnessed a seven-year-old girl who was determined to fi nish reciting the Rosary. The experience challenged my hesitation about teaching children how to recite it. Now I feel excited about praying the Rosary with them. In fact, every second Sunday of each month, we arranget to recite it. •

Sherryl Lou Capili is a 37-year old Columban lay missionary from Cavite, Philippines assigned in the Taiwan Mission Unit (TMU) since June 2011. On November 2018, Sherryl was elected as TMU Coordinator. She is also the Society's Invitation to Mission (SIM) contact and a member of the Society's China Mission (SCM) Forum. She is involved in ministry to migrant workers, victims of human traffi cking, immigrants and their families as the Pastoral Coordinator of the Hsinchu Diocese's Hope Workers' Centre.

taiwan

Bible story

Bible Quiz No 75 Winners: Gemma Britton, Glasgow and Muriel Ryan, West Bridgford, Nottingham.

£15 vouchers for the fi rst three correct entries received! Consult your Bible, answer the questions above and send your entry to: Bible Quiz Nº 77, St Columban's, Widney Manor Rd, Solihull, West Midlands, B93 9AB, before 30th April 2019.

1 In Luke ch. 17, Jesus healed ten lepers. How many came back to thank him?

2 In Luke ch. 10, to what group of people did Jesus say, "The harvest is great but the labourers are few"?

3 In Matthew ch. 16, who said of Jesus, "You are the Christ, the son of the living God"?

4 In Mark ch. 9, on what occasion did Jesus' clothes become as white as light?

5 In Luke ch. 4, is it true that Jesus regularly attended a synogogue on the sabbath?

6 In John ch. 11, of whom did Jesus say, "This sickness will not end in death"?

number

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td. I t was time for Jesus to be glorifi ed as the Son

of God. He sent Peter and John into the city of Jerusalem to make preparations for them all to eat

the Passover supper together. "Where do we want to meet?" they asked him. "When you get to the city you will see a man

carrying a jug of water. Follow him into the house he enters and say to the owner of the house, 'The Master asks: Where is the dining-room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples'. He'll show you a large room upstairs furnished just how we need it. That's where you are to prepare the meal."

Later, when they had all taken their places at the supper table, Jesus told them just how special this meal was going to be. "I shall not eat another

meal with you," he said, "or drink wine again until everything has been fulfi lled." Then he took some of the bread, gave thanks and blessed it. He broke the bread and handed it to his disciples, saying, "Take this and eat: this is my body, which will be given for you."

Then Jesus lifted up his cup of wine, blessed it and passed it round, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you. Do this to remember me."

For over two thousand years since, Christians have remembered Jesus in the sharing of bread and wine in Holy Communion. •Read also: John ch. 22.


1. What do you call a blind dinosaur?2. Why was the baby strawberry crying?3. What is a tornado's favourite game

to play?4. What do you get when you cross an

elephant with a fi sh?5. Why are robots never afraid?6. Why couldn’t the pirate learn the

alphabet?

1. A do-you-think-he-saw-us!2. Because its mum and dad were in a jam!3. Twister!4. Swimming trunks!5. They have nerves of steel! 6. Because he was always lost at C!

HA! HA!

We were visiting Grandad for tea last week and he asked what are you learning in skool these days. I told him we have this profesor fellow who is shocking smart who showed us slides about how peeple lived long ago.They needed big fences and ditches because they were afraid of the wild animals and all kinds of things. And you will never guess what it was like in that fayree fort up the hill that you showed us one time. You said fayries lived there and only came out in the middle of the night and that you saw them

one time singing and dancing and having great fun entirely. And I was wondering why this smart profesor fellow said nothing about that? Grandad said I'm not surprised cos if that gent had to be up in the middle of the night like I was when I was your age, and chasin away foxes from baby lambs I betcha he would have seen a lot of things too. And Granny said dont you know some people will always see what they want to see so just fi nish you tea before it gets cold. I just wish it was Grandad giving us those talks in skool....

Competition Winners december 2018

Pudsy's Diry - find the 10 spelling mistakes

ParrotFlamingo

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My dear children, a long time ago when I was your age, we used to sing songs such as 'The Farmer Wants a Wife' and 'Old

MacDonald had a Farm'. For me back then a farmer was a man such as my father who grew crops and looked after the animals on his farm. That idea has now changed since my encounter with the yellow farmer ant. What I am going to tell you may surprise you but read on and you will be enthralled.

As their name suggests, these ants are yellow brown in colour. Sometimes their extraordinary nests extend as far as one metre below ground. Above ground, the beautiful silty soil which makes up their dome-shaped anthills is carried from deep within the earth up to the surface in the mouth of each ant.

What happens below ground is indeed a miracle. The ants farm aphids which live with them in the anthills. Aphids are soft-bodied insects that feed by sucking the juices of plants. A sugary substance

called honeydew is emitted by the aphids after feeding on plant roots. The ants feed on the honeydew. Sometimes the ants even move the aphids to plant roots which contain the best sap. In return for their food, the ants tenderly look after aphids and protect them from predators.

We are surrounded by miracles. Many of these, like the farmer ants are hidden away and out of sight. God in His wisdom does not reveal everything to us but leaves us to explore and learn about life by fi nding out for ourselves. That is even more reason to spend time outside. Imagine what you will learn and discover. The possibilities are endless and like me you might learn new things like Old MacDonald could have been an ant. •

The Yellow Farmer Ant!

By Elizabeth McArdle

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COLUMBANMISSIONARIES

COLUMBANMISSIONARIESMISSIONARIESMISSIONARIES

Pope Francis has declared October 2019 as an Extraordinary Missionary Month. The Justice and Peace Commission for the Archdiocese of Birmingham and the

Columban Missionaries invite you to refl ect on your experiences, celebrating and putting in to action the call to mission for justice, peace and care for creation.

The Columban Missionaries are visiting parishes in the Archdiocese of Birmingham during 2019.

Baptised and SentOur call to be Missionary Disciples

DATE: Saturday 12th October 2019TIME: 10.00am to 5.00pmVENUE: St. Peter’s Catholic Secondary School, Solihull

SAVE THE DATE!All are welcome. Full details of

the event and how to book will be available after Easter.

26941 MISSIONARY DISCIPLES HP AD_V1.indd 1 2/5/19 2:50 PM

A chance to do something deeply satisfying and worthwhile with your life.

are you being called to Columban Mission?

Do you have a dream of doing some service that's pleasing to God… and good for God's struggling people?

Is your faith important to you?

Could God be calling you to be a Columban missionary?

If you see yourself today making a difference and feel drawn to work as a missionary overseas, come and explore the possibilities as a Columban Priest or Lay Missionary.

For Further Information:Fr Denis Carter,St Columban's, Widney Manor Rd,Solihull, West Midlands B93 9ABtelephone: 01564 772 096email: [email protected]: www.columbans.co.uk

Documents

MAGAZINE OF THE COLUMBAN MISSIONARIES04 Thank You Far East Readers! Fr John Boles relates some good news about brothers José and David Ayala in Peru who featured in the article 'A