Members of Aontas, a charitable association of seminarians studying for priesthood in Maynooth, visited Dalgan this week to present a cheque for €2,000 to support the training of Columban seminarians.
Aontas (meaning ‘union’ in Irish) was founded in 1989 and since then has raised thousands of euro for the formation of priests all over the world.
This year, members of the group selected the Missionary Society of St Columban as the beneficiaries of their fundraising efforts.
Columban seminarians from the Philippines, Fiji, Myanmar and Korea undertake their studies at the International Formation house in Manila.
It was Philip McParland from Dromore Diocese who suggested the Columbans to the Aontas Committee.
“I did a research presentation last year and that is where I discovered that the Columbans began as the Maynooth Mission to China.”
The President of Aontas told Columbans.ie, “We felt drawn to the Columbans because of the history and connection between Maynooth and the Missionary Society of St Columban.”
He added, “We are all part of the mission to spread the Gospel.”
There are currently 30 seminarians studying for the priesthood in Maynooth at the moment.
Before he began his studies for the priesthood, Philip taught geography for two years in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. “It is where Hong Kong meets the mainland. So, when the Columbans were deported (expelled by the Chinese Communists in the 1950s) they were actually deported through that city.”
Philip McParland was accompanied by Owen O’Mahony from Waterford & Lismore Diocese. The second-year student is Treasurer of Aontas. Owen worked as a finance manager in the Civil Service for nearly 10 years. His grandmother was an early promoter of the Far East magazine.
The third member of the group was Nicola Tamburrino from Meath Diocese who is a second-year student in Maynooth.
Vice regional director, Fr Padraig O’Donovan, accepted the cheque on behalf of the Society and spoke to the three students about the early years of the Maynooth Mission to China and Bishop Galvin and Fr John Blowick’s links with St Patrick’s College.
Fr Padraig already knew Nicola Tamburrino as he had accompanied the Italian on some of his journey discerning his vocation.
“I was working for an insurance company in Navan and got to know Navan parish and the Columbans [in Dalgan]. I worked there for six years and then I met Bishop Thomas Deenihan. I spent my propaedeutic year in the Royal English college in Valladolid, Spain.”
He added, “Ireland is very important for my vocation.”
Nicola has already met Fr Finbarr Maxwell, the current Rector of the Columban seminary in Manila, while he was discerning his vocation.
On Thursday, the trio met Fr Ray Husband, a past Rector of the Columban Seminary in Manila, as well as Ruth Cleary of the Mission Office.