Fr Bobby Gilmore asks: Are we in an age in which animals are humanised, humans are animalised, and compassion is a crime? “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes him who sent me…And if anyone even gives a cup of cold water to one of these little...
Many people believe in some kind of ‘God’ that which they worship in their own way, which they make the priority of their actions. It can be money, power, wealth, property, prestige, drugs, alcohol, pleasure, possession, domination, violence, abuse, control. These...
Several years ago, on my first visit to Pakistan I made a big social blunder. A Muslim acquaintance arranged to meet me after breakfast, “at about 8 o’clock”. I naturally assumed that he meant eight in the morning, but he was talking about breaking-the-fast which...
Columban missionary Fr Liam O'Callaghan, who lives in Pakistan, writes about the case of Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman falsely accused of blasphemy. On 29 January 2019, almost a decade after being falsely accused of blasphemy, Aasia Bibi was finally free, when the...
Virgenia O. Vidad runs the Pedalling to Live project which was set up by Columban missionary Fr Oliver McCrossan. She relates how the project has helped Felmar, who has cerebral palsy, to continue his education. I started working for children with disabilities...
In the December issue of the Far East magazine, Fr Barry Cairns recalls one of the most delightful Christmas presents he ever received. In the mission parish of Katase in Yokohama diocese where I was stationed, we had a special catechumenate class for couples where...
Columban lay missionary, Nathalie Marytsch reflects on Advent and suggests that the constant waiting in hope which the asylum seekers at Fatima House in Birmingham go through means every day is Advent for them. When we Christians think of Advent we immediately...
Fr Shay Cullen argues that the greatest violation of human rights in the world today is violence against women and girls. She was only 7 years old. Call her Angelica. She never knew or imagined the sexual violence that was to be done to her by her stepfather...
Fr Mike O’Loughlin pays a personal tribute to the late Fr PJ McGlinchey who died earlier this year. The recent death of PJ McGlinchey brought back a memory of a chance meeting I had with him late one night in the Columban house in Seoul, Korea. I spied him sitting...
On Friday 6 July, we went were among the urban poor in Seoul. We visited both a soup kitchen and St Joseph’s clinic to serve those who are marginalised by society. Throughout the day I could feel God’s presence. He was everywhere. He was in the people we served...