Celebrating 30 years of Columban Lay Missionaries

Nov 5, 2020

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Columban Lay Missionaries (CLM). Vida Hequilan of the Lay Mission Leadership Team in Hong Kong reflects on the significance of this milestone and some of the events connected to it.

In the midst of all the uncertainties and challenges that this year has wrought upon the world and our work as missionaries, it is important to never lose sight of and celebrate the wonderful achievements that we enjoy and that continue to bring us together.

One of those moments of achievement that we would like to invite you to join us in celebrating is the Columban Society’s 30th anniversary of the Columban Lay Missionaries (CLM).

With joy and gratitude, we will celebrate this momentous event in our Society’s history by recalling the humble origins of CLM — from the vision of our Columban founders, Bishop Edward Galvin and Fr John Blowick, to inviting lay peo­ple to respond to the call from God to leave their homeland to go on cross-cultural mission, to the recognition given to the lay missionary movement by the 1970 Society Chapter, to facilitating the interchange of lay people working with the Columban overseas mission between 1982 and 1989, to the establishment of the Columban Lay Mission Programme in 1990 and finally, to being called Columban Lay Missionar­ies in 2005.

We celebrate this milestone by honouring our past, trea­suring our present and shaping our future.

This is an op­portunity for us affirm and recognise the giftedness of our lay missionaries in their response to the signs of the times and their resilience and creativity in facing new challenges in mission.

Through partnership with each other, among ordained, students, priest associates, co-workers and alongside peo­ple of different faiths and cultures with whom we journey, we continue to flourish in our ministry, nourish our faith and strengthen our missionary zeal.

To commemorate the launch of the 30th anniversary, we have created an exciting new logo, designed by lay mission­ary, Jhoanna Resari, that encompasses our journey so far and our hopes for the future. This logo will be incorporated into all our official letters during this year of celebration. 

Columban Lay Mission International Virtual Meeting

The CLM International Virtual Meeting will run from 8 to 14 November 2020 through Zoom.

Paula Sgherza will facili­tate the meeting. She is an Australian and has over 30 years’ experience as an educator and leader in her work as a pro­cess facilitator and is highly regarded for her creative de­sign, contemplative approach and relaxed innovative style.

Each session will be for two hours each day.

Mass of Thanksgiving

Last 6th October, over 100 Columban priests, lay missionaries, students and co-workers from 15 countries joined online for the Thanksgiving Mass to celebrate the 30th Year Anniversary of Columban Lay Missionaries.

Columban Society Leader Fr Tim Mulroy and CLM Central Leadership Team Coordinator Vida Amor Hequilan wrote of this momentous anniversary. You can read their joint letter here: t.mulroy-clm-30th-anniversary-20200923

Support Columban mission here

Share This