The Missionary Society of St. Columban ( la, Societas Sancti Columbani pro Missionibus ad Exteros) (abbreviated as S.S.C.M.E. or SSC), commonly known as the Columbans, is a

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

Catholic society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right founded in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1917 and approved by the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

in 1918. Initially it was known as the Maynooth Mission to China. Members may be priests,

seminarian A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

s or lay workers. Fr John Blowick, one of the two founders of the Society, also founded the

Missionary Sisters of St. Columban The Missionary Sisters of St. Columban (commonly referred to as the Columban Sisters, abbreviated as S.S.C.) are a religious institute of religious sisters dedicated to serve the poor and needy in the underdeveloped nations of the world. The ...

to share in their work. The society is dedicated to St. Columbanus. The current international headquarters is in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

Foundation

The Society was founded through the inspiration of

the Reverend The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctly ...

(later

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

) Edward Galvin of Ireland (1882-1956). Galvin had considered serving as a missionary as a young man, but he was dissuaded by the concerns of his parents over such a life. He entered St Patrick's College (usually called Maynooth Seminary) near

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

to study for the priesthood for his native

Diocese of Cork The Diocese of Cork was established in the seventh century. The diocese of Cork was one of the twenty-four dioceses established at the Synod of Rathbreasail on an ancient bishopric founded by Saint Finbarr in the sixth-century. On 30 July 1326, P ...

, and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

in 1909. Due to an oversupply of clergy for that diocese, his bishop suggested that Galvin offer his service in the United States, until such time as there would be an opening in Cork. Galvin followed his advice and went to the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn The Diocese of Brooklyn is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the U.S. state of New York. It is headquartered in Brooklyn and its territory encompasses the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, where he was assigned to Holy Rosary Parish. While serving there, Galvin came to know John M. Fraser, a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

priest, who stayed there while en route back to China. Galvin shared with Fraser his interest serving in China. Galvin told Fraser that he had read everything he could about that nation in the Brooklyn Public Library and asked to accompany Fraser back to China. Fraser discouraged Galvin's interest but finally told him that he would need the authorization of his bishop for this action. Galvin wrote and received this permission. Galvin departed for China on 25 February 1912.

Mission to China

Galvin first traveled to

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada, to meet Fraser. Together they traveled across the country to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, where they set sail for China on the RMS ''Empress of India'' (1890). He then began to serve in

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...

(then spelled ''Chekiang''), where he spent the next four years. During that time, Galvin was appalled at the poverty and began to request help and assistance from his connections back in Ireland. He was even more appalled by what he called their 'spiritual poverty'. Here were millions of friendly and industrious people who, because of the lack of missionaries, knew nothing of Jesus Christ. He was joined in 1916 by two other priests, Frs. Patrick O'Reilly and Joseph O'Leary. The three soon realized that some kind of organized effort would be needed to adequately deal with the situation. His new colleagues urged Galvin to return to Ireland to establish a new missionary Society. Galvin was hesitant but eventually felt called to take this step.Columban Fathers "Columban History in China"
In June 1916, Galvin through to the United States on his way back to Ireland. He met with bishops and priests everywhere he went, presenting his proposal. He found general support and encouragement. He arrived in Ireland that August, where he proceeded to his alma mater, Maynooth, and began to recruit among the seminarians there for his proposed society. A local Curate, Thomas Roynane, introduced Galvin to one of the seminary faculty, John Blowick, who agreed to join the endeavor and was to prove an important contributor to the development of the Society. Within two months of his arrival, Galvin had recruited five more priests, bringing the new Maynooth Mission to China to a total of eight members.

The Society

Galvin then presented his proposal to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

, which gave its blessing. Galvin and Blowick spent 1917 laying the foundations for the society. Formal approval for the group, now named the Society of St. Columban, was given by Rome on 29 June 1918, and a new seminary was immediately founded in Ireland to train new members for the missions. In the United States, a house soon was opened near Omaha,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, where another seminary was opened within a few years. The Society grew to number 40 priests and 60 seminarians by 1920. Galvin then led the first band of the Society to open their mission in the

Hanyang District Hanyang District () forms part of the urban core of and is one of 13 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, China. Currently, it is a district and stands between the Han River (right/southern bank) ...

(modern day

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city an ...

, China). Galvin was named Apostolic Prefect of the Apostolic Prefecture of Hanyang by the Holy See in 1923 and later made the

Apostolic Vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chur ...

of the promoted Apostolic Vicariate of Hanyang in 1927, with Galvin being consecrated as its titular bishop (it became a diocese under him in 1946, suffragan of

Hankou Hankou, alternately romanized as Hankow (), was one of the three towns (the other two were Wuchang and Hanyang) merged to become modern-day Wuhan city, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers whe ...

). As they began their work, the missionaries encountered various calamities to which the region was subject, ranging from famines to flooding. They also soon found themselves in the middle of a civil war between the forces of the Guominjun Nationalist Army and the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

, which lasted for the next three decades. This social instability allowed

warlord A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...

s to flourish and mission stations were routinely threatened by bandits. Supplies were often stolen en route and mission workers were frequently kidnapped. On 15 July 1929, Communist Army bandits captured Columban Fr Timothy Leonard. After a few days as a prisoner, they murdered him. Others, though, were taken captive and released, but one, Father Cornelius Tierney, died after three months of harsh captivity. In the fall of 1932, Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist republican troops began attacking the Communists with a vigor never seen before. The Communists fell back on all fronts, and, once more, people could move about with relative safety. "The reign of terror," wrote one Columban, "far from weakening the appeal of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in this area, seems to have strengthened it." It was an extraordinary time as thousands expressed a sincere desire to enter the Church. In 1933, the Holy See designated a new territory for the Columbans and Fr Patrick Cleary was appointed in charge of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nancheng (in

Nancheng County Nancheng () is a county of eastern Jiangxi province, People's Republic of China. It is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Fuzhou. Historically it has been known as Jianchangfu (Kienchang) (). Administrative divisions In the ...

, south of Hanyang). The Japanese invasion of China in 1937 saw the Society challenged to care for both civilians and soldiers, as major outbreaks of Cholera swept the populace. This was soon followed by the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, when members of the Society from the

Allies of World War II The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy ...

had to be repatriated or face house arrest. The war had just ended when it became clear that Communist forces under

Mao Tse-tung Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (P ...

would soon defeat the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek. In 1946, the Holy See entrusted a new mission, known as Huchow, to the Columban Fathers. Three years later, the Communists took over this area, and, before long, they were in control of all of China. Several Columbans were thrown into jail and eventually all the Columban priests and Sisters were expelled. Bishops Galvin and Cleary were expelled in 1952. By 1954, every one of the 146 Columbans serving in China was "expelled forever." On 19 September 1952, a weary, haggard man stumbled across the Communist China border into British concession enclave

. Forty years of heroic missionary service had ended; Bishop Galvin was even branded a "criminal." Three-and-a-half years later, death came quietly for this great Catholic missionary.

Extension of the mission beyond China

From 1929 onwards, the Society extended its mission to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

(1929),

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

(1933),

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

(1936) and Japan (1948). The Society was active for many years in Australia, mainly in support of the mission to China. When mainland China was closed to missionaries in the 1950s, the Society responded to the urgent call from Latin America and Columbans went to new urban settlements in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. The Society also responded to the missionary needs of the Church in Fiji (1952). Still more recently, the Society has gone to

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

and

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

. Due to diminishing resources, the Society had to withdraw its commitment to Belize, Jamaica and Brazil. Columbans first went to

in 1979 at the request of the Bishop of

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

in Punjab Province and in 1983, the Columbans began to work in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Hyderabad The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hyderabad (Lat: ''Dioecesis Hyderabadensis in Pakistan'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan. History The Diocese of Hyderabad was created by the Bulla "Eius in Terris", dated ...

Sindh province Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

Notable Columbans

9424Saint Columban Parish Church Olongapo 26

Superiors general

''(from

unless otherwise mentioned)'' *Bishop Edward J. Galvin (founder, see above, also first bishop of

Hanyang Hanyang may refer to: China *Hanyang District (漢陽區, 汉阳区, ''Hànyáng Qū''), Wuhan, Hubei :*Hanyang Arsenal (漢陽兵工廠), founded in 1891 as one of the oldest modern arsenals in Chinese history :*Hanyang 88 (漢陽八八式步槍), ...

) *

Michael O'Dwyer Michael Francis O'Dwyer (28 April 1864 – 13 March 1940) was an Irish Indian Civil Service (ICS) officer and later the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, British India, between 1913 and 1919. During O'Dwyer's tenure as Punjab's Lieutenant Gove ...

, (1924 – 1947) *Jeremiah Dennehy, (1947 – 1952) *Timothy Connolly, (1952 – 1962) *James Kielt, (1962 – 1970) *Richard Steinhilber, (1970 – 1976) *Tony O'Brien, (1976 – 1982) *Bernard Cleary, (1982 – 1988) *Nicholas Murray, (1988 – 2000) *Brendan O'Sullivan, (2000 – 2006) *Tommy Murphy, (2006 – 2012.09.20) *( Australia) Kevin O'Neill, (2012.09.20 – 2018.09.22) *Tim Mulroy (2018.09.22 - ...)

Prelates from their ranks

''(by year of demise)'' *1949:

Owen McPolin Rev. Owen McPolin((임 오엔)) SSC. MA, STL, (1889–1963) was an Irish priest who served on missions to China and Korea. Biography Born in Hilltown, County Down, Ireland, in 1889, McPolin, went to Maynooth College where he was ordained in 1913 ...

(임 오엔), Apostolic Prefect emeritus of Kwoszu South Korea) *1952: Patrizio Tommaso Brennan (안 파트리치오), Apostolic Prefect of Gwangju 광주 (

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

) *1956 Edward J. Galvin (Society founder, see above, first bishop of

April 11, 1946 – February 23, 1956) *1958: Fr. Patrizio Usher, Apostolic Prefect of Bhamo (

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

) *1970:

Patrick Cleary Patrick Cleary (3 March 1886 – 23 October 1970) was an Irish missionary priest who served as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nancheng, China. An educator, he established a seminary in Nancheng. In 1949, the People's Republic of China ...

(利伯高), Bishop of Nancheng 南城 (China) *1970: Thomas F. Quinlan (구 토마), Bishop emeritus of Chuncheon 춘천 (South Korea) *1976: Harold Henry, D.D. (현 하롤드), first Roman Catholic Archbishop emeritus of Kwangju/ Gwangju 광주 (South Korea)(1962-1971) and

Apostolic Administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic adm ...

of Jeju 제주 (South Korea) *1983: Henry Byrne, Bishop emeritus of Iba (Philippines) *1991: Patrick H. Cronin, Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Cagayan de Oro (Philippines) *1994: Thomas Stewart (박 토마), Bishop emeritus of Chuncheon 춘천 (South Korea) *1997: John Dooley,

Apostolic Delegate An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international o ...

(papal diplomatic envoy) emeritus to Indochina *2000: John James Howe, Bishop emeritus of Myitkyina (Myanmar) *2010: James Edward Michaels (권야고보), Auxiliary Bishop emeritus of Wheeling–Charleston (USA)

Other Notable Columbans

*Father John Blowick (co-founder and second superior general) *Father W. Aedan McGrath, missionary to PR China who suffered false imprisonment in the early 1950s *Father James Stuart, who saved the lives of many refugees and American airmen in Northern

during World War II. In appreciation of the valuable service he rendered British and American Intelligence, the "Fighting Father", as he was referred to afterwards, was awarded the O.B.E. *Father Niall O'Brien, missionary to the Philippines who suffered false imprisonment in the “

Negros Negros is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . Negros is one of the many islands of the Visayas, in the central part of the country. The predominant inhabitants of the island region a ...

Nine” case of the 1980s. *Father

Peter Nguyen Van Hung Peter Nguyen Van Hung ( vi, Phêrô Nguyễn Văn Hùng; zh, t=阮文雄, p=Ruǎn Wénxióng; born 1958) is a Vietnamese Australian Catholic priest and human rights activist in Taiwan. He was recognized by the United States Department of S ...

, anti- human trafficking activist in

. *Father Shay Cullen, campaigner for the elimination of child prostitution in the Philippine

and defender of human right

co-founder of the PREDA Foundation *Father Robert McCulloch, an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

who served in Pakistan from 1978 to 2011. He was decorated by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territorie ...

for his services to health and education in 2012. *Father Seán McDonagh SSC, is an Irish Columban missionary priest and Eco-theologian.

Columban Martyrs

*Father

Patrick Thomas Brennan Monsignor Patrick Brennan (1901–1950), was an American born, Catholic missionary priest, killed by North Korean forces in 1950. Patrick Brennan, was born March 13, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois, to Irish parents. He was educated in St Rita's High S ...

, Prefect Apostolic of Kwangju, a prisoner who was killed by North Korean forces, September 24, 1950, along with Fr. Cusack and Fr. O'Brien. *Father Frank Canavan, died in a Communist internment camp in Korea in 1950. *Father Anthony (Tony) Collier (1913-1950), killed by North Korean forces, June 27, 1950, first non-Korean killed during the Korean War. *Father Thomas Cusack, parish priest of Mokopo, a prisoner who was killed by North Korean forces, September 24, 1950. *Father John O'Brien, priest of Mokopo, a prisoner who was killed by North Korean forces, September 24, 1950. *Father Francis Douglas (1910-1943), New Zealand missionary murdered by Japanese soldiers the

. *Father

Rufus Halley Rufus Halley (1944 - 28 August 2001) was a Roman Catholic priest of the Missionary Society of St. Columban who spent more than 20 years promoting ecumenical dialogue between Christians and Muslims in Asia. A native of Killoteran, County Waterfor ...

, missionary to the

, who was murdered in 200
Masked men murder Irish priest in Philippines
*Father Cornelius Tierney kidnapped in China, died in captivity in 1931 *Father Timothy Leonard killed when Chinese Communist bandits attacked his church in 1929 *Father Peter Fallon kidnapped and killed by Japanese forces in 1945. *Father John Heneghan kidnapped and killed by Japanese forces in 1945 *Father Thomas Flynn killed by Huk Communists in 1950 in the Philippines *Father John Walsh, missionary priest, killed in Burma in 1964 by pro-government forces.

Timeline

* 1918 - Formal approval of Maynooth Mission to China * 1918 - Seminary founded in Shurle, Co. Galway * 1920 - First Mission to China * 1921 - Columban house opened in Melbourne, Australia * 1922 - Opening of Columban Seminary in Bellevue, Nebraska, USA * 1927 - Dowdstown House, Navan, Co. Meath, bought by Society * 1929 - Mission to Philippines * 1933 - Mission to Korea * 1936 - Mission to Burma * 1941 - Society moved completely from Shrule to Navan * 1948 - Mission to Japan * 1950 - Malate/Manila Martyrs, Columbans Fallon, Heneghan, Kelly and Monaghan killed in Philippines * 1950 - Columbans Collier, Reilly, Maginn, Cannavan, Brennan, Cusack, and O'Brien killed in

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

* 1951 - Mission to Fiji commenced * 1952 - Missions to Chile and Peru * 1954 - Columbans expelled from China * 1979 - Mission to Pakistan and Mission to Taiwan * 1979 - Columbans leave Burma * 1985 - Mission to Brazil commenced * 1986 - Missions to Jamaica and Belize * 1999 - Mission to US/Mexico Border * 2008 - General Council moves from Ireland to Hong Kong * 2016 - Mission to Myanmar (formerly Burma) reopens * 2018 - Centenary Celebrations

Seminaries

Dalgan Park, Shrule, Co. Galway (1918-1941)

In 1918 the society founded St Columban's College, Dalgan Park, Shrule, on the Galway/Mayo border, as their seminary. The seminary moved 1941 to ''Dowdstown House'', Navan, Co. Meath.

Dalgan Park, Navan, Co. Meath

''Dowdstown House'', Navan, Co. Meath, was bought in 1927 by the Columbans, from the Taylor family, and the Columbans moved in in 1929 before moving completely from Shrule in 1941 and renamed it Dalgan Park. Dalgan Park Navan served as the headquarters of the society until 1967 when it moved to Dublin, and in 1981 it was designated a retreat centre for the Diocese. The Irish Missionaries Union Institute, and the Columban Lay Missionaries are based in Dalgan Park. The Columban Archive is stored at Navan as well. The Columban's ran a parttime postgrad diploma in theology(Education & Religion) and a MA in Theology (Ecology & Religion). The MA in Ecology and Faith was in collaboration with Lampeter College at the

University of Wales , latin_name = , image = , caption = Coat of Arms , motto = cy, Goreu Awen Gwirionedd , mottoeng = The Best Inspiration is Truth , established = , , type = Confederal, non-member ...

in 2009 the course moved to

All Hallows College All Hallows College was a college of higher education in Dublin. It was founded in 1842 and was run by the Vincentians from 1892 until 2016. On 23 May 2014, it was announced that it was closing down, due to decreasing student numbers. The sale ...

and was validated by DCU. The Faith and Mission course for missionaries was run by the columbans from dalgan park was developed with the IMU, it was followed by a course Mission and Justice.

Columban Seminary Omaha, Nebraska

A house was opened in Nebraska in 1918, in 1921 construction began on the Columban seminary in Bellevue, Nebraska. It was dedicated in June 1922 by Archbishop Jeremiah J. Harty of Omaha, and accepting its first students in September 1922.

''Far East'' magazine

''Far East'' was founded in 1918 and is the official magazine of the Missionary Society of St Columban, it is published seven times a year. Founded in 1918, Fr. John Heneghan murdered by the Japanese in Manila in World War II, was the first editor of Far East. In 2016, Sarah MacDonald became the first lay and first female editor of the magazine.Catholic Magazine names its first female editor
by Allison Bray, Irish Independent, 2 August 2016 Other editors have included Dr. Edward (Ned) Maguire (1925-1936), Fr. Daniel Conneely (1936-1965), Fr. Edward Percy Walshe (1970-1977), Fr. Sean A. Dunne (1977-1986), Fr Cyril Lovett SSC (2003-2016), Fr Alo Connaughton(1993-2003), Fr. W.S. McGoldrick(US Far East) and Fr Michael O'Neill SSC (who also edited the in house columban publication ''Columban Intercom''). The Australian and Nebraska Columban Societies publish Far East Magazines. The Far East magazine in the US, was renamed ''The Columban Mission''.

References

Sources

*St Columban's Missionary Magazine
GigaCatholic
*Catholic Liturgical Calendar

* *

External links

International Columban websiteColumban Sisters website
{{Authority control Missionary Society of St. Columban, Christian organizations established in 1916 Roman Catholic missionaries in China Catholic Church in China Catholic missions Societies of apostolic life St Patrick's College, Maynooth