Missionary Society of St Columban

Who we are

About the Missionary Society of St. Columban (Columban Missionaries)

The Missionary Society of St. Columban is a Catholic organization working in fifteen countries, with a special commitment to Asia, the Pacific and Latin America.  Columbans are missionaries who go in the name of the Church to announce, by deed and word, the good news of Jesus Christ.

Our specific objectives are:

• To establish the Church where the gospel has not been preached
• To help local Churches grow into evangelizing communities open to all peoples
• To promote dialogue between Christians and those of other religious traditions
• To facilitate interchange between local Churches, especially those from which we come and those to which we are sent
• To help people become fully human, to help establish a world of peace with justice and care for the integrity of creation in solidarity with the poor

We strive to identify with Jesus of Nazareth, who said:

‘He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free and to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour’             (Luke 4:18)

Within this framework, we often find ourselves working with and accompanying people who are suffering great injustices. We believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ demands that his followers – all who are called to fullness of life through baptism – challenge the scandals of poverty and violence.

Called to Communion

At the General Assembly of the Columbans in 2018 a renewed vision for the Society was formed. 

‘We are men and women, lay and ordained, from different cultures and generations, who seek to respond in communion with one another and with all creation to our baptismal call to participate in God’s mission as expressed in the life and ministry of Jesus and in his commandment to preach the Gospel to all nations (Matthew 28: 18-20)’

The Columbans in Britain

We are a group of ordained and lay missionaries together with co-workers, who see ourselves being called to be a missionary presence in Britain, encouraging and listening to the local Church in its efforts to reach out beyond its boundaries for the sake of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Sharing our mission experience, we respond to our call to evangelize in Britain by:

• Raising awareness of and eliciting support for Columban mission
• Working, in solidarity with the poor and the exploited Earth, for justice, peace and the integrity of creation
• Promoting life-giving relationships between peoples of different cultures and religions;
• Facilitating mission for others and the exchange of personnel and resources between Britain and other places where Columbans work

Seeking the signs of God’s Spirit at work in our situation, we engage in mission in cooperation with others of like vision and in openness to what God is doing among us and in our world.