By Anne Gubuan

Jerry was driving his passenger along the busy streets of Ozamiz City. His son was also seated beside the foreigner. The man was so amused at his son, talking to him in straight English. Jerry didn’t mind the heat of the sun and the strain in his legs from pedaling. He was so full of pride over the fact that his son was talking to the foreigner, amusing him with his intelligence. It is in his six children that Jerry’s hope comes alive.

Fr Oli McCrossan with Jerry's family

Jerry didn’t even finish elementary school. Growing up in a violent home where his alcoholic father frequently beat him he ran away at an early age. That’s why, when he met Wilda and married her in 1996, he vowed to himself never to lift a finger to his wife and children. This was something that he struggled with, raising his family. Most of the time he was scared of his own temper. Whenever he would lay a hand on one of his children, he would feel very guilty.

by Anabelle B. Gubuan

I was a fresh graduate from college and eager to land a job. I applied for a part-time job in Misyon magazine. I came to Father Niall’s office for an interview. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t bite you,’ was his greeting to me, aware of the anxiety written on my face. He asked me how many books I’d read in the past five months. When I said, ‘Six,’ he smiled from ear to ear. I was hired. Since then I got addicted to reading even more.

Father Niall was the only person who encouraged me so endlessly that I didn’t have any choice but to believe him. He kept telling me that I could go further than what I  thought I could only reach. When he told me he wanted me to work full-time for the magazine, I knew it was going to be a great privilege working with a person who was always hungry for knowledge and wisdom — and he was always restless until he shared this with everyone.

Father Niall touched the lives of many people

By Anabelle Badilla

When I was a kid I used to think that Christmas is as simple as exchanging gifts and hanging socks on the wall. The rest of the details like attending dawn Mass and yawning the whole time and helping my mother prepare the Noche Buena were as unexciting and ordinary as fixing my bed each morning. But one day in my adult life, I found out the real meaning of Christmas.