Moving On with Gratitude and Hope

By Arlenne B. Villahermosa

Time flies. September is here. We are reminded by the Catholic church to care for the gift that has been given to us – earth, our common home – by declaring this month as the Season of Creation.

Laudato Si’: On the Care of Our Common Home, Encyclical by Pope Francis, 2015

Pope Francis, in his encyclical Laudato Si’ said, “This sister (earth) now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life.” Thus, the call to address our current environmental issues is urgent. To care for the earth is to care for each other; environmental issues are also social justice issues. So, in this issue, we feature two articles written by Columban priests. One is on creation and the other on “The Impact of Meat Production on the Planet”. We also include stories of social justice where human hearts care for the marginalized in the society.

We join with the earth and with each other.
To bring new life to the land
To restore the waters
To refresh the air

We join with the earth and with each other.
To renew the forests
To care for the plants
To protect the creatures

We join with the earth and with each other.
To celebrate the seas
To rejoice the sunlight
To sing the song of the stars

We join with the earth and with each other.
To recall our destiny
To renew our spirits
To reinvigorate our bodies

We join with the earth and with each other.
To create the human community
To promote justice and peace
To remember our children

We join together as many and diverse expressions of one loving mystery: for the healing of the earth and the renewal of all life.

~ U.N. Environmental Sabbath Program ~

Since the Columban Missionaries are still celebrating its centenary, we are featuring Memories from the Heart of people who have journeyed with us through the years; and the pilgrimage that the Columban Missionaries organized to commemorate the 75th death anniversary of Fr. Vernon Douglas.

The pilgrims with the congregation in Paete, 2018

Remembering is honouring or valuing something that is important, something that gives life, and by doing so, helping us in the direction we are to take in life.

In compliance with the Society’s requirement, the Philippine region has come up with a regional website, columbanmission.org.ph, which will integrate our three existing websites, misyononline.com, Columbans Philippines vocation website and the Columban Lay Missionaries’ blog. All the back issues then will form part of the Archives of the new website. Thus, misyononline.com will foldup its operation at the start of 2019. The next issue, November-December, will be its last publication. When the printed form of Misyon magazine ceased its production in 2008, www.misyononline.com was created alongside the production of CD version. Since then misyononline.com has been publishing its regular issues, every two months, until now. We wish to thank all our readers and followers for your patronage and support through the years. You have been a source of inspiration for the publication’s existence.

We will move on to our regional website with gratitude and hope in our hearts knowing that our work at the communications office will be at the service of mission. We invite you then to visit our new website where you can continue to read our stories, know more about the Columban missionaries and their works and become part of the wider Columban mission.

Philippine Website: columbanmission.org.ph