As members of the Catholic Missionary Union, the Columban Missionaries are assigned two or more dioceses each year in which to preach the annual Mission Appeal. This is a wonderful opportunity for Columban missionary priests to visit parish communities in England & Wales, to share their experience of cross-cultural mission and to invite support, both spiritual and financial.
In 2026, the Columbans return to Hexham & Newcastle and Arundel & Brighton for the first time in many years, in part because of a certain virus that called a halt to our last attempt to visit in 2020. It is as well that Columbans are accustomed to travelling, because the Mission Appeals over the next year will take them from Berwick-upon-Tweed near the Scottish border to the vibrant town of Brighton on the south coast. The warm welcome they receive at the end of the journey is always much appreciated!
The Columbans are not without friends in these dioceses, where the call of the Church to act for ‘justice and peace’ has found a voice. Some of these relationships date back to the 1960s, when a number of diocesan priests volunteered to join the Columbans for a period of time as ‘associate priests’ in Peru and Chile. Their experience of cross-cultural mission has inspired many since to put their faith into action.
One example of this happened in 2024, when the parish St. Mary of the Angels in Worthing, Sussex, contacted the Columbans to ask how they could support our mission work. As there is a large Filipino population in the parish, they chose to donate generously to a tree growing initiative in the Philippines called ‘Seeds of Change’, led by the indigenous Higaonon tribe and aided by the Columbans. Of greater value, however, was a letter they addressed to the Philippines media, to explain how they were inspired to make the donation because of the “urgent need to heal and to restore our planet”.
The Columbans are active members of the Justice and Peace network in England & Wales and, through this, they have collaborated with many priests and lay people, including Fr. Rob Esdaile, Fr. Raglan Hay-Will and Kevin Burr in Arundel & Brighton, and Fr. Chris Hughes and Fr. Jim O’Keeffe in Hexham & Newcastle. Through the Mission Appeals, we hope to re-kindle these friendships.
Fr. Pat O’Beirne is looking forward to sharing his mission experience in Taiwan, China and Fiji and to expressing his personal thanks to Columban supporters for their generous support. Following this, he will head to Our Lady Help of Christians in West Byfleet, Surrey, on 17th January and then back ‘up north’ to Stockton on Tees on 31st January. Fr. Kevin McDonagh, Fr. John Boles and Fr. Ed O’Connell, all with years of mission experience in Peru under their belts, are also on the road this year, while former Society Leader, Fr. Tim Mulroy, will be making an appearance. Please say “hello” if one of them comes to your parish.
