The Columban commitment to living out Gospel values of justice, peace and care for creation can be seen everywhere we live and work. Examples include campaigning for peace in Korea, tree-growing with indigenous peoples in the Philippines and accompanying migrant workers in Taiwan.
Building on our mission experience here and around the world, we invite the church in Britain to confront injustice in our priority areas of ‘welcoming the stranger’ (migration and refugees) and ‘care for creation’ (action on the biodiversity and climate crises) – through practical action, education, media and campaigning.
The Columbans believe in collaboration. We are active members of many networks and movements, including Pax Christi, Together with Refugees, the Climate Coalition, the National Justice & Peace Network in England & Wales, and Faith for the Climate.
Our Justice, Peace and Ecology team is made up of employed co-workers, ordained Columban missionaries and volunteers:
James Trewby is the Columban’s Justice, Peace and Ecology Coordinator and Education Worker. In this role he helps young people and educators explore the relationship between faith and action, where possible through experience and encounter.
Ellen Teague reports on Columban involvement in JPE issues in the press and on social media and visits dioceses, parishes and community groups to inspire action based on the encyclical ‘Laudato Si’’. This work is part of a world-wide Columban ministry. We are proud to be members of the international Christian movement for peace, Pax Christi International, the Laudato Si’ Movement and the National Justice & Peace Network in England & Wales.
Fr. Edward O’Connell spent many years in Peru accompanying chapel communities, empowering parishioners mostly youth and women, into leadership roles in civil society. For over twenty years, he chaired the Board of Governors of Manuel Duato Special Needs School, which now has over 500 students. He founded the NGO Warmi Huasi, which accompanies children and adolescents in situations of risk, in the township of San Benito on the northern outskirts of Lima and in towns and villages of the High Andes Province of Paucar del Sara Sara in the department of Ayacucho. These students have access to homework and reading clubs and have their own organizations designed to raise their voices about their rights with their local municipal councils. Fr. Ed is presently resident in Solihull where he works, from a distance, for Warmi Huasi. He writes articles and visits parishes in different parts of Britain for weekend services as a way of re-inserting himself into life “back home”.
Fr. Kevin McDonagh, from the West of Ireland, worked on mission in Peru for three decades. There he witnessed environmental problems such as droughts, the impacts of ozone depletion, overfishing and the retreating glaciers in the high Andes. Themes of the environment and ecology became important missionary priorities for him, Columban colleagues in Peru and internationally. He says the publication of the environment encyclical of Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, in 2015 moved him further along the path to “ecological conversion”. In Britain since 2023, he is involved in campaigns to address the climate and biodiversity crises
MaryAnne Francalanza is a sister, Faithful Companion of Jesus (FCJ) from Malta. She has worked for many years in secondary education and young adult spirituality. She is currently director of the FCJ Centre for Spirituality and EcoJustice in London, where she works to create a collaborative space for diverse people of faith to reflect, pray and act for ecological justice.
Jane Lavery is a retired teacher, who firmly believes that Care for Creation – the environment, biodiversity and humans – is the only way to make the world a better place.
Anna Blackman is a lecturer in Catholic Religious Education at the University of Glasgow. She is passionate about furthering the reception of Catholic social thought within Catholic education and is particularly interested in promoting the practice of nonviolence. She has been involved with the Catholic Worker movement for over a decade, both as a researcher and practitioner, and also works with the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative.
Fr. Joe Ryan is a retired priest of the Westminster Diocese having spent 52 years in parish ministry. During this time he’s been keen to support issues of Justice and Peace and for 13 years was Chair of the Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission. He has a strong desire to continue that witness as much as possible, hence his involvement with the Executive of Pax Christi England and Wales, and Columban Missionary initiatives.
Our Vocation for Justice magazine is produced three times a year and features various articles focusing primarily on the two Columban Mission priorities of Biodiversity and Migration. We invite people to subscribe to our JPE e-newsletter and join ‘The Columban Justice, Peace & Ecology Group’ on Facebook.
