The statue of St. Columban in Bobbio, Italy, where St. Columban established his final monastery.
The Missionary Society of St. Columban, or the Columban Fathers as we’re known in the U.S., is a society of priests dedicated to serving the mission of Christ. Crossing boundaries of nation, language, culture and religion, we seek to preach the Good News to the poor and to challenge the unjust structures of society that exclude the hungry from the table and often force their most vulnerable members into dangerous migrations abroad. Columbans have helped local churches dialogue with other religions and created bridges between groups in conflict, seeking to bring understanding, mutual respect and peaceful resolutions. Columbans are known for their strong commitment to the people they serve, even when to continue to do so may put them at grave risk. Columban priests and Sisters have lost their lives in their willingness to follow faithfully in the footsteps of Jesus.
Our vocations plan for the U.S. Region embraces what we call a “culture of vocations” in which we try to integrate the invitation to mission into all of our ministries and outreach. We encourage every member of the Columban family, whether priest member, employee, benefactor, Affiliate or Companion in Mission, to share this spirit of invitation and boldly speak of this challenging option of following Jesus today as a Columban missionary priest.
The Columbans are a Society of Apostolic Life, meaning we are secular or diocesan priests who have banded together for a specific apostolate, which in this case is global, cross-cultural mission. Columbans may live alone or in community, be involved in parish ministry or religious dialogue, accompany migrants and workers, but their work is always in the context of crossing cultures and of being of service to the poorest of the poor. Not only is our mission cross-cultural but also our Society itself is comprised of members from Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific Rim. We are not a large community, but we have our niche in continuing the effort to move forward the work of God’s Kingdom today.
