HONG KONG (SE): “The pandemic is not over. Maybe the physical suffering of Covid is over; however, its impact is still very prevalent in many people’s lives, affecting their families, their communities, and their hopes for the future,” Father Timothy Mulroy, superior general of the Missionary Society of St. Columban, told the Sunday Examiner after the congregation’s International Leadership Conference held in South Korea from March 19 to 31. The conference reminded missionaries to prioritize climate change, migrants and refugees, and helping and listening to people recovering from the pandemic, which they believe will take time.
The conference was a preparatory meeting for the order’s general assembly next year which had been scheduled for 2021 but was postponed due to the pandemic. It is intended that the assembly and its preparatory leadership meeting will take stock of the mission of the Columbans since they last met in 2018, review current world realities and discuss future challenges and opportunities.
“Enlarging the Space of Our Tent”, derived from Isaiah 54:2, was the conference’s theme, which is consistent with the working document produced by the General Secretariat of the Synod at the Vatican, showing that people from different missions can walk alongside each other. The meeting drew priests, lay people and co-workers of the Columban missions from various countries to discuss pressing issues. The society now has priests, seminarians, nuns, and lay members from various countries, including Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, China, Chile, Myanmar, Pakistan and South American countries.
While, of course, they have to try to get on with their normal life, deep in their hearts, they live with their grief and sadness… That is something that they will carry with them for the remainder of their lives
Father Mulroy
The conference’s second day included a Mass in which participants remembered all those who lost their lives as well as those who continue to suffer. Father Mulroy said that although the pandemic is ending and people in many countries are trying to restore life to normal, it is only a “superficial normal.” He explained that, first, even in better-off countries, millions of people are still grieving the loss of a family member because they could not be with them during their final moments or give them an appropriate funeral service. “While, of course, they have to try to get on with their normal life, deep in their hearts, they live with their grief and sadness… That is something that they will carry with them for the remainder of their lives,” he said.
According to him, many benefactors and supporters of the congregation in Australia, Britain, Ireland and the United States lost family members during the pandemic. Father Chris Saenz in Nebraska, United States, who lost his nephew in his 30s to Covid, shared that his parents and grandparents are still grieving.
He pointed out that, on the other hand, in the poorer countries where there were no government subsidies or provisions or healthcare services, a lot of people suffered financial difficulties and loss of business. Young people suffer because their educations have been disrupted for two or three years. The more serious problem is that it is now very difficult for them to go on with their studies as their families may ask them to work to help the family instead of attending college.
The superior general said that in Myanmar, because of the military coup over two years ago and the pandemic, most young people could not resume their third-level or college education. A Filipino missionary has thus set up an education centre for these young people, providing them with online educational opportunities.
“When the mainstream economic world acts like the pandemic is of the past, it’s forgetting that millions of people are still suffering. And that can make people very distressed,” he said. The missionaries pointed out during the meeting that suffering is still here and may linger for years. “It’s not going away. Listening to people and encouraging and supporting them as they try to regain their lives are important. Do not simply dismiss it, nor say the pandemic is over nor that everything is normal,” he said.
Furthermore, migration problems are big challenges that have existed for many years in many countries the congregation serves, such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Chile and Peru.
When the mainstream economic world acts like the pandemic is of the past, it’s forgetting that millions of people are still suffering. And that can make people very distressed. It’s not going away.
Father Mulroy
According to Father Mulroy, a big part of the congregation’s ministry in Chile and Peru at present is to cater for the large number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela and Haiti, after the Venezuelan economy collapsed in the last couple of years, and corruption and natural disasters drove people from Haiti to leave their homes. It is also helping the displaced people in Myanmar who suffered from the coup and the military dictatorship as well as refugees escaping Mexico to the United States.
The priest said the Columban missionaries have been providing displaced people and refugees with shelter, food, and legal resources so that they can get help from governments. Above all, they let them know that God is with the suffering people. “God accompanies them during this time of turmoil, anxiety, and rejection. Many refugees and migrants experience rejection and discrimination. As a result, our society has various centres that encourage and assist these individuals. We also, of course, celebrate the sacraments with them. We pray with them,” he said, adding that this is a spirit of brotherhood mentioned in Fratelli tutti (All Brothers), the encyclical of Pope Francis in 2020.
Another priority of the society today is to educate people about the harmful effects of climate change and the importance of protecting the environment under the guidance of Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato si’, which gives a comprehensive analysis of the world situation and makes suggestions for people’s daily lives.
“We have to help because we see the same kind of suffering happening in so many places as a result of changes in weather patterns,” he said. Father Mulroy observes that a lot of people are being forced out of their homes and out of their traditional way of life because of major changes in the climate. For example, torrential floods in Pakistan last year resulted in tens of thousands of people losing their livelihoods, and huge parts of the country were flooded. Huge forest fires in places like Chile, California and Australia destroyed large segments of the countryside. Severe droughts in South Korea and Taiwan caused water shortages in recent years.
“We see the destruction of natural ecosystems… it’s not just that people suffer or die now, but their children, their grandchildren, and future generations will also suffer,” he said.
On March 18, the conference participants visited the parish of Father James Maginn in Samcheok and celebrated Mass there. The next day, they visited the place where he was killed and his temporary burial place.
The Columbans served in Samcheok parish from 1949 to 1981. Father Maginn was the first pastor and was martyred during the Korean War on 4 July 1950. He had the opportunity to leave the parish but decided to stay with his community. He was arrested on July 2, taken to jail, and shot two days later. He came to Korea in 1936 and was 38 years old when he was martyred.
After the war, a new church was built in his memory. In 2010, an education centre was blessed to mark the 60th anniversary of his martyrdom. The parish is praying for his beatification.
