St. Columban Mission for Justice, Peace and EcologyThe US Region of the Columbans stands in solidarity with Annunciation House, a faith-based Catholic organization in El Paso, living out the Gospel mandate to “Welcome the…
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After listening to migrants tell me their stories, I've come to believe that the abuse inflicted on them by law enforcement is the worst kind, the most dangerous and cruel…
While Columbans have long advocated for an end to Title 42, we condemn the Biden administration for replacing it with yet another asylum ban.
In 2019, Columbans started our Migrant Ministry in Ciudad Juárez to welcome and protect migrants and currently we assist between 800 to 1,000 individuals per day.
"At the same time that we celebrate the earth, let us also acknowledge the harm that we are causing to it and dedicate ourselves to making the spirit of Earth Day part of…
The senseless slaughter of migrants slaughter should provoke in us an honesty, whether you’re from Mexico or the United States, to say to yourself, “how am I responsible…
It is a tradition on the border to celebrate the “Posadas”, a reenactment of the Holy Family's journey to Bethlehem. This year it feels like we are living that in real…
HONG KONG - Con motivo de la COP27 de las Naciones Unidas sobre cambio climático en Sharm El-Sheik, Egipto, (6-17 de noviembre) y la COP15 de la ONU sobre…
홍콩 - 이집트 샤름 엘 셰이크에서 기후 변화에 관한 UN의 COP27(11월 6~17일)과 캐나다 몬트리올에서 생물 다양성에 관한 UN의 COP15(7~19 , 12월), 골롬반 선교사들은 가난하고 취약한 환경에 처한 사람들과 상처 입은 지구 모두의 외침에 귀를 기울이는…
It is essential for UN negotiators to listen to the cries of both people who are poor and living in vulnerable conditions and the wounded planet.
At the heart of the Fijian way of life is "Bula Veiwekani." "Bula" means "life" and "Veiwekani" means "relationships."
While midterm elections do not get as much attention as presidential elections, it's as important for everyday people, including Catholics, to participate in this…
What does Catholic Social Teaching have to say about the importance of voting? How can Catholics form their consciences in order to cast a vote that best serves their…
Where does Catholic Social Teaching as a body of teaching come from? What does it mean for the way we live our lives? And what does it mean for the way we should…
It’s our responsibility, as much as it’s our right, to use our moral voices to advocate alongside the earth and its more marginalized children for a more just, sustainable…
If we want to solve the world’s ecological crisis, we have to listen to young people. Decisions must be made with their input, because it will be their generations who…
Los impactos de esta extracción irresponsable de recursos naturales también hacen un daño permanente e irreparable a los ecosistemas en nuestros planeta.
Every day, scientists are learning more and more about how climate change accelerates biodiversity loss, and about how biodiversity loss worsens climate change. Their work…
If the global community wants to better care for creation, we have to first listen to the wisdom of Indigenous traditions, and center their experience and expertise in the…
Our age of ecological crisis is challenging us to act differently: to live more sustainably and to build social systems that prioritize the common good. But this crisis is…
Welcome to the second season of Jubilee for the Earth: Biodiversity and Our Sacred Story.
A basic moral test of any society is how our most vulnerable members are faring. The response of the US government towards Haitian asylum seekers is a clear indications…
The Embroidery Project goes beyond a business, it is a humanitarian project. It serves as a network of support and solidarity. It is a space to weave the pain, the…
Today Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order that demonizes migrants and calls on the Texas National Guard and law enforcement officials to unlawfully return…
On Thursday, June 30, the Supreme Court of the United States released their decision on Biden v. Texas. While we ultimately welcomed the decision, it unfortunately does…
The news from San Antonio that nearly 50 migrants died inside a semi-truck once again reminds our nation of the cruel consequences of our unjust immigration system.
Haitian asylum-seekers are being denying their fundamental right to request safety and are being forced to “remain in Mexico” in life-threatening conditions by the…
The is a common perception that it’s predominantly Central American migrants, but this perception does not match the reality on-the-ground. In fact, Haitian migrants have…
The St. Columban House of Hospitality for Migrants in Santiago, Chile provides food, shelter, lodging, and a welcoming place for the many migrants arriving in Chile.
I believe that conservation begins with conversation - listening to each other, to God, and to all of creation. When we are attuned to the voices of love, justice, peace,…
Each of us has a small part to play in caring for one another, defending the oppressed, and giving aid to the most vulnerable members of creation, which includes our…
uring this Holy Week and Easter season, are we open to the possibility that a transformation might take place in our room, similar to the transformation that the disciples…
History teaches us that pandemics can change things dramatically and Covid-19 will change history dramatically.
Learn the tools to have effective and transformative one-on-one conversations about social justice issues as well as how to organize your community to achieve advocacy “…
Migrants arriving at the US/MX border are often fleeing crippling poverty, environmental destruction, extreme violence, political instability, and other serious threats to…
On April 1, the Biden administration announced the end of Title 42, a public health policy used as pretext to deny asylum seekers their right to safety. But what does the…
After over 40 years of working to protect the environment, what have Columbans learned about how to best care for creation? What lessons can people of faith implement in…
While addressing climate change is urgent, we must also be mindful that our planet and the lives of thousands of species are also in danger because of biodiversity loss.…
The true meaning of our Lenten fast is to stand in solidarity with the poor and more justly distribute the resources of the earth. This message is even more urgent now…
2021 was another challenging year for our sisters and brothers coming to the United States’ southern border looking for refuge. In 2022, the continuation of inhumane…
The twin ecological crises of climate change and biodiversity loss were at the center of international and national discussion for much of 2021. As 2022 gets underway, we…
Those that accompany migrants along their journey know that governments do not always live up to their commitments. Often nonprofit organizations, and especially faith-…
Since detecting the first reported coronavirus (Covid-19 or pandemic) cases, the people in the Philippines are experiencing widespread fear of contracting Covid-19.
On the 24 May the Vatican will invite the entire Catholic Church to embark on an audacious faith-filled, decade-long journey through the Laudato Si …
In Chile and Peru, the Covid-19 pandemic is surging and creating even more suffering for the poor and the vulnerable. The effects of the pandemic go far beyond being…
This week, the Biden administration completes the first 100 days of its administration.
At the beginning of this year, with the inauguration of a new President and the beginning of a new Congress, we shared our advocacy priorities for 2021. This week marks…
On Holy Thursday, we commemorate the last meal Jesus ate before his execution.
When we describe what happened on the first Easter Sunday, we talk about how Jesus “conquered death.” But that language removes the context from Jesus’ death.
When Christians talk about the crucifixion, we sometimes talk about it as if it were inevitable.
When we celebrate Holy Week, we usually forget about Holy Saturday. This is a mistake.
In order to celebrate Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem for Passover, “many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread palm branches that they had cut from the…
As we celebrate Holy Week during this age of ecological crisis, we have an opportunity to begin to imagine this new culture. The life of Jesus and the events of Holy Week…
President Biden hasn’t been in office for 100 days and already the evolving situation at the US/MX border is at the top of his agenda. Over the next four years, the …
Our spiritual traditions are deeply enriched by the spirituality of indigenous peoples rooted in the gift of Creation. As Christians, we know that the joy of Easter is the…
In the face of so much upheaval, Lent may seem like one more challenge to add to this year. How can we pray, fast, and practice charity when we already feel the sting of…
There is no place for violence and the systemic racism that fuels it in our nation, especially when political leaders and the media perpetuate lies and incite assaults on…
Today more than ever we are called to promote a deep care for creation, just social and economic structures, active non-violence in the face of oppression, and a Gospel…
You are invited to study, pray, act and celebrate the power of nonviolence.
In collaboration with our partners at Pax Christi, Columbans are encouraging solidarity…
We are living in the sixth major extinction of life since life began on earth 3.8 billion years ago. The last time something similar happened was at the end of the end of…
Violence in all its forms is sinful because it destroys human dignity and the common good. When violence becomes institutionalized – as poverty, war, racism or…
The Covid-19 pandemic has paralyzed life at a global level in a short period, and made us realise the interconnectedness and fragility of the world we live in. The next…
“Myanmar’s biodiversity is a reflection of the diversity of it’s peoples. And their lives are intertwined and interconnected.”
Where else is the infinite creativity of the Triune God emerging as we move beyond the suffering toward transformation, liberation, and new life? Hopefully some of it is…
I believe it is about time to look after and care for our environment and every creature. Time to take care of our true treasure.
When participating in those Masses does our recalling the memory of Jesus challenge us to go out and get involved in changing society, to stand in solidarity with the…
As Catholic missionaries who have a long history of working in cross-cultural settings around the world, we have seen how police and military violence are used to …
This week, Catholics around the world celebrate the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ ground-breaking encyclical letter on ecology, Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common…
History teaches us that pandemics can change things dramatically. Covid-19 will also change history dramatically.
This reflection on COVID-19 and Easter was written by the Missionary Society of St.
The coronavirus has brought us together as a human family as no other event in recent time. But now we face a future in which the entire planet is impacted by the great…
Columban missionaries have been accompanying communities along the US/MX border for over 25 years. Every day we see how border communities are models of hospitality and…
Columban missionaries have been accompanying communities along the US/MX border for over 25 years. Every day we see how border communities are models of hospitality and…
Columban missionaries have been accompanying communities along the US/MX border for over 25 years. Every day we see how border communities are models of hospitality and…
As Catholic missionaries who have a long history of working in cross-cultural settings around the world, we have seen how police and military violence are used to …
The Synod marks a turning point, a before and after of the Church. It is a ray of light that affirms hope in a time of great darkness. This current historical moment is…
Every morning on the news and every evening, we hear the drumbeats of possible war with Iran or North Korea; we hear, too, the cry of the victims we will likely never meet…
We choose to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence that reflects an inner well-being, just social and economic structures, active nonviolence in the face of…
We invite you to come and see the reality beyond the rhetoric. By taking these nine steps, we hope you will gain a greater understanding of what is really going on at the…
Columbans around the world see how the massive extraction of natural resources is one of the root causes of many other injustices: species extinction, climate change, and…
Extractive industries should respect and support the dignity of the human person, including the right to safeguard the global commons and sustainably develop natural…
Many countries with high levels of natural resource wealth also have higher rates of income inequality. This is known as the “resource curse,” or the “paradox of plenty.”…
Columban missionaries see close-up the growing threat of a massive depletion of natural resources and destruction of the environment caused by Extractive Industries. We…
Throughout the Amazon, indigenous and local communities are being threatened and displaced by extractive industries, like logging, oil, gas, and dam projects, as well as…
Extractive industries are a major contributor to climate change, since they are responsible for extracting the natural resources whose consumption and extraction release…
Extractivism is a short-sighted model of development seen around the world that exploits natural resources on a massive scale, creating significant economic profits for…
Extractive industries visibly tear open the land and pollute the air and water. What starts to go missing with such disruption isn’t as easily seen -- the animals, plants…
Advent invites us to have both the patience of “the farmer [who] waits for the precious fruit of the earth,” but also the urgency and impatience of “the prophets who spoke…
2020 is the second and final year of the 116th Congress. As the entire world becomes more aware of the urgency of addressing climate change, the United States has a moral…
Extractive industries are a bedrock of our current economic model. In order to stop the damage being caused by these industries, we need to reimagine what our economic…
The United States government is forcing people to wait in Mexico while their asylum claim goes through the immigration court process. The President and his administration…
What the world needs from the Church now more than ever is its missionary mindset. By that, I do not mean a new evangelization program.
The urgency to strengthen the role of women in the Church in general and the Amazonian Church in particular was a prominent topic at the recent Amazonia Synod in the…
St. Columban, known for his mystical relationship with the natural world, is quoted as saying, "if you want to know the Creator, know Creation." Today, Columban…
Early Sunday morning, on 20 October 2019, 40 bishops and a hundred or more observers and participants in the Synod on the Amazon took time away from their meetings to…
On September 30, 2019, the third fiscal year of the Trump administration ended. Every year on September 30, the federal government’s annual budget expires and Congress…
The United States is responsible for a portion of the deforestation happening in the Amazon, including the recent fires that made headlines. Many US manufacturers and…
On October 12, at the US/Mexico border, where the Santa Fe bridge divides the sister cities El Paso and Juarez, Mexico, the waters of the Rio Grande flow below, bounded on…
At a time when we are witnessing our government build walls on the US – Mexico border and close the door to refugees and asylum-seekers everywhere, we need to pause and…
The military industrial complex and the fossil fuel industries are connected to one another. In relation to the ongoing destruction of the Amazon rainforest there is one…
It is hoped that the synod may go some way towards achieving what science to date has not been able to; igniting a spark to overcome the political inertia that has…
The first time I connected with the Amazon was a few months after beginning work with the Columban Center in Washington DC. Columban Fr Peter Hughes had traveled from Peru…
The Advocate's Toolbox will show you how to promote justice and the common good. It'll teach you how to leverage your influence as a constituent.
“There is an urgent need to develop policies so that, in the next few years, the emission of carbon dioxide and other highly polluting gases can be drastically reduced” (…
Our faith calls us to stand in solidarity with those who are vulnerable and persecuted. One way we can do that for the courageous people who defend our common home,…
The Synod of the Amazon is not only for Latin America, it is also for us on this side of world, and for the circle of life. It is indeed a Synod for life.
The Synod of the Amazon has a particular interest to me not only because I worked for almost 20 years in two of the nine countries connected by the Amazon Rainforest,…
There’s an important reason why each of us should get involved in the political process: there is a huge gap between what is happening in our local communities and what is…
These tools are ways we can hold our representatives accountable to the needs of our communities. They also reinforce the message of our in-person meeting, signaling to…
Stories are one of the most valuable political tools we have. Effective storytelling will raise awareness, change hearts and minds, mobilize others, and influence policy…
A letter-to-the-editor (or, LTE) is a reader response to a news item ran by a media outlet. Writing LTEs to your local or regional media outlets is an effective way to…
“Politics” has become a dirty word in our national discourse, but what politics is truly about is deciding how we want to live in community with each other.
Meeting in-person with your Members of Congress is an important way to build a relationship with them and hold them accountable. It is also an important way for you to…
As faith-based organizations, we believe that our moral standing as a society can be measured by our actions toward those most vulnerable among us.
Our country has to think creatively about how we can responsible steward the gifts of our planet and live in harmony with God’s creation. We can no longer afford to do is…
Last month, the Bishop of El Paso, TX, Mark Seitz, testified before the House Homeland Security Committee on the experiences and recommendations of the church regarding US…
There is a worldwide movement underway, an awakening at last to the seriousness of the environmental crisis at hand. The future of the planet and humanity depends on it.…
It was through my association with the Columban Sisters that I began to learn just how crucial the Subanen culture is as a voice on behalf of a renewable Earth. The…
A new spirituality of creation is emerging, one deeply tied to the fate of the Earth. The stakes – the fate of the Earth and future generations – are high. Indigenous…
We are called to listen to the testimony of our sisters and brothers in the Philippines and Fiji by addressing climate change and reducing our contribution to extreme…
We have spent the last 200 years or so trying to deny the shadow side of our birth as a nation. Coming to terms with this history is vital for the future not only of…
We all have moments in our lives, like my daughter’s birth, when we feel both the immensity and intimacy of life tightly wound together. The Synod on the Amazon is one of…
"The Story of Climate Change" is a free resource that documents how climate change impacts vulnerable communities around the world, and what you can do to stand in…
At first blush, environmental justice may sound nonessential to a life of faith. Many Catholics aren’t exposed to spiritual reflections on God’s creation or questions of…
We must respect indigenous communities as the protagonists of their own destinies. In many cases, they've already developed solutions to the problems they face, and their…
Much comes back to reviewing consumption beyond Earth's finite resources, challenging the commodification of life, alongside practical initiatives to get back to working…
The God of creation is calling each of us to reconnect with the natural world and reexamine how our lifestyles impact its wellbeing. The Columban Creation Covenant is a…
Las cosas que compramos pasan por un largo proceso antes de llegar a nosotros.
Human induced climate change is the most serious and pressing ecological challenge facing the world today with far reaching impacts on both the human and natural world.…
The Amazon, integral to the fabric of all life throughout the globe is often referred to as, "the lungs of the planet" (LS #38). What happens when the lungs are choked and…
A Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region is scheduled to meet in Rome in October 2019 with the theme, 'The Amazon: New paths for the Church and for integral ecology'.…
What is a synod, and why have one about the Amazon?
Migration is one of the major social phenomena of our time, a “sign of our times,” and the Gospel invites us to welcome the migrant as we would welcome Christ. We believe…
With so much heated rhetoric and misinformation out there, it’s hard to have a clear picture about what’s really happening in the US/Mexico border region. That’s why we…
With so much heated rhetoric and misinformation out there, it’s hard to have a clear picture about what’s really happening in the US/Mexico border region. That’s why we…
As Catholics and people of faith, God calls us to live in solidarity with others, especially with those who live in poverty or are marginalized.
On Friday, June 22, 2018 the Columban Mission Center received a letter from an immigrant mother separated from her son at the US/MX border. She is trying to request asylum…
Two years ago, on June 18, 2015 Columban missionaries welcomed and celebrated the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’. The full title…
According to the Catholic Church, the right to water, as all human rights, finds its basis in human dignity and not in any kind of merely quantitative assessment that…