Columban Fathers
The Missionary Society of St. Columban (also known as the Columban Fathers) was established in Ireland in 1918 by Fr. Edward Galvin. Today, the Society includes priests, sisters, lay missionaries, staff, and volunteers from around the world. The Columban Fathers work in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Britain, Ireland, China, Chile, Hong Kong, Fiji, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Taiwan, Rome, Mexico, and the United States. These missionaries continue to direct their focus on matters of justice, peace, environment, world international debt, and authentic enculturation of the gospel to world culture and religion.
Support Our Aging Religious, Inc. (SOAR!)
Support Our Aging Religious, Inc. (SOAR!) is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization which raises funds and provides grants to help Catholic religious congregations in the United States care for their elderly and infirm members. These grants address practical immediate needs such as renovations for accessibility, automatic doors, hospital beds and assistive devices. This assistance ensures the safety, peace of mind, and dignity of aging and infirm Sisters, Brothers and Priests.
Columban Sisters
The Missionary Sisters of St. Columban (also known as the Columban Sisters) were founded in Ireland in 1924 by Fr. John Blowick and Mother Mary Patrick. The Columban Sisters are a part of the Missionary Society of St. Columban but have a separate organizational structure from the Columban Fathers. Presently the Columban Sisters serve Chile, China/Hong Kong, England, Ireland, Korea, Myanmar (Burma), Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Scotland, and the United States. The Columban Sisters’ work in the United States began on Christmas Eve, 1930, when the first Sisters from Ireland arrived in Silver Creek, New York. In the United States, the Sisters’ ministry is in California (Alhambra), Massachusetts (Boston, Brighton, West Roxbury), and New York (Silver Creek). These missionaries continue to provide services such as; pastoral outreach, education, medical, faith formation, spirituality, and social service.