Columban Mission Partners during their Advent recollection in Patag, Cagayan de Oro, with Bernie Durangparang (front) and Columban Fr Jovito Dales. Photo: Bernie Durangparang
In 2017, I was entrusted with an additional responsibility: mission promotion. Yet for me, these are not separate paths, but one continuous mission expressed in different ways.
There is a quiet joy in this work. It is not merely a task to fulfill but a commitment to carry in my heart. I have walked with many young people in their journey of discernment - some entered formation, others chose different paths, but I have never seen that as a failure. Many now live meaningful and fulfilling lives in their professions and within their families and communities. Seeing them live with purpose and integrity affirms that the journey itself was sacred. It reminds me that vocation is far wider than we often imagine, God’s call cannot be confined to a single path.
At the same time, I am deeply grateful for those who remained on the path to become priests, many of them Columbans. Witnessing their joy and fidelity in ministry brings a quiet fulfillment to my own vocation. In their lives, I see a reflection of the seeds once planted and I, too, feel a sense of shared grace and gratitude.
This mission, however, is not without its challenges. Carrying both vocational work and mission promotion calls for balance, patience and perseverance. At present, my ministry is more focused on mission promotion, where I accompany our donors and benefactors - our Columban mission partners. They are not simply supporters, they are part of the Columban family. Their generosity continues to sustain the mission, especially in supporting our seminarians in their formation.
My role involves organising activities and offering spiritual nourishment - facilitating recollections and immersions, sharing reflections and sending daily prayers. These may seem like small gestures, but they nurture relationships and keep the spirit of mission alive. Through these simple acts, connections deepen and faith is quietly strengthened.
I remain deeply grateful to the Lord for these 30 years of service. They have added meaning, purpose and direction to my life. This is not simply what I do - it has become part of who I am.
Recently, during our Lenten recollection as Columban staff, I experienced a quiet yet profound moment of insight. One of the activities invited us to spontaneous art. With eyes closed, we began from a single point and allowed our hands to move freely across the page. When I finally opened my eyes and completed the drawing with colour, I was surprised by what had emerged.
Though abstract, one image became clear to me: a father carrying a child on his back.
That image stayed with me. It became a mirror of my own life. I realised how much I carry - my work, the people entrusted to me, my responsibilities and my family. Yet in that same moment came a deeper realisation: even as I carry so much, I, too, am being carried.
God carries me. And often in ways I do not immediately see, yet quietly experience - in strength when I am weary, in clarity when I am uncertain, in peace when life feels heavy. It is this relationship with God that sustains me, both in the ordinary rhythms and in the demanding moments of my responsibility.
Here, my work and my family life meet. The people I accompany are not just participants in a program - they become part of a shared journey. Mission becomes relationship. Work becomes communion.
And so, I continue - quietly and faithfully - carrying what has been entrusted to me, while trusting that I, too, am being carried. I am reminded of the words of Scripture: The Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all along your journey (Deuteronomy 1:31).
Amid shifting mission priorities of St Columbans Mission Society and the uncertainties of our time, one truth remains steadfast: God’s grace continues to lead and sustain us. We are called to walk together - in a synodal way - for the common good, in service of the most vulnerable and in response to the cry of our common home.
In all of this, I believe that God’s grace is gently guiding us - drawing us towards unity, deepening our hope and grounding us in love for all His creation.
Looking back on these 30 years, I carry a deep sense of gratitude. Life has been a weaving of family, work and mission - sometimes demanding, often uncertain, but always meaningful. In all of this, I have come to see more clearly that I am both carried and called. And for this journey, I remain quietly thankful to God.
Bernie Durangparang is a Columban co-worker who lives and works in the Philippines.
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - July 2026
