A NEW VISION OF CHURCH
WHICH HAS, OVER THE PAST 25
YEARS, CHANGED AND HEALED MANY
PEOPLE’S LIVES
COLUMBA COMMUNITY
CELEBRATING THEIR 25TH ANNIVERSARY
JUNE 9TH 2006
Derry and Donegal
The Columba Community was
founded in Derry on 9 June, 1981, feast day of St Columba (Colmcille). It came
about after difficult circumstances led local Catholic priest Fr Neal Carlin to
leave the Derry Diocese and take time out.
"I spent six months
questioning myself about the system into which I was ordained and looking at
the small Christian communities of Pecos New Mexico.”
Fr Carlin has led this lay
community for the past 25 years and during that time they have demonstrated by
their actions and fruits how to live the Gospel.
During a retreat, the Holy
Spirit revealed to Fr Carlin that a house would be pointed out to him for his
new community. Despite having no money to buy anything, he believed and God
honoured his faith. A house was pointed out to him and paid for by a generous
benefactor - that house today is Columba House on Derry’s Queen Street where
thousands of people have experienced God’s healing touch – both physical and
mental - over the past 25 years.
In keeping with the twin
charisms of their patron, listening prayer and reconciliation, the community
have worked tirelessly over the past quarter century to bring peace and
serenity to people’s lives – Prison Outreach, Christians
Together,Rehabilitation Centre (see website www.columbacommunity.com).
“As a group with a common
experience of being "held captive" in prison cells or by the forces
of anger, guilt, fear and hatred, we are learning to appreciate each other's
weaknesses and needs as well as developing each other's talents and gifts. We
see Christian Community as a network of interpersonal relationships based on
our common relationship with Jesus Christ as Rock and Cornerstone”
As the numbers of people
coming to the community grew their ministry expanded into Donegal with the
development of St Anthony’s Retreat Centre near Burnfoot. This small plot of
land and ruined farm house was gifted to them in 1985. The centre is in
continuous use and a Healing Mass is celebrated on Monday evenings attracting a
wide, cross section of society.
During the 1400th
celebration of Columba’s death in 1997 the Community, through prayer were led
to build a centre where those addicted to alcohol and drugs could be helped.
The Whiteoaks
Rehabilitation Centre near Muff, County Donegal was completed in 2001 and to
date has treated more than 500 people. The residents do work therapy on bog
oak, grow organic vegetables and help at the community’s latest project, a
Celtic Peace Garden.
This latest project
includes a visitor centre and the six acre garden which celebrates the lives of
the Irish saints. It will be completed in September and its main target group
is youth. It invites people to be renewed through the simple holistic faith
that these saints lived and preached at home and abroad, from the 5th to the
12th century.
Reflecting on the past 25
years and the less travelled path his ministry has taken, Fr Neal believes that
the Lord is doing something new in the church today.
“Some critics say the
church is finished because of the lack of vocations to the priesthood, but this
might be God’s way of showing us a different direction - to properly use the
great range of gifts and talents in the lay community that is the church.
"It seems to me that
we have been talking about lay ministry for 40 years but little or nothing has
changed, even if the need, apart from the right of our baptised people is
clear," Fr Carlin said.
For interview contact: Fr
Neal Carlin, St Anthony’s Retreat Centre, Dundrean, Burnfoot PO, County
Donegal. Tel 074 9368370 or email sarce@eircom.net
For further information and
to organise photographs contact Kate Heaney at 086 8343998
See
www.columbacommunity.com (contents) for more information on the work of
the community over the past 25 years.