Filipino priest elected as Missionary Society of St. Columban leader

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino priest from La Union has been elected as the new international leader of the Missionary Society of St. Columban, a 106-year-old congregation that ministers to people of various cultures worldwide.

According to a news article from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website on Friday,  Fr. Andrei Paz has been named to be the first Filipino superior general of the society.

“While I consider it a great honor, I also feel a great sense of responsibility to respond to the trust that has been placed in me,” Paz said, as quoted in the article.

“Please pray in a special way… that we will ensure that the joy of the Gospel continues to be shared with people around the world,” he also said.

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Paz, 52, will succeed Irish priest, Fr. Tim Mulroy, who has led the Missionary Society of St. Columban since 2018.

The CBCP said Paz will be joined by newly elected Australian Fr. Peter O’Neill as society vicar, Fr. Kim Young-In as second councilor, and Fr. Salustino Villalobos as third councilor of the group.

Paz first joined the Missionary Society of St. Columban as a seminarian in 1998 before being ordained as a priest in 2009, according to the CBCP.

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Some of his notable assignments included serving as a Columban parish priest in the remote mountains of Taiwan and as a vocations coordinator in mainland China in 2012.

Paz studied occupational therapy at Creighton University in the United States three years later, then returned to China to work in a rehabilitation center for children with disabilities.

He returned to the Philippines in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and served at Malate Church in Manila.