Fr. Andrei Paz, New Superior General of the Missionary Society of St Columban

The Missionary Society of St. Columban held the General Assembly in Lima, Peru, where, on 6 June, the New Superior and his Council were elected.

Fr. Andrei Paz is the New Superior General, fourty-two years old, he is the first Leader from the Philippines and replaces Fr. Tim Mulroy, the Outgoing Society Leader.
Andrei joined the Columbans in 1998 and was ordained a priest in 2009. His first mission assignment was at a Columban parish in the remote mountains of Taiwan. In 2012 he moved to mainland China serving as vocations coordinator. While in China, Fr. Paz saw a need for ministry to children with disabilities. In 2015, he moved to the United States and worked on a degree in Occupational Therapy at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. After earning his PhD. in Occupational Therapy, Fr. Paz returned to China to provide therapy at the rehabilitation center for children with disabilities. When the pandemic started in 2020, he returned to parish ministry in the Philippines.

In his words of acknowledgement to the Assembly, Fr. Andrei thanked all those present for their trust in him and asked for their prayers, support and friendship. He said the Society was like "a boat" in which all our efforts are needed, working together as one.

The Columban Leadership Team includes:

Society Leader Fr. Andrei Paz, Philippines

Society Vicar Fr. Peter O'Neill, Australia

Second Councillor Fr. Kim Young-In, Korea

Third Councillor Fr. Salustino Villalobos Mondragon, Peru

The General Assembly ended on 14 June and the new Superior General and his Council will take office at the Generalate in Hong Kong on 14 July 2024.