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Gloria S. Canama

Fire In My Heart

By Gloria S. Canama

Gloria S. Canama, from Tangub City, Misamis Occidental, was a member of the first group of Filipino Columban Lay Missionaries to go overseas, to Pakistan in 1991.

‘The fire which is in the sun, the fire which is in the earth,
that fire is in my own heart.’ Upanishad

My childhood dream was always to be a religious sister. The seed must have been sown by the Columban missionaries, Sisters and priests, who were my educators and friends from my early years. I was baptized by the late Columban Fr Paul Cooney in St Michael’s Parish, Tangub City, Misamis Occidental.


Gloria during Filcom mass, Fr Abid, Pakistani OFMCap main celebrant,
Sr Jean, Filipina Medical Mission Sister -guitarist

TANVIR

By Gloria Canama

Gloria Canama, from Tangub City, Misamis Occidental, has been a Columban lay missionary in Pakistan lay missionary in Pakistan for almost 20 years. Fr Thomas O’Hanlon, known to his family as ‘Tommy’, was given the name ‘Tanvir’, ‘Enlightened One’, shortly after his arrival in Pakistan in 1982 by an old man. He died unexpectedly in Lahore on 5 June.

Dare To Dream

By Gloria Canama, Columban Lay Missionary

In Pakistan women are second class citizens in culture, in law, in religion and in many small details of daily life. As a result they have a low self-esteem. Gloria Canama tells us how simple Bible sharing helps build up Pakistani women’s self-worth.

The Bent Women

By Gloria Canama

Gloria Canama, a Columban Filipina lay missionary working in Pakistan, shares her story of journeying with the women of Pakistan.

A Great Privilege to Journeying with the Women

Recently I had a privilege of accompanying six Punjabi women to the Columban parish of Matli, in the Sindh province of Pakistan. This was part of a week long women’s Mission Exchange Programme organized by the Columban Fathers in Pakistan. Not so long ago, it would have been impossible to organize such a programme for women. You would hear the following remarks: How could a woman spend a week away from home? Who would do the washing and ironing of clothes? Who would be there to serve the men? This year six women form the Columban parish of Shadbagh and Skeikhupura went to Matli and six Parkari Kolhi women from Matli went to the Punjab. On the journey the women were excited and some were apprehensive. For some it was their first time being away from home. It was a long and tiring 18 hours journey by train. As the train moved on and on, we got to know each other through telling a little of our life stories and sharing jokes. “Where is Matli?” “What time do we arrive there?” asked those who got restless. It was Teresa’s first train trip, it was a big relief when we eventually arrived safely in Matli.