Leadership Team
In 2008 the General Council of the Society moved from Ireland, where it had been located since our beginnings in 1918, to Hong Kong. This vibrant city is close to many of the countries where our missionaries are working.
Fr. Andrei Paz
Society Leader
Ordained 2009
Fr. Andrei Paz is from Bangar, La Union, Philippines. He joined the Columbans in 1998 and underwent formation programs in Cebu, Manila, China, and Chicago. He was ordained a priest in 2009 and has since served in the Philippines, Taiwan, China, and currently in Hong Kong. After his ordination, he ministered at Malate Church in Manila. He was later sent to Taiwan, where he served among the indigenous people in the mountains of Miaoli County. In 2013, he was assigned to China, where he worked as the Vocations Coordinator for the Columbans.In 2015, inspired to minister to people with disabilities, Fr. Andrei went to Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, to study occupational therapy. After graduating, he returned to China to work at a rehabilitation center in Beijing that provides therapy for children with disabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic forced him to return to the Philippines in 2020 where he once again served at Malate Church in Manilla until he was elected Columban Society Leader.
Fr. Peter O'Neill
Society Vicar
Ordained 1990
Fr. Peter O’Neill is from Geelong, Australia. His twin brother, Kevin, is also a Columban missionary. He joined the Columbans in 1982 and did his First Mission Assignment in Japan. He was ordained on October 5, 1990. After his ordination, he was appointed to the Taiwan Mission Unit where he ministered for 26 years. While in Taiwan, he ministered to local workers at the Columban New Life Workers Center. He was then assigned to the Columban Hope Workers Centre where he worked for 10 years, he later served as its director for six years. During his last 10 years in Taiwan, he was the Director of the Hsinchu Diocese Migrants and Immigrants Service Centre; and the Diocese Coordinator for social and pastoral services for migrants, trafficked peoples, and immigrants. In July 2017, he was assigned to Australia, as the Columban Peace, Ecology and Justice coordinator, and in November 2022 was appointed the Oceania Regional Director.
Fr. Kim Young-In
Councillor
Ordained 2011
Fr. Kim Young-In (Gregorio), is from Korea. He joined the Columbans in 2000. His baptized name is Gregorio, a name based on Korean Catholic culture. After completing philosophy courses in Korea, he studied in the United States at the Catholic Theological Union (CTU) in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from CTU in 2010 and was ordained in 2011. After his ordination, he ministered in the urban poor area of Lima, Peru. In 2014, he moved to an indigenous parish in the Andean region of Yanaoca in Cusco, Peru. In 2020, he was appointed a formator to students at the Korean Formation House. He continued there until he was elected Councillor on the Columban Leadership Team.
Fr. Salustino Villalobos Mondragon
Councillor
Ordained 2017
Fr. Salustino Villalobos Mondragon is from Peru. Growing up as the seventh of 11 brothers and sisters, his hometown had no church presence. He and his family celebrated their faith through devotion to patron saints, especially St. Antony of Padua and Our Lady of Fatima. He met his first priest and attended Mass during elementary school, and thought about the priesthood after receiving his First Communion and Confirmation. In 2006, at age 19, he entered the Columban Seminary in Chile. He was ordained on November 25, 2017, and was assigned to Taiwan at Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Taoyuan City, where he ministered to people of diverse nationalities. He then moved to the Tai'An area in Taiwan's mountains and ministered until being elected a Councillor on the Columban Leadership Team.
Sherryl Lou Capili
Columban Lay Missionaries Central Leadership Team Coordinator
Sherryl Lou Capili is from Silang, Cavite in the Philippines, and has been a Columban Lay Missionary for 13 years. Before joining the Columban Lay Missionaries, she worked as an events and communications officer for an organization that produces educational television programs. She joined Columban Lay Missionary Orientation in 2010 and was assigned to the Taiwan Mission Unit in 2011. Sherryl served at two migrant centers in the Hsinchu Diocese, working as a female shelter supervisor, immigrants' children's catechist, and pastoral coordinator. She was elected to a six-year term as Taiwan Mission Unit Coordinator in 2018. Sherryl was elected Columban Lay Missionary Leadership Team Coordinator in February 2024.
Kim Sun Hee
Columban Lay Missionaries Central Leadership Team Member
Kim Sun Hee (Sunny) is from Korea. She joined the Columban Lay Missionary Orientation in program in 2010 and was assigned to the Philippines in 2011. She worked in parishes in Barretto and Payatas and was involved in Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) for people with special needs in both parishes. Sunny assisted with the learning program and physical therapy, and ran the meal program for two years. She then moved to the Malate Parish working in the social service development ministry running the Soup Kitchen for the vulnerable. She was elected to the Columban Lay Missionaries Central Leadership Team in 2024.