Situated in El Paso, Texas, the Columban Mission Center hosts groups from all over the world to experience life on the border. The Mission Center staff offers border awareness programs to visiting groups and facilitates their contact with organizations and institutions who work on the front line of border issues including poverty, migration, human rights, and environmental justice.

The Mission Center often serves as a venue for talks, courses, and workshops for the local community. They also foster an environmentally friendly atmosphere and promote a sustainable lifestyle. The Mission Center has solar panels on its roof that provide for most of their electricity throughout the year. They also encourage composting and saving water through conservation in everyday tasks, and model alternative ways to keep the house cool in the hot summer sun.

Columban missionaries live and serve in Cuidad Juárez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, therefore groups have the opportunity to cross the border into Ciudad Juárez to visit the Columban Parish, Corpus Christi, and witness life in the border city.

The Columban Mission Center offers life-giving and graced opportunities for personal growth and clarity.

1. Learn about border issues, human rights, and sustainable living.
2. Visit institutions and community organizations that assist migrant populations.
3. Pray and reflect on your experience through spiritual guidance.
4. Stay in an eco-friendly center and learn about environmental justice.

Testimonies

• "The stories we heard have forever changed the way I think about the reality of the US/Mexico border." – Creighton University student
• "The experience was life changing." -Border awareness experience participant

For more information about the Columban border awareness experience, click here to download an information packet (which includes a sample itinerary).

You can also download a shorter, promotional flyer about the experience by clicking here.

Schedule Your Own Trip

Does your parish, religious community, or organization want to make their own trip to the US/MX border? Contact the staff of the Columban Mission Center for details on how to schedule your own experience.

• Address: 816 Magoffin Ave. El Paso, Texas 79901
• Phone: (915) 351-1153
• Email: cmc@columban.org

Check out the Columban Mission Center's Facebook for daily updates of life on the border!