Plus many other lands, for to Catholics and some in other Christian denominations, the iconic liturgical calendar is as familiar abroad as it is at home. 110,000 are distributed domestically each year from the Mission’s Australian headquarters (Melbourne is the hometown of Vegemite too!) as they have been for almost 80 years to distributors and benefactors - and speedy dispatch and delivery plus cost-effectiveness are of the essence.
Which is why the calendar goes by Post.
St Columban’s was founded in Ireland in 1918 as a society of secular priests whose mission then was to spread the Christian Faith to the Chinese and other peoples of ‘The Far East’ (another monthly fundraiser is a magazine of that name). Typical enough in its time, that mission statement has morphosed a bit since, and today’s Columban missionaries are just as involved with broader social issues - tackling local poverty, injustice and ecology problems - as with nurturing the faith of the peoples amongst whom they live.
To Europeans, Australia was part of ‘The Far East’ back in 1920 when the Columbans came to Melbourne. The first calendar went out in 1923, the year Vegemite hit Victorian tastebuds, courtesy of its developer, Dr C.P. Callister, of Middle Park.
The Australian mission has spread since that time to many countries and there are currently 55 priests, a number of whom live among their parishioners in Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, Fiji, Chile, Peru and Pakistan ... “Many of our international missionaries are committed to dealing with important local issues such as the environmental concerns about fertilisers and ownership of land,” says Father Charles Rue, a member of the St Columban mission society.
‘Prayer and the post’ play essential roles in the home-front fundraising and recruitment which are handled at the Columban’s Essendon base -“Missionary work is, after all, still a work of faith,” says Father Rue.
The iconic Columban Calendar has become a feature of this fundraising to generations of Australians whose walls it adorns throughout the country - “There probably isn’t a postcode the calendar doesn’t reach,” says the society’s Business Development Manager, Jim Foran.
The 110,000 calendars distributed in Australia alone have been reaching their destinations since 1923 by post -”Australia Post has been with us since the beginning,” says Jim Foran, “and it’s been a successful relationship.” As much as their primary calling was mission work, the early Columbans seem to have been masters of direct marketing as well, even if they didn’t realise it. The calendar was printed and delivered even during the war years when paper shortages were at a height and early records from the 1920s show personalised direct mail and meticulously kept databases were integral to the fundraising effort.
Today, the society sends out three direct mail campaigns annually to around 30,000 on its mailing list. Jim Foran says: “We have a loyal group of supporters, but we’re also looking to target the younger generations from now on.” By post, of course.
Good things have a way of spreading ... like the Columban Calendar, oh yes, and Vegemite. There’s a kind of timeless taste to products so tried and true.
The Columban Calendar can be purchased by phoning (03) 9379 3544. |
