by Robert John Brennan SSC. Published by Bitture Books, Seoul, 2021. (NZD 29.99). Reviewed by Mary-Ann Greaney

New Zealander Bob Brennan arrived in South Korea as a newly ordained Columban priest in 1966. Aged just 25 he spent the first two years in language school before launching into ministry. His memoir, Of Saints and Sinners, is his story of missionary discipleship, told with humour and sensitivity.

Bob has received a number of honours: in 2012 he was awarded the Seoul Metropolitan Government Award for Social Welfare and in 2014 the Asan Foundation Grand Peace Prize, which came with NZD 450,000 which Bob poured into his ministry with the poor. In 2020 he became a Korean citizen — before this he was an honorary citizen.

In 1973 Bob collaborated with parishioners to start a Credit Union. He was the first rector of the Initial Formation Programme for Korean Columban seminarians. Bob has set up and is CEO of a variety of organizations that support and transform the lives of people who have been evicted from their homes due to “progress”. Well known as a social activist, he has been evicted six times from his own home.

Most will find Of Saints and Sinners a fascinating account of a Columban’s ministry in contemporary Korea.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 275 October 2022: 27