Columban priests Sunday said they will stay in the country and continue their missionary work despite the recent kidnapping of one of their priests, Irish Fr. Michael Sinnott.

In an interview for the website of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Fr. Patrick O’Donoghue, regional director of the Society of Saint Columban order, said Fr. Sinnott's ordeal made them fear for the safety of their missionaries in Mindanao but it will not hamper their goal of serving the population.

“The abduction of Fr. Sinnott is a very worrying thing, but it would not be our intent or desire at all to let this affect our commitment to the dioceses in which we are in,” Fr. O'Donoghue told CBCPNews.

There are some 13 Columban clergy assigned in the archdioceses of Cagayan de Oro and Ozamis and in the Diocese of Pagadian, the Columban congregation leader said.

Aside from priestly duties, the missionaries are also doing interreligious dialogue with the Muslims since 1976, and Fr. Sinnott has been serving in a variety of pastoral and administrative roles and is an active advocate for the welfare of disabled children in the Pagadian diocese.

Fr. O'Donoghue said Sinnott's ordeal “is not a deterrent” to their missions in the country. “It can happen in any country or any place,” he said.