Plight of the Poor and Vulnerable must be the Priority: Cardinal Orlando Quevedo OMI

By Tembo Michael OMI

Summer 2014 Intern – Oblate JPIC office - Washington DC

Cotabato Archbishop Cardinal Orlando Quevedo OMI recently spoke with the Oblate JPIC staff about hopes and challenges of missionary work in the Philippines. Cardinal Quevedo OMI is known for his involvement in the Peace Agreement, which was recently signed between the Government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

In the midst of all these factions, Cardinal Quevedo OMI’s main concern is the plight of the poor and the oppressed indigenous people to have a dignified and respectable lifestyle. He has been calling on Government leaders and all people of good will to care for the vulnerable members of the society and change priorities. As a pastoral leader, Cardinal Quevedo OMI sees the eradication of poverty, combating injustice and seeking peace as some of the main concerns for the Church in Philippines and world. 

On the issue of mining in Mindanao, Cardinal Quevedo in conversation with the Oblate staff said, “I want confirmation that mining companies do not destroy nature; are not hazardous to humankind and creation and that there is transparent relationship among people, especially those who make mining policies and those are affected by the policies.”

From the Cardinal’s perspective, the global village is in need right relationship and this is only possible when we are obedient to God’s call, obedient by deliberately calling on those in leadership to set up societal structures to eradicate poverty, and societal imbalance in the world. Leaders in Government and all people of goodwill are to strive for right relationship, that is, relationship that produces life, justice and peace.

In concluding his remarks, Cardinal Quevedo OMI appealed to stakeholders in Governments to get priorities that are aimed at restoring human dignity, focus on reducing poverty, combating corruption; bring infrastructure development to vulnerable communities.  As a pastoral leader, the Cardinal Quevedo common requests from people are the need for hospitals, clean water, food, housing and good paying jobs. This call by Cardinal Quevedo OMI is a call to everyone.

Update from Oblate Mission in Laredo Texas

By Fr. Antonio Ponce OMI.  JPIC office

Fr. Ponce is currently visiting and connecting with Oblates parishes in Laredo, Texas. In this blog, Fr. Ponce reflects about his week of activities in Laredo. It has been a hot but an interesting week here in Laredo. I am staying at Our Lady of Guadalupe, where I am meeting with people from some of the groups and their leaders.

Meeting with Greens of Guadalupe and Rio Grande International Study Center

Last week I had the opportunity to meet Berta Torrez y Socorro Coronado, from "Greens of Guadalupe, who, inspired by Fr. Derrell Rupiper, have been involved in environmental issues in the Laredo area. On June 27, I was invited by Berta y Socorro to participate in the annual meeting of Rio Grande International Study Center (RGISC), an organization whose mission is "To preserve and protect the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo, its watershed and environment…". 

Tricia Cortez, executive director of RGISC, made a presentation about the work done by the organization, the different groups that have joined their efforts to address environmental issues in the area and the challenges they face. For more info about RGISC visit website.

Meeting with people from The Laredo Humanitarian Relief Team

Also, last week, I been visiting one of the centers where volunteers are helping migrants, specially unaccompanied children, some of them as young as 6 months old. In recent days the number of woman and children has increased so dramatically that the federal government has call this a "humanitarian Crisis".  

The group called, "The Laredo Humanitarian Relief Team", form by people from different organizations such as, the Diocese of Laredo, Rotary Club, Catholic Social services, etc., help migrants contact their family members in the US, provide a place wither they can shower and rest and give migrants packages they can take with them once they live Laredo.  The package contained things like, water, toothpaste, soap, snacks, etc., all this donated by local people. For more information: http://www.voanews.com/content/influx-of-undocumented-kids-overwhelms-us-border-patrol/1941764.html   

Voices Against Human Trafficking

By Mary O’Herron – JPIC Staff and Br Michael Tembo OMI, Intern JPIC

At a just ended summer fellowship immigration and refugee policies, held on June 4^th, 2014 in Washington DC, one participant expressed pain on how human beings are not respected and are victims of human trafficking.  The participant asked, ‘what has gone wrong with this generation?’  Many people, especially the youth have become victims of human trafficking.

Pope Francis in speaking against abuse of human beings said, “Young people at the moment are in crisis. We have all become accustomed to this disposable culture. We do the same thing with the elderly, but with all these people out of work even they are afflicted by a culture where everything is disposable. We have to stop this habit of throwing things away. We need a culture of inclusion.”

Mary O’Herron,[1] whose passion is being the voice against human trafficking, has this to say:

“As an employee of the Oblate JPIC Office in Washington, DC, I spend some time on human trafficking or modern day slavery. I see more people been enslaved now than at any time in history and the number is rising – over 21 million. Trafficking rivals drugs and arms as the most lucrative form of illegal gain.”

Certainly, human trafficking is a global concern. People are trafficked from one country to another and within borders of countries. As many have said, the US is usually a destination country – for both the sex industry and labor.

Generally, people are tricked into being trafficked by being promised some help and or a good wage for interesting work somewhere else and then brought into submission by very harsh measures. Few escape.

Current slavery is much less visible than in previous eras – it could even be going on next door or around the corner. People trafficked now are used up and thrown away – not like in previous times where slaves were expensive to buy. As bad as it was then, it is worse now. The Internet and ease of travelling have also contributed to the rise of trafficking. And it continues to rise – even with many organizations trying to combat it.

The OMI-JPIC Office will not tire in spreading the word about human trafficking in our newsletter, website, and other means. We join with other groups like the Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafficking sponsored by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

We work with corporations that might contribute to trafficking -- like hotels and airlines to ask them to be watchful and to educate employees about trafficking. Also, we look at supply chains of companies to try to eliminate labor practices that are unjust and detrimental.

The Oblates, along with other religious groups, are members of the NGO section of the United Nations and through this vehicle work against trafficking.

More information how to get involved to stop human trafficking; visit www.omiusa jpic.org/humantrafficking

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[1] Mary O’Herron - Associate for General Administration JPIC Service and Corporate Responsibility. Mary works part time to assist with corporate responsibility efforts in the JPIC Office, and also focuses on the issue of human trafficking.

SETTING BOUNDARY MARKERS AT THE MISSIONARY OBLATES WOODS NATURE PRESERVE IN GODFREY, IL.

By Maxine Pohlman, SSND 

Director - La Vista Ecological Learning Center

The state of Illinois’ most rare, natural areas are protected as preserves by the Illinois Nature Preserves  Commission (INPC).  

These areas are almost all that is left of the way Illinois looked in the early 1800’s.  Established in 1963, the INPC was the first in the nation. 

It comprises a system of nature preserves, places of statewide significance. This Commission works with owners of natural areas to preserve the natural areas left in Illinois.  These are dedicated exceptional places.  Illinois is forty-ninth out of the fifty states in having natural lands; less than one tenth of one percent of the landscape remains as it did when first settled.  These are the last remnants of Illinois’ wilderness.

The INPC has twelve staff “stewards” or field representatives

who visit the preserved lands throughout the state and help establish goals with the landowners.  They are to maintain contact with the dedicated preserves, do education by providing talks and field trips and training volunteers.

On June 19, 2014 INPC stewards Debbie Newman and Eric Wright, along with Jack Lau, OMI, and novices James Fernandes, Paul Bwayla Kunda, Nchimunya,  Jack Lau, OMI and I used maps prepared by Hutson and Associates (Alton, IL)  to set boundary posts marking off the sixteen acres that are the beautiful Missionary Oblates Woods Nature Preserve, located east of the lodge.

After getting instructions from Debbie and picking up metal posts, signs, and a 55 pound post driver, we set off around noon.  As a group we would try to spot the marker left by the surveyors.  “I found it!” became a welcome and fun cry.   We’d then gather around and watch as someone drove the post into the ground.  Then Debbie attached the sign.  It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but scouting the markers and doing the work became a magical time of “playing” in the lovely preserve.

Throughout our jaunt through the woods, Debbie instructed us as she made close observations of the preserve. She indicated that there are many fine old trees along with wildflowers and a small bluff prairie.  However, the Japanese honeysuckle is eliminating diversity on the forest floor, and the towering sugar maples are crowding out the oaks and hickories.  Removing the honeysuckle will be part of the management plan she is preparing.

During our time in the preserve we scared a fawn which quickly righted itself on spindly legs and headed down the driveway.  We also identified a large broad-headed skink on a tree trunk and spotted a lovely Eastern box turtle on the forest floor. Debbie also pointed out quite a lot of yellow wildflower called wingstem.  Once the honeysuckle is removed, many more native plants will show themselves.

We completed setting about 2/3 of the posts which are set 300 feet apart, according to law.  We faced them in the direction from which visitors might approach the area.

In one part of the preserve we found quite a lot of trash, especially glass, but also tractor parts.  I plan on organizing a group who would volunteer their time to help remove some of this lighter debris, honoring this special place of wilderness, beauty and serenity.