Oblate “Caveman” Paul Wightman “Wows” La Vista!

By Sr. Maxine Pohlman, SSND, Director, La Vista Ecological Learning Center 

At our annual summer solstice celebration Paul Wightman, OMI, challenged our daystar the sun as the most significant star of the day.  A lifelong caver, Father Paul is revered among local cavers as one of the first to explore and map nine miles of the Fogelpole Cave system in Southern Illinois.  He was recently honored when a preservation group purchased the land above the cave and named it the Paul Wightman Subterranean Nature Preserve!

Father Paul with participant Debbie Newman, Natural Areas Preservation Specialist

In his delightful and informative presentation Paul took the audience on a pictorial tour of the cave and entertained us with stories about his underground experiences through the years. With a twinkle in his eyes and a charming grin, Paul showed us what it is like when a person is allured by a special part of our rare and precious planet and gets serious about enjoying it.

With a taste for adventure and dark spaces, Father Paul mapped the cave before the age of technological help.  Using his wits and ingenuity he even created special instruments to help him do a very accurate and professional mapping.  Taking pictures also required creativity and involved three people – two to go ahead and light up the cave with camera flashes, while Paul took the picture of the whole area from behind.  

Participants, including the Novitiate Community, were enthralled with his photos and stories. In the audience were a geologist and a biologist who deeply appreciated his work.  One woman reminded us that caves are one ecosystem where threatened and endangered species live, and so it is important that we preserve this hidden part of our planet. 

A younger Father Paul inside Fogelpole Cave

As Father Paul was preparing to leave the next morning, he mentioned another interest: wildflowers!  He has also pursued this passion energetically, even taking classes to learn how to classify plants.  Although he lives four hours away from La Vista where he pastor of five parishes and is eighty-seven years old, he agreed to prepare a presentation on wildflowers “in his spare time”.

Father Paul is a wonderful example of someone who loves “our common home” and passes on his enthusiasm graciously and generously. 

Stand With The World's Refugees

By Fr. Antonio Ponce, OMI,  Oblates JPIC Director

June 20^th was World Refugee Day. The world is facing the worst refugee crisis of all time, including millions of displaced people. A new report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees published on June 20 - World Refugees Day - says that one person in every 113 is a refugee, representing an incomprehensible number of people globally.

For Missionary Oblates, welcoming and ministering with refugees is part of the charisma. Oblates are inspired by the teachings of Jesus and also by their founder, Saint Eugene De Mazenod. In the gospel of Mathew Jesus tells us that those who feed, clothe, and welcome the stranger will inherit the kingdom of God (Matthew 25).

The De Mazenod family experienced the effects of war. When Saint Eugene was still a little boy he had to leave his homeland as a refugee, away from his relatives and friends. Archbishop Buti Tlhagale, OMI of Johannesburg recently spoke about the pastoral urgency to care for migrants and refugees in South Africa and around the world. The Archbishop spoke of refugees as “our brothers and sisters in search of a better life, far away from hunger, poverty, exploitation and the unjust distribution of the planet`s resources, which are meant to be equitably shared by all.”

World Refugee Day serves us as a reminder and invitation to be in solidarity with the millions of people who leave their homeland. Today for various reasons millions of people are being forced to leave their countries and become refugees or displaced persons.   

Pray with Saint Eugene De Mazenod to intercede for refugees and inspire and encourage one another to welcome refugees in your communities with fraternal hearts. 

Become involved: United Nations on World Refugees: We Stand #WithRefugees 2016 - Please Stand With US https://youtu.be/Jtv4LCXEGEU

Catholic Community of Mingan, Quebec, Canada Tackles Religious Stereotypes Through Film

Fr. Ali C. NNAEMEKA, OMI, is a Nigerian Oblate from the Province of Cameroon, working in Northern Canada.

For sometime now our news reports have focused heavily on the issue of migrants coming from areas where Islamic extremists and other rebel groups are sowing disorder and terror. This reality has created a stereotypical view of Islam among our youth, especially among those with no direct contact to the Islamic world. This has caused many of them to believe that Islam is synonymous with terrorism or anti-Christian activities.

As I continue to build connections with young people in my Ministry, I have come to understand that they are more vulnerable to such nefarious social media propaganda. The reality, I discovered, is more pronounced among the young people in some of our First Nation Communities where it seems even less is known about Islam. In many cases, all they know is what the media circulates. Which means they are convinced that there can be no peaceful cohabitation between Christians and Muslims.

To counter this misinformation and provide an opportunity for our youth to have a healthy and firsthand exposure to the possibility of a peaceful relationship between Christians and Muslims, on the evening of Good Friday, Saint Georges Catholic Community of Mingan organized a film viewing and discussion event.

With the support of my Oblate brothers we hosted the screening of an historical film, Of Gods and Men. The film centers on the adventure of eight French Trappist monks in the 1990s whose monastery was located in a remote Algerian village surrounded by Muslims. Their presence among these poor villagers was so blended that they were involved in almost every aspect of the community life. They even participated in Islamic festivities and took care of both sick and poor Muslims.

Then in the early 1990s came the Algerian Civil War and a local rebel group began exhibiting menacing behavior toward the monks. As life became more threatening, the monks had to decide between abandoning the village or staying and facing the possibility of death. After a series of community gatherings they opted to remain in the village with their Muslim brethren. Though they knew they were in danger and faced a double menace, one from the government, the other from the rebel group. Their decision to stay ended tragically.

Since this was my first attempt at hosting a film event, I could not predict the community’s level of interest. So, to promote the event I utilized the Community Radio and other social media sources to circulate information to the larger public. Surprisingly 99% of our young people showed up. Before beginning the film, I discovered from preliminary discussions that many of them had no idea what the word ‘Koran’ means. So we started by discussing some basic tenets of Islam and the possibility that some Christians could sacrifice their life for their Muslim brothers and sisters.

At the end of the film, our young people came to not only know more about Islamic realities, but that it is possible to love people of a different religious group because we are all created to love one another and live in peace and harmony.

Fr. Seamus Finn OMI to speak at major Laudato Si Conference in Zambia

Fr. Seamus Finn OMI will be speaking at a major Laudato Si Conference in Lusaka Zambia. Speaking at the same conference will be Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Vatican Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. The conference is focusing on Care of our Common Home, in the Context of Large Scale Investments - Mining and Agriculture in Zambia. Drawing lessons from Pope Francis’ Encyclical, Laudato Si, the conference will discuss impacts of climate change, roles of corporations and recommendations to mitigate these impacts. 

Fr. Seamus with Cardinal Peter Turkson( front row-first left) and other participants at the Mining CEOs Conference in Rome in 2015

Fr. Seamus Finn OMI who is Chief of Faith Consistent Investing – OIP Investment Trust and a Consultant to the JPIC office will present on Laudato Si and the Social Responsibility of Corporations and join a roundtable discussion panel featuring business leaders, government representatives and civil society members.  Part of the pre-conference events include visit to the Nickel Mine Company and displaced local community.

Zambia Missionary Oblates will be also participate in the conference including Rt. Rev. Bishop Evans Chinyemba, OMI – Mongu Diocese and Bishop Director for Caritas Zambia and Fr. Kennedy Katongo OMI, General Administration JPIC Director from Rome. Caritas Zambia, Zambia Episcopal Conference and Jesuits Center for Theological Reflection are the lead sponsors of the conference.