OMI JPIC Committee and the People’s Climate March in Washington, DC

by Maxine Pohlman, SSND Director, LaVista Ecological Learning Ctr.   (Republished from OMIUSA.org) 

On April 29th, following our semi-annual meeting at the OMI Provincial Offices, members of the OMI JPIC Committee, under the leadership of Antonio Ponce, OMI, participated in the People’s Climate March.  United with over 200,000 people on the streets of Washington, DC, and tens of thousands of people at over 400 sister marches around the world, we showed our concern for climate action.  It was a powerful experience to be united with people from a variety of faith traditions, from environmental, justice, labor, student, indigenous, and social justice groups from around the country.

OMI JPIC Director, Fr. Antonio Ponce, OMI is at center-right in green shirt in the photo from the Washington march.

Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si was very present, being quoted on hundreds of creative signs carried by energized people of faith. The most repeated quote was one OMIs also find central to the encyclical and to the climate crisis:  “Hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”

Antonio Ponce, OMI, and committee members were pleased to carry a sign provided by the Global Catholic Climate Movement, which read “Catholics for Climate Action.” According to Pope Francis, “climate action” includes developing “…policies so that, in the next few years, the emission of carbon dioxide and other highly polluting gases can be drastically reduced, for example, substituting for fossil fuels and developing sources of renewable energy.”

What can one person do?  Each of us can vote for candidates that are in alignment with this kind of action, both locally and nationally. How shall we do this?  In the same spirit expressed both during the Climate March and in the encyclical, “Let us sing as we go.  May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope.”

(L-R) Antonio Ponce, OMI, Séamus Finn, OMI, Maxine Pohlman, SSND, Christine Huelsmann, Gary Huelsmann

Zambia Catholic Bishops Conference Statement on Current Political Situation in the Nation

Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops has released an urgent Pastoral Statement about the deteriorating political situation in Zambia. 

Full Statement: Zambia Catholic Bishops Pastoral Statement on the Current Political Situation in Zambia:

“We decry the bad habit which political parties in power assume immediately they make a government of using the Police Service to settle political scores and prevent their political rivals from organizing, campaigning and therefore selling their vision of the country and nation to the electorate. It is the same story from one administration to the other and the present government is no exception, if not one of the best examples of the misdeed just mentioned! As a result of brutalizing the people through the Police Service, the general public is reduced to fear so that the order of the day is corruption and misuse of public funds. Anyone who criticizes the government for wrongdoing is sure to have the police unleashed on him or her… 
…We applaud and praise those Zambians on the political playing field who, in spite of all sorts of provocation, are committed to peaceful means of doing politics and refrain from any violence, verbal or physical.”

More information at Zambia Catholic Bishops Conference...

Catholic and Indigenous Leaders Unite to Save the Amazon Rainforest

A delegation of Pan-Amazonian Church Network, or REPAM led by Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes (Brazil) and Archbishop Barreto Jimeno of Huancayo, Peru and a delegation of Indigenous leaders from Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil were recently in Washington DC to share stories, opportunities and challenges facing the people living in the Amazon forest. The delegation provided testimony before Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and also presented to diverse public audiences around Washington DC, sharing their encounter of discriminations and human rights abuses from some companies operating in the Amazon forest and lack of respect for indigenous rights by some national governments. 

Speaking a public forum at Catholic University on March 23, Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes described the Amazon as the “lungs of the planet” and interconnectedness of the environment, “water care for the forests, the forests care for the water.”  Pope Francis encyclical Laudato Si’ has energized many communities and given hope to leaders to speak about environmental justice in the Amazon. Staff from the Oblate JPIC participated in meetings organized by REPAM and indigenous leadership. The Oblate residence in DC offered hospitality to REPLAM leadership. 

Pictures courtesy: JCooke. 

“We are the Church”

(Originally published on OMIWORLD.org) 

by Fr. Ali Nnaemeka. OMI

The story of Oblates in Canada cannot be told without talking about our presence among the

First Nation communities. As a matter of fact, four years after the arrival of the Oblates in Canada in 1841, Fr Pierre FISET, visited Sept-Îles, in the Northern Coast of Quebec, to meet the Innu First Nations people. Five years later, in 1850, the Oblates were charged with all the First Nation missions of the Northern Coast of Quebec, from Tadoussac to Labrador.

This mission grew with time, drawing many Oblates, both Brothers and priests, to all the nooks and crannies of the vast territory of this North Shore. Though the mission had its glories and weaknesses, it remained a mission where the First Nation people and the missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate walked together in the vast field of evangelization.

The missionaries worked with the communities in the systematization of their language, in the recording of their ancient histories and traditions, in the translation of many important documents, etc. But after many years of glory, the number of missionaries started seriously to dwindle. Fortunately, the communities are already on their feet; they have their linguists and professional translators; their anthropologists and ethnographers; their own teachers and school directors, etc. The missionaries are thus relieved of their social pastoral programs.

But then the communities that had missionaries dwelling permanently among them started finding it difficult to have even a visiting missionary. And true to our love of the First Nation Mission and the First Nation people, the Oblate province of Notre-Dame-du-Cap made a missionary choice of assuring a qualitative pastoral presence among the Innu Nation of the Northern Shore of Quebec.

Today, we are four missionaries, from four different countries, in charge of seven communities. Our communities are not as they were a few years back. In most cases, the average age of those who come to our activities is above 70 years. And this reality affects our relationship with the younger generation.

But the community of Matimekush-Lac John has proven that they can transform the life of their Church. At the beginning of 2016, the community decided to reinvent its pastoral organization. Without a pastoral team, we gave ourselves two years to go through an unending list of youths who have not yet received their first Holy Communion. Once the challenge was launched, up to 13 members of our community decided to volunteer in teaching catechism. Recently, they proved their preparedness by presenting forty youths to receive Holy Communion. It was a community activity since the last time half of this number participated in such a celebration dates to 22 years ago.

During the celebration, the women expressed their desire to assure a continuous accompaniment of our youth in the preparation of sacraments and in showing other Innu communities how to be a Church in this era of laity empowerment. 

La Vista Community Supported Garden (CSA) Welcomes New Head Farmer

The CommunitySupported Garden at La Vista in Godfrey, IL, a program of the Oblate Ecological Initiative is pleased to announce that Phill Beile will be the new Head Farmer for the 2017 season.  Phill has been the assistant farmer to the previous farmers, Eric and Crystal Stevens for the past three years.  He is a very energetic young man and anxious to help continue the mission of La Vista of providing the community with fresh, healthy and locally grown produce. The Missionary Oblates offer sincere thanks to Eric and Crystal Stevens for their hard work and dedication to the Garden over the last seven seasons.