Latest OMI JPIC News
Sacred Heart Church -Oakland, CA – Greenteam Sees Success February 26th, 2024
By Fr. Jack Lau, OMI, Sacred Heart Church -Oakland, CA – GreenTeam
Sacred Heart Green Team-Oakland in Feb. 2023; seeing the blight of litter on our streets and in our community realized, the solution “starts at home.” So, we began to chart how much trash we collected in front of our house or apartment. Each month we would tabulate those numbers and publicize it in our Church Bulletin.
2024 Lenten Resources February 21st, 2024
We invite you to join us this Lent to take actions to help preserve God’s great gift of Creation.
Invite your communities to distribute them as bulletin inserts during worship on an upcoming Sunday. Each year, these calendars go up on refrigerators and bulletin boards across communities, and open many conversations about environmental stewardship and climate action.
“Christians have fasted from meat during Lent for generations. Try eating vegetarian today and check out Oxfam’s Eat for Good resource online for other ways to use your fast to bless others”: bit.ly/eat4good
Visit their website to download the calendars:
ipldmv.org/lent
“May this season serve as a reminder of our interdependence and our call to care for our common home.”
OMI Anniversary Letter of February 17, 2024: Pilgrims Radiating our Common Charism February 16th, 2024
MISSIONARY OBLATES OF MARY IMMACULATE
The Superior General
MISSIONARY OBLATES OF MARY IMMACULATE
The Superior General
Letter of February 17, 2024
Pilgrims radiating our common charism LJCetMI
Dear Oblates and members of our charismatic family:
In two years, God willing, we will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of the pontifical approval of the Constitutions and Rules and the Congregation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, just after living the Jubilee of 2025. Both events will help us to continue our pilgrimage in communion as missionaries of hope. In my previous letters, listening to the appeals of the last General Chapter, I recalled our commitment to care for our common home: our Mother Earth and our charismatic family. Today I would like to renew our commitment to go on pilgrimage with the laity who share the charism to continue taking steps in the direction proposed by the Chapter and the Second Congress of Lay Oblate Associations.
“May we understand well what we are!” wrote St. Eugene de Mazenod to his companions from Rome, commenting on the pontifical approbation of the Congregation and its new name: Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. In these 200 years of history, every Oblate, every layman and laywoman, consecrated men and women of our family, has helped us to better understand the beauty of our charism. Each one of us who live it today brings a new ray of light that radiates in the world, a new face of this marvelous polyhedron that is this charism given by the Holy Spirit to the Church and to the world to announce the Gospel of Jesus and his Kingdom to the most abandoned.
World Water Day Statement from Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI February 12th, 2024
(Originally Published at OMIUSA.ORG)
Water for Peace
The annual World Water Day is celebrated on March 22nd, 2024. This day focuses on the gratitude we owe our great God for the life-giving gift of water, which is necessary for all life as we know it on planet Earth. This is a day of thanksgiving, and for each and all on planet Earth to examine how we are using, or perhaps, sadly abusing and wasting this wonderful gift, individually, in our families, in each and every community, and at a local, state, and national level. World Water Day is a United Nations (UN) observance coordinated by UN Water. Every year, it raises awareness of a major water related issue and inspires action to tackle the water and sanitation crisis. World Water Day is one of two special ecology days, the other being Earth Day which is celebrated in April. While each is celebrated separately, there is a natural and essential connection between the two as water is a main component of planet Earth.
Two Special Ecology Days
Pope Francis in two major statements on the environment brings out how these two ecology days focus on our Common Home, planet Earth and reminds us that the web of life is one. These two special creation days celebrate the beauty and wonder of God’s creation which has its origin in a plan of love and truth. This love in nature surrounds us and is nothing more and nothing less than God’s work of art, the divine gallery.
Water for Peace
The theme for this year’s World Water Day as given to us by UN Water is “Leveraging water for peace and prosperity” Put simply, World Water Day is called “Water for Peace”. As we review history, we readily see that water can create peace or spark conflict. When water is scarce or polluted, or when people have unequal or no access, tensions can rise between communities and countries. UN reminds us that more than 3 billion people worldwide depend on water that crosses national borders. Yet, out of 153 countries that share rivers, lakes, and aquifers with their neighbors, only 24 countries report having cooperation agreements for all their shared water.
VISIT OMIUSA.ORG to read the full article
2023 OMI JPIC Year in Review February 8th, 2024
In this video we are recap some of our activities in 2023, as we look forward to exciting opportunities in 2024. We express gratitude for the collective efforts that brought us together in 2023, making a positive impact on our world. Let’s carry this spirit into this new year.
